The NY Rangers have gifted the Pittsburgh Penguins their first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, The Athletic reported.
News of this move came on Monday night as the final step in finalizing the J.T. Miller trade that sent the veteran center from the Vancouver Canucks to Broadway.
Let’s recap the trade a little bit to see why the Penguins became involved in this Vancouver-New York trade.
The NY Rangers acquired Miller from the Vancouver Canucks on January 31, along with Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington. The Canucks received Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and their 2025 first-round pick.
Here’s where the Penguins get involved. The Canucks traded that first-round pick to the Pens in the Marcus Pettersson trade.
So, the Rangers’ first-rounder went to Vancouver and then Pittsburgh. The pick was top-13 protected. Meaning that the NY Rangers had the choice of giving said pick to the Penguins if it was below #13 or sending their 2026 first-rounder.
The Rangers’ brass ultimately decided to send the 2025 first-rounder to the Penguins, thereby closing the books on the J.T. Miller trade.
The Rationale Behind NY Rangers’ Gift to Penguins
As The Athletic noted, the rationale behind the NY Rangers’ decision to send this year’s pick lies in the draft class itself. The 2025 NHL Draft has long been regarded as one of the weaker drafts in the last 25 years. Some analysts have even compared it to the infamous 1999 Draft.
Additionally, it seems there are no players that truly tickle the Rangers’ fancy. The Athletic’s 2025 NHL mock draft projected the Blue Shirts taking Jackson Smith from the Tri-City Americans. The 6’3” blue liner seemed in line with the Rangers’ draft philosophy.
The 2026 first-rounder, however, is a more coveted one as next year’s draft is believed to be a much deeper one. There’s another consideration. If the Rangers fall even further in the standings next season, they could be in line for a lottery pick next year. That lottery pick could turn into a chance to draft Gavin McKenna.
In the meantime, it seems that they will make do with the rest of their draft picks. New York has one second-round, two third-rounders, one fourth-round, one fifth-round, two sixth-rounders, and one seventh-round selection.
What the 12th Overall Pick Means for Penguins
The Penguins now have back-to-back picks, #11 and #12. The 11th pick is Pittsburgh’s own. The Athletic highlighted that Pens’ GM Kyle Dubas has been adamant about improving his team. As such, he could weaponize one of the two picks to recoup assets for this upcoming season.
It’s unclear which teams could make a push for the Penguins’ first-rounders. The likeliest candidates would be teams looking to shed cap space, potentially heading down the rebuild path. There may also be teams forced to move players, and could look at one of the Penguins’ first-rounders as a viable return.
The Boston Bruins come to mind. The Buffalo Sabres could also be an interesting team to watch. They have several players rumored to be on the trading block, such as JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram. Perhaps the Penguins could be enticed to take one, or both, in exchange for one of those picks.
Whatever the Penguins decide, trading one, or even both picks, must land pieces the Penguins can use to contend next season. Otherwise, the Penguins could just hold onto both picks and begin gathering assets for what’s shaping up to be a full-on rebuild looming over the horizon.
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