Oh there is a draft?

(NHL Media.com)

I have to hand it to some people as the New York Rangers haven't made a single pick in the 2013 NHL Draft but already the draft has been declared a bust. Sorry but you really do need to wait a few years before you can actually say that.

I suppose those angry at Glen Sather for firing John Tortorella or are mad at him for hiring Alain Vigneault or just dislike him so much that it doesn't matter what Sather does that they still hate everything he does. Yes I am no fan of Glen Sather but I have long gotten past the "hate" part mainly because the reality is no matter what happens, Glen Sather will actually leave the Rangers a much better franchise than the one he inherited.

But that is for another day and you want to talk the 2013 NHL Draft for the Rangers. For starters it will be Columbus who will be making the 19th pick instead of the Rangers because of the Rick Nash deal. It is hard to be angry over using this pick as part of getting Rick Nash but if you are mad then there isn't a thing I can say to convince you otherwise.

Now giving away the 49th and 62nd picks as part of the Ryan Clowe trade was a mistake as Sather in my mind as well as several others was trying to make up for not signing Brandon Prust last summer. Sorry Clowe was having a poor season in his contract year and the deal that the Rangers made with Columbus for Derek Dorsett, Derick Brassard and John Moore did more to help the team offset the loss of Prust.

Even if the Rangers do resign Clowe then sorry they will not recoup the value they lost here. The 49th pick was a strong pick that could have helped more given the Ranger's track record of hitting winners with the 2nd round picks.

So the Rangers don't pick until the 65th pick (4th in the 3rd round) and while the Rangers haven't done a good job with their 3rd round picks in recent years, this is a draft to reverse that pattern. The Rangers also have the 75th (14th) and 80th (19th) so the question is how will they use these picks?

If I am looking goalie then I think the Rangers might be considering Shane Starrett a 6'4 175 young player from South Kent School in Connecticut. Starrett was the hot riser jumping from 35th at mid-term to 15th for his final ranking. Starrett also fits the Ranger pattern of New England players as Starrett is headed to Boston University next fall which means he can develop over 4 years not forcing the Rangers into a rushed decision if they went the junior the route.

Now for position players, the Rangers will find that in that 3rd round area that the forwards will be on the smallish side and the defenders while bigger will be mostly shutdown defenders when the Rangers need a couple with some offensive punch to their game. Rangers need to avoid college forwards and defensemen as the system is in need of an infusion of talent now not later.

While you can wait on a goalie, the same is not true with the skaters as the Rangers need some scoring wingers who have some grit to their game more than they need more shutdown defenders.

The Rangers will also pick in the 4th round with the 110th overall pick and then the 6th round at 170th so don't expect any earth shaking moves out of the Rangers at the draft. I think they will make a minor deal or two most likely to pick up more picks.

Sorry I am not in Newark as it just wasn't worth the cost for a 1 day draft and I don't think 2014 in Philadelphia will work either. I will be bouncing between twitter and facebook during the day so if you want to chat speak up,