Sources — Rangers to send 12th overall pick in draft to Penguins

The New York Rangers have decided to send the 12th pick in Friday’s NHL draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins to complete the conditions from their acquisition of forward J.T. Miller last season, sources told ESPN.

The Rangers sent a conditional first-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks in a package that included forward Filip Chytil and defenseman Victor Mancini for Miller and defensemen Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington. Miller, 32, had 35 points in 32 games with the Rangers last season.

The Canucks then shipped that pick to the Penguins in a trade package for defenseman Marcus Pettersson.

The condition on the pick: That if the Rangers’ 2025 first-rounder was in the top 13, they had the option to send that pick to the Penguins and hold onto their 2026 first-round pick. New York finished 11th in the Eastern Conference (39-36-7, 85 points) and outside the playoff picture, earning the 12th overall pick in the process.

Keeping the 2026 pick benefits the Rangers in multiple ways. If the team returns to contention under new head coach Mike Sullivan, it could use the 2026 pick to bolster its roster before the NHL trade deadline. But if things continue to trend in the opposite direction, the Rangers will have a potential lottery pick in what experts believe is a very strong draft class, with phenom forward Gavin McKenna as the expected first overall pick.

The Penguins now have back-to-back picks in the first round, owning the 11th and 12th picks.