Rangers Reportedly Trade 1st-Round 2025 NHL Draft Pick to Penguins in J.T. Miller Deal

The New York Rangers will reportedly convey the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the trade they made for forward J.T. Miller during the 2024-25 season.

According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the Rangers decided to part with their 2025 first-round pick and keep their 2026 first-rounder due in part to the fact that the 2026 first could act as a trade chip for them at the 2025-26 NHL trade deadline.

On Jan. 31, the Rangers acquired Miller, Erik Brännström and Jackson Dorrington from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round pick.

The Canucks flipped that conditional pick to the Penguins along with Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais and Melvin Fernström for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor hours after acquiring it.

Now, the Pens own the Nos. 11 and 12 picks in the 2025 draft, which is set to begin Friday in Los Angeles.

While the Penguins could stand pat, use both of those picks and bolster their prospect pipeline, they could also use them as ammo to move up or to acquire established players.

Pittsburgh has now missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, and there could be a sense of urgency to return to contention now since both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are nearing the end of their contracts and their careers, with Crosby under contract for two more years and Malkin for one.

As for the Rangers, they are coming off a hugely disappointing 2024-25 season that saw them finish with 85 points and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

Dating back to last season, the Rangers have parted ways with some key veterans who played a pivotal role in their success in recent years. Most notably, they dealt defenseman Jacob Trouba and winger Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks in separate trades.

Still, the Rangers boast a talented core headlined by Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin and Miller, so the potential is there for a major bounceback next season.

However, if New York struggles again next season, keeping the 2026 first-rounder gives the organization a chance to win the 2026 NHL draft lottery.

After recording 41 goals and 88 assists for 129 points as a member of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers this past season, forward Gavin McKenna is widely expected to go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NHL draft, and he could potentially be the best prospect since Connor McDavid.

Had the Rangers kept their 2025 first-round pick, their 2026 pick would have been unprotected and it would have gone to the Penguins even if it ended up being No. 1 overall.

It would have been possible to land a quality prospect at No. 12 overall in this year's draft, but the allure of having even the slightest shot at McKenna next year may have played a role in the Rangers' decision.