When the New York Rangers traded Derek Stepan and Annti Raanta to Arizona the key return was not Tony Deangelo, it was the seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft. With their first first-round pick in five years and their highest pick since 2004 , it was crucial that the Rangers make the right choice.
Rangers senior European scout Anders Kallur was given the honor of announcing the team’s selection, an early hint that they were going with a European player. When he announced Lias Andersson’s name, there was a smattering of boos and even the television announcers seemed surprised.