NYR Draft Central Thread

A thread for BSB folks to talk all things NHL Draft.

With the 2023 NHL Draft kicking off tonight at 7 PM EST, lots of changes have been happening around the NHL. So far, the Rangers have been quiet, almost a bit too quiet. Slotted to pick 23rd overall, the team has one moment at the podium on the draft's first day. Will that change as the evening progresses? No one knows, not even Drury at this point.

A few questions are floating in the air, making this draft interesting for NHL and NYR fans alike. The first is how far Michkov will fall. Politics and current world affairs aside, the dynamic Russian winger is under contract for 3 more years in the KHL.

If available would you include Lafrenière in a trade to Montreal for the pick to draft Michkov?
— Blueshirt Banter (@BlueshirtBanter) June 28, 2023

Another question is whether Goodrow's fate will be decided over the next two days. With some Key younger players in need of new contracts, the Rangers' wallet is currently squeezed quite tightly.

As always, there has been A LOT of draft and prospect analysis this past year, and most pundits have determined this is a very skilled draft. Here are some relevant links, including mock drafts and prospect analysis:

Scott Wheeler's Mock Draft

Corey Pronman's Mock Draft

Daily Faceoff Mock Draft

The Hockey News' Mock Draft (oddly doesn't have a pick for the Rangers, but since I'm a subscriber of the physical magazine, I can at the very least tell you they had Michigan University's Gavin Brindley ranked 23rd)

Chris Feldman's Mock Draft

Athletic's Draft Consensus

Athletic's Draft Class Superlatives

Vince Mercogliano's Draft Coverage

All things aside, here is my personal opinion on what I'd like to see the Rangers do, trade up. If Michkov falls at all, find a way to get that trade done. Act now; figure it out later. He will be worth it, and while I'm sure I may get flak for this, but I think he could even end up outperforming Bedard. Since this is bound not to happen, I would love it if the Rangers could snag Quentin Musty, who is a highly skilled winger with a very high ceiling.