How could Alexis Lafrenière and nine other draft picks impact NY Rangers prospect pool?

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, I spent a few weeks making calls and researching dozens of New York Rangers' prospects.

Going into the 2019-20 season, the Blueshirts had what was widely considered the best prospect pool in the league. Then Kaapo Kakko, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin graduated to the NHL, but the consensus this spring was that they remained a top-10 organization — top five by most accounts.

Now, with Monday's news that the Rangers will have the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft, they've quickly moved back into the conversation as the league's best.

The main reason is the potential addition of Alexis Lafrenière, who some consider the best prospect to enter the draft since Auston Matthews in 2016. The French-Canadian forward would jump right to the top of the Rangers' prospect list.

But with nine additional picks in this year's draft, including another first-rounder that will land somewhere between No. 20 and No. 31, the Rangers are in position to dramatically bolster their collection of young talent.

"The draft is excellent — very deep," Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said. "We're thinking that this draft is better than a lot of the ones we've seen recently, so (we're) very excited to that we have additional first-round pick."

TAKEAWAYS: John Davidson and Jeff Gorton brace for No. 1 pick

ANALYSIS: Impact of No. 1 pick on NY Rangers rebuild, lineup

Alexis Lafrenière's star potential

This will be the Rangers' fourth consecutive year with a top-10 pick and fourth consecutive year entering the offseason with multiple first-round picks.

They used their later first-round pick last year to acquire defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets, but they've still made six first-round selections in the last three years, with two more potentially coming in 2020. 

Of those picks, the biggest disappointment has been forward Lias Andersson, who was taken at No. 7 overall in 2017 and won't even play in North America for the 2020-21 season after leaving on shaky terms.

Whiffing on that pick stings, no doubt, but the good news for the Rangers is that they've had plenty of chances to take a swing. Their other first-round selections from the last three years — Filip Chytil (No. 21 in 2017), Vitali Kravtsov (No. 9 in 2018), K'Andre Miller (No. 22 in 2018), Nils Lundkvist (No. 28 in 2018) and Kakko (No. 2 in 2019) — are either currently contributing in the NHL or getting close. 

Their 2019 draft class, in particular, has been noted for its depth. Three of their eight picks — second-rounders Matthew Robertson and Karl Henriksson and third-rounder Zac Jones — made our most recent list of top-10 overall Rangers' prospects. (Kakko wasn't eligible because he's played more than 25 NHL games.) 

But for all the talent the Rangers have gathered during this rebuild, the opportunity to take Lafrenière is truly unique.

Just look at the impact of No. 1 picks from the previous 15 years. It's a star-studded list that includes Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Taylor Hall, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid.

"If you look through some of the best players in the league — some of the star players in this league — it's not a huge secret where the teams are getting them," Gorton said. "It's lottery picks. It's at the very high end parts of the draft."

'The best thing you can do is accumulate capital'

Reading off those No. 1 picks is probably all you need to understand why the Rangers will almost certainly sit tight and select Lafrenière.

I don't doubt rumors about the Ottawa Senators offering their picks at No. 3 and No. 5, but I doubt the Rangers would accept it. 

What they do with their other first-round pick, though, is more of an unknown.

The best practice for any team is to take the best player available, regardless of position. But as Gorton has pointed out before, there are really only three positions to target in hockey — forwards, defensemen and goalies — and you can bet the Rangers won't be using a first-round pick on a goalie.

The depth of first-round talent this year is concentrated on forwards, and there are a handful of centers — the Rangers' top long-term position of need — who could fall into the picks 20-31 range. Keep the names Mavrik Bourque, Seth Jarvis, Hendrix Lapierre and Connor Zary in mind. 

But the other option — which feels like a real possibility — is a trade to bring in a player who can improve the NHL lineup right away. 

Gorton has stockpiled assets, most recently in the deal that sent Brady Skjei to Carolina, to arm himself with the firepower to pounce on opportunities. He's used most of those draft picks to reinvigorate their prospect pool, but we saw his willingness to address immediate needs by dealing picks to acquire Trouba and Adam Fox last year. 

"The best thing you can do is accumulate capital," team president John Davidson said. "Sometimes it takes a deal — if you have a weakness somewhere and you have a strength somewhere, it's a perfect match for another team."

That extra first-round pick could net an established player — the Rangers could use a center or left-handed defenseman — and when I asked Gorton if he's open to trading his draft capital, he acknowledged, "Those are the kinds of things we'll look into."

If he finds the right match, I believe we could see a deal. 

Next wave of impact prospects

The current wave of young talent is a solid mix of high picks and hidden gems. 

Kakko and Chytil saw their NHL roles grow more prominent as the season wore on, but it wasn't just about former first-rounders. Fox and Ryan Lindgren were acquired via trade and formed a dependable all-rookie defensive pair, while Shesterkin made an impressive 12-game debut six years after being selected in the fourth round (No. 118 overall). 

Those five look like they'll be fixtures for the Rangers, while the jury remains out on young players such as Julien Gauthier, Brett Howden and Libor Hájek.

They've all had a taste of the NHL, but Lafrenière — if the Rangers draft him — will lead the next wave of prospects vying to impact the roster. It's easy to envision him stepping right into a top-nine forward role, while a trio of other prospects should enter training camp with a chance to compete for spots.

That trio consists of two 2018 first-round picks — Kravtsov and Miller — along with recently signed forward Morgan Barron. 

As a sixth-round pick (No. 174 overall) from 2017, Barron doesn't come with the same pedigree as the others. But he's worked his way up the Rangers' prospect list after a stellar three-year career at Cornell. His game is more advanced and well-rounded than other forward prospects in the organization, which, coupled with his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame, could give him an advantage going into camp.

It also wouldn't be a surprise to see one or two of the Rangers' college free agent centers — a group headlined by Minnesota Duluth's Justin Richards — get invited to camp. 

But the player who's boosted his stock the most this summer is Miller.

He stood out for his skill, mobility and decision-making during the two-week camp in New York prior to the start of the qualifying round. And while the plan has been to let him get his feet wet in the AHL to begin next season, his camp showing may force the Rangers to reconsider.

Without prompt, Davidson expressed his excitement about the uniquely talented defenseman during a Zoom call on Tuesday.

"K’Andre Miller came to our training camp and was really good — really good," he said. "It’s a very exciting thing thinking about K’Andre and his future when that comes with the Rangers."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.