Rangers Stuff

With Colorado's loss tonight, the Rangers are locked into picks 2 and 20 in the first round and picks 48 and 58 in the second round of the 2019 draft, then they have 1 third.  So, as of now, 5 picks in the top 100, after already using their own second round pick in the deal for Adam Fox.  Even with the teams they needed to win losing last night and today, they are still in really good shape. And they could be in even better shape by draft night.

Hank told a Swedish paper that he wasn't sure he would finish his career with the Rangers. In order for him to leave before his contract ends in two years, he'd have to waive his NMC, which he was unwilling to do at the beginning of this rebuild. If he's willing to move, it'll be interesting to see what the take back is.  He's a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but coming off a less than Hankish year.  Anyway, that's one possibility.  Or the Rangers could move Georgiev for a top 10 pick, and that's probably more likely than Hank dropping his NMC.  This draft has a superb top 2, but the rest of the top 10 or 12 is also really impressive and have all shown internationally. So in a perfect world the Rangers will pick Kako or Hughes at 2, then jump back into the top ten for Cole Claussen or one of the other superb prospects, while staying at 20 and grabbing another prospect.  I don't think any of the preumptive top 10 will fall all the way to 20, but it would be awesome if one did, regardless of whether or not the Rangers can pick up another high pick by trading Georgiev or Georgiev +.

Meanwhile the Rangers brass are at their annual La Quinta organizational meetings where they generally settle on a FA plan and discuss trade options.  Any minute now they are likely to name former Ranger John Davidson as team president. It's kind of touching that John Davidson has had it in his contract that he can leave Cleveland if the Rangers come calling.  And of course, we'll only like him if he stays to course and doesn't try to "win now." Keep doing the rigtht things and the winning will never stop.