The Rangers go into tomorrow’s draft with no first or second round picks, courtesy of trades for Rick Nash and Ryane Clowe.  It’ll be the first time the organization won’t be picking in the first round since 2002 – when Pavel Bure cost them their first rounder – and is the first time 50 year history of the Draft that the Rangers won’t have a pick in the first two rounds.

It’s new territory for Gordie Clark too, who heads up the Rangers drafting squad.  In his 19 years, Clark has never been to a draft where he didn’t have at least one pick in the first two rounds, and as a result he says that he’ll focus on position rather than best player available.

Third round and beyond is generally a bit of a roll of the dice anyway, with just five of the twelve third round draft picks by the Rangers from 2000 through to 2010 making it to the NHL, and just one – Dominic Moore in 2000 – managing more than 120 gmes in the league.

When asked about the prospects of trading up, Clarke noted that the team didn’t spend too much time arguing over the first 30-40 players, suggesting that the likelihood is low.  A move into the second round is a modest possibility, but with just five picks in the seven rounds, the Rangers are not likely to be doing too much.