The Pittsburgh Penguins will now have the No. 12 overall selection in Friday’s NHL Draft after they received the New York Rangers’ selection to complete a Jan. 31 trade that didn’t even involve them, ESPN reported Tuesday.
The Vancouver Canucks received the pick in a trade that sent J.T. Miller to the Rangers. The Canucks then sent that pick to the Penguins in a package to land defenseman Marcus Pettersson.
The Rangers’ first-round pick in the Miller trade was conditional. It would be either their first-round pick in Friday’s draft if it was in the top 13, or they could wait and send away their first-round pick in 2026. The Rangers chose the former.
By landing the No. 12 overall selection, the Penguins now have consecutive picks since they also will select at No. 11 overall. Their own selection came after they finished 13th in the Eastern Conference at 34-36-12 (82 points) and missed out on the playoffs by finishing seventh in the wild-card chase.
–Field Level Media
