Why NY Rangers Should Have Some Confidence in John Lilley

The New York Rangers are preparing for what will be an important upcoming NHL Draft for the team at the end of June. 

Following a really bad season, the Rangers will be hoping for a strong offseason to turn things around and get the franchise back on track. New York is seemingly trying to accomplish the challenging task of getting younger while still being competitive, and that is no easy thing to accomplish. 

This offseason, the team will be in a good position to improve and get younger. In free agency, they will have a plethora of cap space to use on free agents. Furthermore, with two picks in the first round, they will have chances to improve their prospect pool. 

However, while having draft capital is important, the Rangers need to pick the right players. A lot of pressure will be on Chris Drury and the direction of amateur scouting, John Lilley, to get this right. Furthermore, with this being the first time Lilley will be scouting for a lottery pick, Drury has confidence in him. 

“I have a lot of faith in John Lilley and his amateur staff,” Drury said April 17 to Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required) 

Lilley Has Been Good So Far

While there have been a lot of failures drafting in the lottery for the Rangers, John Lilley hasn’t been a part of that. New York brought him in 2021 and has since just made two selections in the first round under his watch, neither of which was in the lottery. 

It is still very early to judge those selections, but the early results from Gabe Perreault down the stretch were very encouraging that he could be a top-six forward. Furthermore, their 2024 selection, E.J. Emery, has yet to play in the NHL. 

Now, the pressure will be on for Lilley and Chris Drury with a pick in the top five and also a selection in the later part of the first round. While they might elect to move one of those picks in a trade to get some help, the fifth pick feels like it would be unlikely to be dealt. 

While it is easy to be pessimistic because of the struggles that the team has had drafting in the lottery over the last decade, Lilley has yet to get a chance to prove what he can do. Even though the sample size is small in terms of first-round picks, he has done all right so far, and it will be interesting to see the direction that he goes with the fifth pick.