NHL Draft could seal Kaapo Kakkos Rangers fate

LAS VEGAS — The stars were out at the NHL Awards Show here Thursday, but not a single player from the team that finished with the NHL’s best record this season was represented.The Rangers, Presidents’ Trophy winners, were out of sight.Artemi Panarin did not get a nomination for the Hart for his 49-goal, 120-point season.

Adam Fox was not a finalist for the Norris, as he had been in two of his first four seasons while winning it as a sophomore in 2021.Peter Laviolette was not nominated for the Adams as coach of the year.Nope, the Blueshirts were out of sight.

That does not mean they have been out of mind.While the free-agent market does not open until Monday — and we can reinforce that both Patrick Kane and Steven Stamkos have piqued GM Chris Drury’s and the hierarchy’s interest — the Blueshirts could do some business on the draft floor Friday.Glen Sather made his final trade as Rangers GM on the 2015 draft floor in Buffalo before stepping up exclusively to the team presidency.

Hopefully, any deal by Drury will be more constructive than the one nine years ago in which The Last Lion of Winter sent Carl Hagelin to the Ducks for Emerson Etem and a favorable exchange of second-round selections.The Rangers were going to face cap issues with Hagelin, but there was no need for that kind of deal at that time.And the exchange of second-round draft positions seemed favorable until the Blueshirts used the 41st-overall selection on winger Ryan Gropp while those such as Erik Cernak, Roope Hintz, Jordan Greenway and Jeremy Lauzon were still on the board.The day was saved to an extent hours later when Jeff Gorton, who had ascended into the GM’s role almost immediately after the Hagelin trade, pulled his very first swap in his position by obtaining Antti Raanta from the Blackhawks for Ryan Haggerty after the draft concluded.

It was one of his better ones, too.There is every chance Drury will make a deal on the floor at the Sphere as the Blueshirts look to move up...