On a big NHL Draft weekend for James Dolan, the Rangers selected four players at Sphere in Las Vegas. Dolan’s creation for the first marquee sporting event at the new venue was personally thanked by league commissioner Gary Bettman during last night’s festivities.

The consensus top pick Macklin Celebrini went first to the Sharks. In a fitting touch, they had Joe Thornton announce the pick to some boisterous Sharks fans who made their presence known on Friday night. General manager Mike Grier also congratulated Glen Sather on an outstanding career. He finally retired earlier this week from hockey.

Before I get into what the Rangers did, I wanted to note my favorite part of the first round.

That would be when the Ducks stunned draft pundits by taking Beckett Sennecke with the third pick. His shocked reaction said it all. It was a great moment. A fast riser, he leapfrogged higher projected players, including Ivan Demidov, who the Canadiens grabbed at number 5, Sennecke had a great second half for the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) to move up.

If Sennecke’s reaction was the best moment, the Canadiens having Celine Dion announce the Demidov selection was a close runner-up. It was a nice touch.

Despite some rumblings, the Devils stayed put at number 10 to grab big Russian defenseman Anton Silayev. They would make bigger headlines on Saturday by moving three roster players, highlighted by John Marino going to Utah HC.

The Islanders might’ve gotten a steal when top American goal scorer Cole Eiserman fell into their lap at number 20. He sounds like a very good offensive player with a lethal shot. The knock on him is defensive awareness. For the Islanders’ sake, they’ll hope it’s not a repeat of Oliver Wahlstrom.

On Day 1, teams moved up to grab players or down to get more draft capital. Don’t tell that to the Caps, who bought Cap Friendly. They made a couple of moves by adding Andrew Mangiapane and Logan Thompson over the weekend. They also traded gritty forward Beck Malenstyn to the Sabres for a second round pick. His tenacity should help in Buffalo.

While the activity was fast and curious on Day 2, with Mikhail Sergachev the biggest name to relocate by going from Tampa to Utah, the Rangers were reportedly trying to move Jacob Trouba. Despite Elliotte Friedman’s report, the Rangers and Red Wings haven’t gotten anything done yet. It’ll probably have to wait until Monday when Trouba’s 15-team no-trade list is submitted on July 1.

Instead of being able to possibly move Trouba or Kaapo Kakko, Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury turned his attention to the draft. Despite all the hoopla surrounding the 30th pick possibly being dangled as part of a trade, they held onto it.

While other teams had special guests introduce their new picks, including the Ducks with Scott Niedermayer and Rick Nash revealing the Blue Jackets’ selection, the Rangers made no fuss over it. They announced defenseman E.J. Emery as their 30th pick near the conclusion of the first round.

A defensive defenseman who prides himself on being a shutdown player, Emery is compared to current Blueshirt K’Andre Miller. When asked by NY Post Rangers beat writer Mollie Walker, who he likes to model his game after, he responded with Miller to the usual giggles from Walker. Emery will attend North Dakota in the fall.

As much as I rolled my eyes due to some of the things Miller doesn’t bring, he’s a good player with character. If Emery has the skating and instincts, which it sounds like, let’s hope he also brings some edge. It’ll probably take a while before we see him in Manhattan. North Dakota is a very good place for him to begin his development.

For a while, things were relatively quiet this afternoon. With the Rangers having no second or third round picks, they waited until Round 4 to make some noise by trading up to number 119. After sending pick 127 and a 2026 seventh round pick over to the Predators, they grabbed center Raoul Boilard at number 119.

Described as a three zone player, Boilard believes he’s a good playmaker with offensive skills. He plays for Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In 2023-24, he tallied 22 goals and 40 assists in 68 games. He added four goals and four helpers in the playoffs.

In Round 5, the Blueshirts selected big forward Nathan Aspinall with pick 159. On NHL Network, it was interesting to hear the Canadian analysts talk about him. They said he moves well for his size. Of course, it was fitting that they’d take Aspinall on Matt Rempe’s 22nd birthday. Oh, the irony.

Aspinall is listed at six-foot six, 185 pounds. He fared well, putting up 18 goals and 16 assists over 65 games for the Flint Firebirds in the OHL. He definitely sounds like another combination forward who brings physicality. That makes him an intriguing player to watch.

With their final pick in the sixth round, they took forward Rico Gredig 191st overall. He played for Switzerland in the 2024 World Junior Championships, picking up an assist in five games.

Gredig plays for HC Davos in the Swiss League. In 28 contests, he had two goals and two assists. On the Elite Prospects site, it says that his contract runs through 2025-26. He turned 19 in February. There’s enough time to see if he pans out.

As for the status of Trouba, that remains to be seen. If his hometown team really wants him, then I guess something will happen soon. July 1 is approaching. We’ll see if anything materializes.

It’s obvious that the Rangers want to free up extra space to bring in an impact scoring forward to help out Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. I highly doubt it’s Jake Guentzel. Especially with all the rumors attached to the Lightning pursuing him.

What about Steven Stamkos? He’s a proven star who’s won two Cups with the Lightning. Yes. He’s 34, but he proved he still can finish by scoring 41 goals. Affectionately known as Stammer by Tampa fans, he’s been the face of the franchise since he entered the league. A leader who is money on the power play, what do the Rangers have to lose?

I want to add that Stamkos isn’t a great 5-on-5 player. But imagine if he played on the top line. It would be a good fit. Especially if his asking price is within range. They wouldn’t have to give up anything, either.

I’ve been gung-ho on Jake DeBrusk. I think he would be ideal. We’ll see what happens. Get ready for some fireworks.