Revisiting Rangers 2020 Draft Lesson – Lasting Gift from Jeff Gorton

The 2020 NHL Draft is the gift that keeps on giving from former New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton. In his last draft with the team before being fired in May 2021, Gorton netted four players currently on the roster and another two potential players who could eventually join them.

Alexis Lafreniere headlined the 2020 draft class after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick. Although he struggled to find his feet during his first three seasons, Lafreniere broke through last season and became a star in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But the success of this draft class goes beyond Lafreniere. Of the nine players the Rangers drafted in 2020, Braden Schneider (1st round, No. 19 overall), Will Cuylle (2nd round, No. 60 overall) and Matt Rempe (6th round, No. 165 overall) also went key NHL players for the Rangers.

Schneider has been a fixture on the blue line, missing just three games since making his debut midway through the 2021-22 season. Cuylle is coming off a promising first full season at the NHL level after appearing in four games the year before. And Rempe captured the hearts of New Yorkers with an electric rookie season in 2023-2024.

Additionally, forward Brett Berard (5th round, No. 134 overall) and goaltender Dylan Garand (4th round, No. 103 overall) are impressing with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate, and could join the Blueshirts in the NHL in the coming seasons.

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Rangers 2020 NHL Daft class will be an exceptional class

Gorton’s legacy with New York is complicated, especially after a rebuild that saw the dismissal of many fan favorites, and not always with bountiful returns. Still, he hit the mark with the final draft class of his tenure, leaving the Rangers with a slew of players who could be in the picture for the long haul.

Lafreniere’s development is an absolute game changer. After leading Canada to a World Juniors gold medal and winning tournament MVP, along with a 112-point season that led the QMJHL, he was the consensus top pick and a no-brainer after the Rangers won the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery .

But Lafreniere fell short of expectations, scoring 47 goals and 91 points in 216 games over his first three seasons. Labeled a major disappointment and a draft bust, he entered his age-22 season wondering if it would be his last in New York.

He went on to change the narrative, setting NHL career highs with 28 goals and 57 points despite minimal time on the top power play unit. He showed the ability to generate offense on the big stage, scoring seven of his team-leading eight in the postseason in five-on-five.

Now he will enter his age-23 season with a lot of confidence and still have plenty of room to grow. As long as he and current general manager Chris Drury can come to an agreement on an RFA deal next season, he should be a key part of the Rangers core for years to come.

He’s not the only one who has the potential to be a long-time Ranger.

Schneider took the opportunity given in his rookie campaign and ran with it, appearing in all 20 postseason games as a bottom-pairing defenseman as the Rangers advanced to the 2020 Eastern Conference finals hurried.

Despite some typical growing pains, he has been a reliable presence at the back and could have an even bigger role next season after playing alongside K’Andre Miller in this year’s playoffs. He needs a new RFA deal this offseason, but don’t expect him to go anywhere; the Rangers will need his size and athleticism moving forward.

Cuylle is harder to make long-term projections, but he undoubtedly held his own in his first taste of consistent action in the NHL. Cuylle appeared in every regular season game but one, leading all rookies and finishing seventh in the League with 247 hits.

In addition to his physical play, he scored a respectable 13 goals and 21 points. It’s hard to say if he will develop into a top-six winger, but he did score 43 goals in 59 OHL games in 2021-2022 and 25 goals in 69 AHL games in 2022-2023.

It’s even harder to project Rempe. Whether he’s a flash in the pan or a long-term regular remains to be seen. The 6-foot-4 forward electrified fans with his size and big hits, but it’s still up in the air whether he’s ready for a permanent role on the fourth line. He’s still very raw and there are plenty of aspects of his game that need refining, something he admitted after the season.

“I’m going to work on every part of my game,” Rempe said during the team’s exit interviews. “I want to bring more to the table. I want to be a guy who can play eight to 12 minutes every night.”

He emerged in the system as a center, and if he can hone his skating, defense and puck control, he would be a great value as a sixth-round pick.

Then there are Garand and Berard.

Garand’s played 73 games in the AHL for Hartford over the past two seasons, splitting time with Louis Domingue. While his regular season numbers don’t jump off the page, he was a great player in the postseason with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in 17 Calder Cup Playoff games.

Jonathan Quick returns for next season, but Garand could be in line to take on backup goalkeeper duties behind Igor Shesterkin in 2025/26.

Berard could reach the NHL even sooner, after a team-high 25-goal season in Hartford. With Drury announcing that the Rangers will explore both internal and external solutions to fill open holes on the roster, the 21-year-old may get an opportunity to join the team this fall, similar to how Cuylle did last season.

Either way, the Rangers have already seen a lot of value in their 2020 draft and could see a lot more in the coming seasons.

Gorton and President John Davidson were fired in May of the following year. Drury handled both duties, handling the 2021 draft and putting together a team that has reached the Eastern Conference Finals twice in the past three seasons.

But the traces of Gorton’s fingerprints still linger and the 2020 draft remains a lasting reminder of his tenure and one of the brighter moments of his six years as Rangers GM.