New York Rangers president John Davidson refuses to get forward of himself together with his workforce within the distinctive place of holding the No. 1 choose within the NHL draft whereas additionally coming off an look within the expanded 24-team playoffs.

Thrilling as it’s having the chance so as to add somebody akin to projected high choose, Quebec-born play-making ahead Alexis Lafreniere, to a younger, retooling roster as soon as the draft opens Tuesday night time, Davidson cautioned the Rangers aren’t wherever near being a contender simply but.

The Rangers solely made the playoffs as a result of the NHL expanded the format to 24, fairly than 16 groups. And even then, New York’s fast exit in being swept in three video games by Carolina within the preliminary spherical wasn’t precisely reassuring.

”I feel now we have work to do, and I am being bluntly trustworthy,” Davidson stated final week.

”Our No. 1 choose goes to be an excellent hockey participant, there is no query, perhaps even an important participant, hopefully. However even he will take a while to get there,” he added. ”It is a lengthy arduous climb, and we’re nonetheless in the midst of it.”

At the very least they’re getting a head begin courtesy of a coronavirus pandemic-altered NHL yr, by which the draft lottery fell in favor of the Rangers, and in opposition to the seven non-playoff groups with much better odds of touchdown the highest choose. The Los Angeles Kings select second, adopted by the Ottawa Senators, who’ve three first-round alternatives, and the Detroit Purple Wings, who had been bumped to the No. Four spot regardless of ending with the NHL’s worst file.

Because of this, the Rangers have the No. 1 choose for the primary time for the reason that NHL adopted the common draft in 1969, and are the primary workforce to pick first when coming off a playoff look since 1983, when the then-Minnesota North Stars acquired the No. 1 choose in a commerce with Pittsburgh.

The draft, initially scheduled to be held in Montreal in June, will as an alternative be performed with groups staying house to pick remotely.

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The Rangers, as most groups do earlier than the draft, aren’t tipping their hand on whom they’re going to choose, although Lafreniere is taken into account the highest contender with an opportunity to turn out to be the primary Canadian participant chosen No. 1 since Connor McDavid was drafted by Edmonton in 2015.

Ranked first amongst North American skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau, the 18-year-old has an exemplary resume. In main the Quebec Main Junior Hockey League with 112 factors (35 objectives, 77 assists) in 52 video games with Rimouski, Lafreniere grew to become the primary to earn MVP honors in consecutive seasons since Sidney Crosby in 2004 and ’05, when he additionally performed for the Oceanic.

At 6-foot-1 and 193 kilos, Lafreniere additionally helped Canada win the World Junior championship in January, and was the event’s MVP and finest ahead.

Rounding out the highest three prospects are 6-foot-Four middle Quinton Byfield, who performed for OHL Sudbury, and top-ranked worldwide skater, Tim Stutzle, who performed professional in his native Germany final season. The highest-ranked U.S.-born prospect is defenseman Jake Sanderson, who’s the son of former NHLer Geoff Sanderson.

Lafreniere is taken into account to have the sting with Central Scouting referring to him as being an ”exceptionally sensible participant with top-end velocity and pull-away gear,” and having, ”elite puck expertise and imaginative and prescient to create performs within the offensive zone.”

From suburban Montreal, Lafreniere will miss the possibility to stroll on stage in his hometown each time his title known as, and as an alternative accept spending the night time at house with household and pals.

He is not fazed by the possibility of taking part in within the New York highlight, and is as an alternative excited in regards to the prospect of becoming a member of a Rangers workforce that features one in all his favourite gamers, ahead Artemi Panarin.

”To be perhaps having the possibility to play with him, it could be an honor,” Lafreniere stated. ”The Rangers are a extremely huge group, and a extremely good younger workforce. We’ll see what occurs. Nevertheless it’s a extremely thrilling workforce for positive.”

The Rangers, who’ve 10 alternatives together with No. 22 within the seven-round, two-day draft, proceed to rebuild with youth. Final week, they bid farewell to goalie Henrik Lundqvist by shopping for out the ultimate yr of his contract, and likewise traded 13-year defenseman Marc Staal to Detroit for future concerns.

The Senators have a draft-leading 12 picks, together with three first-rounders and 6 among the many first 60 alternatives.

Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion is open to each possibility, together with buying and selling draft property to improve a workforce that is completed no higher than 30th in every of the previous three seasons.

”It has to make sense with what we’re making an attempt to do so far as our rebuild our plan, and never attempt to bounce steps that may make us a greater workforce in the long run,” Dorion stated.

Following the draft, the main target rapidly shifts to the NHL’s free company signing interval, which opens Friday. Normal managers are bracing for a busy weekend with quite a few groups having to shed payroll this offseason with the NHL wage cap staying at $81.5 million.

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AP Hockey Writers Stephen Whyno and Larry Lage and AP Sports activities Author Tom Canavan contributed to this report.

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For extra AP NHL protection: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports activities