David Pagnotta said the New York Rangers were actively trying to move up in the 2026 NHL Draft, but the door appeared to close because the San Jose Sharks were already committed to Nos. 2 and 9. The same pursuit also reached the Vancouver Canucks, who were exploring trade possibilities with the same target in mind.
Pagnotta made the comments on June 24 on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill, and the timing matters because the Rangers have not made a major offseason move yet. Their interest was tied to a need that has been obvious for months: they do not have a center prospect projected to get NHL minutes this season, and the draft board offered a clear prize in Caleb Malhotra, the class’s No. 1-ranked center.
That is why the reported effort had a narrow lane. The Rangers were not just hunting any upgrade; they were trying to move into position for a center who could change the shape of their prospect pool. Pagnotta said it sounded like Ivar Stenberg was the Sharks’ guy at second overall, and that San Jose was expected to take a defenseman at ninth, which left New York and Vancouver trying to work around a board that was already taking shape.
There is also a hard limit on what the Rangers can do if the move never comes together. If they stay put at No. 5, the next route is forward help later in the round, with the No. 26 pick and beyond mentioned as the fallback. That leaves the club with a familiar problem: the need to add skill down the middle without a finished deal in hand.
The pressure around the front office is not coming out of nowhere. The Rangers finished last in the Eastern Conference this past season, and fans want the team to maximize the value of Vincent Trocheck and Braden Schneider while the roster still has room to be reshaped. For now, Pagnotta’s report points to a simple conclusion: New York is trying to force movement in a draft market that may already be closing around it.
