When it comes to the NHL Draft, the Rangers haven’t been that successful. Most of their success has come in the later rounds. The best examples are selecting Henrik Lundqvist in the seventh round of 2000 and grabbing Igor Shesterkin in the fourth round of 2014.

Taken with the number 205 pick, Lundqvist went onto a Hall of Fame career. His 459 wins and 64 shutouts are a Rangers franchise record. No Rangers goalie played in more games (887) than King Henrik. In fact, he ranks seventh on the all-time franchise list. Lundqvist also ranks first in saves (23,509), save percentage (.918), and shots against (25,610). His 2.43 goals-against-average places him fifth best in team history.

Coming in right behind him is Shesterkin. In 2014, he was taken with the 118th pick. Since entering the NHL, Shesterkin has been one of the league’s best goalies. Similar to Lundqvist, who won a Vezina in 2011-12, Shesterkin won a Vezina in 2021-22. Fittingly, Lundqvist’s replacement took home the award exactly a decade later. In another irony, he helped backstop the Rangers to the Conference Finals. Unfortunately, like his predecessor, he and the team came up just shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. Both defeats came in six games.

In five years as the starting netminder, Shesterkin has won 162 games with a 2.52 GAA, .917 save percentage, and 21 shutouts. The 29-year-old already ranks fifth on the Rangers franchise list in wins, sixth in GAA, second in save percentage, and tied for eighth in shutouts with Lorne Chabot. Signed for eight more years on a record contract for a goalie ($11.5 million AAV), he’ll continue to climb the ranks for the Blueshirts.

If both Lundqvist and Shesterkin are the franchise’s best picks in recent memory, there have been a lot of swings and misses in the first round over the years.

First Round History: The 1990s

Over their history, the Rangers haven’t always hit it out of the park in the first round. In fact, there have been more disappointments than successes.

Dating back to 1991 when they selected Alexei Kovalev with the number 15 pick, it’s been hit or miss for the Blueshirts. Kovalev remains one of the best first round picks they’ve had over the last four decades. He was instrumental in helping the Rangers win a Stanley Cup in 1994. As a second-year player, he followed up a 23-goal, 56-point season with nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in the postseason.

Although he never fulfilled his potential in the Big Apple, with Kovalev eventually traded to the Penguins for Petr Nedved, his 430 goals and 599 assists for 1,029 points remains the best by a Rangers first round pick since Hall of Famer Brian Leetch (1,028 points). His best season came with the Pens when he put up 44 goals, 51 assists, and 96 points in 2000-01.

Following the Rangers’ first Cup in 54 years, they swung and missed on many players in the first round. There was Peter Ferraro in 1992. A hyped prospect who had success both for Team USA at the World Junior Championships and at the University of Maine, he lasted eight games in parts of three seasons on Broadway. After only registering an assist as a Ranger, Ferraro finished his brief NHL career with nine goals and 24 points in 92 games.

In 1993, Niklas Sundstrom was selected with the eighth pick by the Blueshirts. He was a responsible two-way forward who had a good career that lasted a decade. Ironically, Sundstrom’s best season came when he posted career highs in goals (24), assists (28), points (52), and plus-minus (23) in 1996-97. He benefited from playing with Wayne Gretzky. During the Rangers’ run to the Conference Finals, he had five assists in nine games.

Sundstrom spent three more seasons in New York City before getting packaged with 1994 first round pick Dan Cloutier along with first and third round picks to move up in the 1999 NHL Draft and select Pavel Brendl at number four. A gamble made by former general manager Neil Smith that didn’t work out. Brendl was a bust who never played a single game for the Rangers. He was eventually sent with Jan Hlavac and Kim Johnsson to the Flyers for Eric Lindros on Aug. 20, 2001. Brendl wasn’t the only mistake Smith made in 1999.

The Lightning traded Sundstrom to the Sharks before he played a game. He spent nearly four years in San Jose continuing to be a dependable secondary scorer. By 2002-03, a declining Sundstrom was dealt to the Canadiens. He spent his final three seasons in Montreal before returning home to Sweden to conclude his career with MODO in the Swedish Elite League. In 750 NHL games, Sundstrom totaled 117 goals with 232 assists for 349 points.

After winning the Cup in 1994, the Rangers took Cloutier with the final pick of Round One. Despite having Mike Richter fresh off a great season, Smith decided to plan for the future in net. Highly regarded, Cloutier debuted in 1997-98 appearing in 12 games. He went 4-5-1 with a 2.50 goals-against-average and .907 save percentage as a rookie. Best remembered for challenging the Islanders bench during a brawl at Nassau Coliseum, he had a good second year for the Rangers. In 22 games, he went 6-8-3 with a 2.68 GAA and .914 save percentage as the backup goalie.

Some even wondered if Cloutier would replace Richter as the team’s starter. Instead, he was traded to the Lightning as part of a failed package for Brendl. Cloutier only lasted two years with Tampa Bay, who dealt him to the Canucks in February 2001. His best success came in Vancouver where he won 30 or more games in three consecutive seasons. Unfortunately, he allowed a bad goal to Nick Lidstrom with the Canucks leading the Red Wings two games to none in the first round of 2002. The Red Wings came back to take the series in six, going on to win the Stanley Cup.

A year later, the Canucks came within a win of reaching the Conference Finals. They blew a 3-1 series lead to the Wild in the second round. Cloutier didn’t perform well over the last three games, allowing 15 goals. Despite rebounding in 2003-04, he was gone two years later when he was traded to the Kings. After struggling in parts of two seasons in LA due to injuries, he retired at 31 in 2010. He finished his career with 139 wins, 15 shutouts, and a 2.77 GAA in 351 games.

After not having a first round pick in 1995 due to acquiring Pat Verbeek from the Whalers, the Rangers completely missed on Jeff Brown in 1996. He never even played an NHL game. He was taken with 22nd pick. The Coyotes grabbed Daniel Briere two picks later.

The following year, Smith had what looked like a good pick by selecting Stefan Cherneski. A promising scorer for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League, he suffered a fractured right patella in a game for the Hartford Wolf Pack on Nov. 13, 1998. Somehow, Cherneski returned to play for the Wolf Pack after missing nearly two years. Unfortunately, he was never the same. In 28 games, he had one goal and seven assists in 2000-01.

The knee injury forced him to retire. He was only 22. It was a big blow to the Rangers, who were in desperate need of a young player who could finish. Cherneski remains one of the big what ifs. We’ll never know what he might’ve been. That was a brutal era of Rangers hockey. Anything that could go wrong did.

In 1998, the Rangers took Manny Malhotra with the seventh overall pick. Despite not being a big scorer in juniors, Smith liked his checking capability and character. Malhotra went higher than notable first round picks Alex Tanguay, Simon Gagne, and Scott Gomez. If there was a miscalculation by the organization, it was in how they handled Malhotra. At 18, he made the club out of training camp. Malhotra played on the fourth line scoring eight goals and adding eight assists for 16 points in 1998-99. His rookie season created excitement for a team that otherwise was irrelevant under coach John Muckler.

The bright spots were the kids. That same year, Marc Savard had a good year producing nine goals and 36 assists for 45 points. Savard looked to have a lot of potential. If only the organization knew what they were doing.

Not surprisingly, Malhotra struggled in his second year. In fact, he didn’t register a point in 27 games. Eventually, he was sent back to the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League. After they were eliminated in the first round, Malhotra joined the Wolf Pack for the playoffs in 1999-00. The 19-year-old center was part of a Calder Cup winning team. In 23 games, he scored a goal and added two assists.

Malhotra never established himself as a scorer on Broadway. He was a checking forward who killed penalties. On Mar. 12, 2002, Malhotra was traded to the Stars with Barret Heisten for Martin Rucinsky and Roman Lyashenko. Although he never really established himself in Dallas, Malhotra eventually became a reliable checking pivot for the Blue Jackets. He put up over 30 points twice in Columbus. He continued to be a solid faceoff guy who contributed for the Sharks and Canucks.

Even a serious eye injury didn’t prevent Malhotra from coming back with Vancouver during the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011. He went onto a successful career by playing in 991 games for seven different teams. That included the Hurricanes and Canadiens over his final two seasons. He finished with 116 goals and 179 assists for 295 points.

Since retirement, Malhotra has served as an assistant coach for both the Canucks and Maple Leafs. In 2024-25, he returned to coach the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League guiding them to a Calder Cup. Who knows. Maybe one day, he’ll become an NHL head coach.

The 1999 Draft Debacle

As I’ve already mentioned, the 1999 Draft was a debacle. Following a disappointing season that concluded with Gretzky playing his final game against the Penguins on Apr. 18, 1999, it was all about the draft for the Blueshirts. What would Smith do?

On June 26, there was a lot of movement in the first round. The biggest moves came from the Canucks who swung separate deals with the Blackhawks and Thrashers to select both the Sedin Twins with the second and third picks. Atlanta wound up selecting Patrik Stefan with the first overall pick. After the Canucks paired up Daniel and Henrik Sedin thanks to some magic from GM Brian Burke, the Rangers moved up to select Brendl at number four.

A big scorer for the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL, the Rangers believed Brendl could become that playing in Manhattan. However, they didn’t do their homework. Despite having a lethal shot that beat WHL goalies for a combined 172 goals in three seasons, Brendl had lazy work habits. Even with a strong showing at the 2001 WJC where he scored four times with six helpers for 10 points for the Czech Republic, the Rangers weren’t prepared for Brendl’s issues. Had they done better research, maybe they would have avoided making such a big move to draft him.

Brendl only appeared in two games for the Wolf Pack during their run to a championship. He never played for the Rangers. When new GM Glen Sather had the chance to make a blockbuster deal for Lindros, he included Brendl in the trade with the Flyers. After scoring his first career goal in eight games during 2001-02, he struggled to establish himself the following season. In 42 games with the Flyers, he had five goals and seven assists for 12 points. Brendl was traded to the Hurricanes for Sami Kapanen.

A year later, he went 5-3-8 in 18 contests with the Canes after putting up 33 points in 33 games for the Lowell Lock Monsters in the AHL. On Dec. 28, 2005, Brendl was traded again. This time, it was to the Coyotes for Krys Kolanos. He only appeared in two games for the Coyotes in 2005-06, failing to put up a point. Sadly, Brendl finished with only 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 78 games for his NHL career.

Brendl had more success scoring while playing overseas in both the Swedish Elite League and the Kontinental Hockey League. He spent a decade playing in Europe before retiring following 2015-16. As first round picks go, he remains one of the biggest busts in NHL Draft history.

In that same 1999 Draft, Trader Neil decided to move up by swapping picks with the Flames to acquire number 9. In order to do so, he parted with the promising Savard and number 11 for Hlavac and a third round pick. He moved up two spots to select Jamie Lundmark.

A good player for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL, Lundmark put up 40 goals and 91 points as a 17-year-old. Astonishingly, he once was compared to Steve Yzerman. The Rangers bought into the hype. To be honest, Lundmark played well for the Wolf Pack. In his first pro year, he had 27 goals and 32 assists for 59 points at Hartford. When I was living in Bristol, Connecticut, I even saw him score in overtime to win a game on a breakaway. He had talent. It just didn’t translate.

Unlike Brendl, Lundmark made the Rangers as a 21-year-old. The center appeared in 55 games finishing with eight goals and 11 helpers for 19 points in 2002-03. If there was a mistake, it came the following year. After having a good preseason while shifting the right side to play with former Devil Bobby Holik, Lundmark was buried on the depth chart due to Messier. He never got a fair shake. His mishandling led to a disappointing second season that saw him total just two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 56 games. Making matters worse, they never sent him down. Maybe a stint in Hartford could’ve helped.

In 2004-05, with the NHL season canceled, Lundmark returned to the AHL. In 64 games, he had 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points. He also took a lot of penalties, finishing with 146 penalty minutes. It wasn’t a good season for him. Even though he put up six points in the first round, his days were numbered.

Three games into 2005-06, Lundmark played his last game for the Rangers. After scoring in their first game on a turnaround shot, he played two more games without a point and took three minor penalties. That was it for his Rangers career. In 114 games, he had 11 goals with 19 assists for 30 points with 55 PIM.

On Oct. 18, 2005, Lundmark was traded to the Coyotes for Jeff Taffe. Taffe only appeared in two games without a point for the Rangers. Even if Lundmark was a bust, they got nothing back. Lundmark did alright in his first year with Phoenix. In 38 games, he put up five goals and 13 assists for 18 points. However, the Coyotes dealt him to the Flames for a fourth round pick on Mar. 9, 2006.

An Alberta kid, he went 4-6-10 in 12 games for Calgary. Despite that early success, he couldn’t duplicate it the following season. In 39 games, he only had four assists before the Flames dealt him to the Kings for former number one center Craig Conroy. Lundmark continue to struggle with consistency, only putting up nine points in 29 games in LA. He spent most of the next two years in the AHL.

In 2008-09, the Flames gave him another chance. After putting up close to a point-per-game for Quad City in the American League, Lundmark registered eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 27 games for the Flames. He also appeared in 2 postseason games. His final stint with Calgary came in 2009-10 when he totaled nine points in 21 games before the Maple Leafs claimed him on waivers. He lasted 15 games in Toronto scoring one final goal with two helpers.

For his career, Lundmark totaled 40 goals and 59 assists for 99 points in 295 games. He also had 204 PIM. The lack of discipline didn’t help him establish himself. Along with the fact that he wasn’t the strongest player, those are the biggest reasons he never became a regular. He didn’t score enough to stick.

Eventually, Lundmark went on to have some success in Austria.

Savard Has Distinguished Career

While Lundmark moved around, Savard went on to have a distinguished career. A good skater with superb vision, he immediately had success with the Flames.

At 22, he scored 22 goals and added 31 assists for 53 points in his first season for Calgary. The 53 points ranked fourth in team scoring, trailing only Valeri Bure, Jarome Iginla, and Phil Housley. The following season, Savard continued to improve by posting 23 goals with 42 assists for 65 points in 2000-01. He ranked second in scoring behind team-leader Iginla.

Following some struggles, Savard was traded to the Thrashers on Nov. 15, 2002. While there in Atlanta, he established himself as one of the best playmaking centers in the league. After putting up close to a point-per-game over his first two years, he exploded in 2005-06. At 28, he scored a career-high 28 goals with 69 assists to establish a new career best in points with 97.

The Bruins signed Savard in the off-season. He continued to produce at an elite level. In 2006-07, Savard had 22 goals and a career-high 74 assists for 96 points to pace the team in scoring. He put up over a point-per-game over the next two seasons. With the Bruins on the rise thanks to signing Zdeno Chara and boasting future stars Patrice Bergeron, Phil Kessel, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, and Brad Marchand, they became one of the league’s best teams.

Unfortunately, injuries limited Savard to 66 combined games over his final two seasons. He had just signed a big seven-year contract extension for $28.15 million to stay in Boston. He suffered a concussion on a dirty hit from former Penguins forward Matt Cooke in a game on Mar. 7, 2010. Astonishingly, he returned for the second round of the postseason even getting an overtime goal against the Flyers. Eventually, the Bruins blew a 3-0 lead to lose the series in seven games.

Following the season, Savard was diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome following the season. When he returned for 2010-11, he wasn’t the same player. A second concussion during the season led to the Bruins shutting him down. At 33, his career was over due to recurring symptoms of PCS. Despite the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup by going into Vancouver and defeating the Canucks 4-0 in Game 7, Savard was unable to travel to celebrate the victory. He took part in the Stanley Cup parade and had his day with the Cup.

Although he didn’t officially retire until 2018, Savard finished a successful career by winning a Cup. The Bruins petitioned the NHL to have his name included on the Cup. In 807 games, Savard had 207 goals with 499 assists for a total of 706 points. In 25 postseason games, he finished with eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points.

There’s no telling how many more goals and assists he could’ve wound up with. One thing is for sure. That trade Smith made will go down as one of the worst in Rangers’ franchise history. Combined with the failed gamble of Brendl, it sealed his fate. Sather would replace Smith in the summer of 2000.

Up Next: The 2000s

When we continue to look at the Rangers’ recent draft history, next up is the 2000s. At the very least, it won’t be as bad. There will be another what if in the next post along with some big misses.

Fasten your seatbelts.