There's no sugarcoating it—Chris Drury shares plenty of responsibility for the New York Rangers finishing dead last in the Eastern Conference this season. But here's the twist: the Rangers general manager could walk away from the wreckage looking like a genius if the ping pong balls bounce New York's way at the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery Tuesday night.

Rewind 11 months, and you'll find the move that set all this in motion. When Drury acquired J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks on January 31, 2025, the Rangers had a critical choice to make. They could either give up their top-13 protected first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, or hold onto it and surrender their unprotected 2026 first-round selection instead.

Drury chose to keep the 2025 pick, sending the No. 12 overall selection to the Pittsburgh Penguins—who had acquired it from Vancouver in a separate deal involving defenseman Marcus Pettersson. It was a gamble that could have backfired spectacularly if the Rangers had made the playoffs or even posted a respectable record this season. Instead, the team unraveled, and that unprotected 2026 pick now carries enormous value.

For context, the Philadelphia Flyers—who landed that pick from the Penguins on draft day—used the No. 12 selection to grab talented center Jack Nesbitt, a teammate of Liam Greentree at Windsor in the OHL. That's a quality prospect, no doubt, and it shows the level of talent the Rangers passed on a year ago. But the bigger picture is what matters now.

The 2026 draft class is widely considered deeper and more talented than its 2025 counterpart, which only amplifies the stakes. As it stands, the Rangers own the third-best odds to win the draft lottery at 11.5 percent, according to Tankathon. If those ping pong balls fall their way at NHL Network studios in New Jersey on Tuesday, Drury's decision will look nothing short of prophetic—and the Rangers will face a very exciting question: who to select with the No. 1 overall pick.