After his Cornell men’s hockey team had beaten Boston University 2-0 in a late November showdown at Madison Square Garden, longtime Big Red coach Mike Schafer looked around the arena’s corridors and said, “I hope the Rangers aren’t paying too much attention.”



He was kidding, of course.



The Rangers are paying very much attention, in particular, to a big, well-rounded junior winger named Morgan Barron. In fact, Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and coach David Quinn (who was there rooting on his alma mater) happened to stop by postgame to say hello to Barron.



The Rangers selected Barron in the sixth round (No. 174 overall) of the 2017 NHL entry draft. If that draft were redone today, Barron would certainly go much higher than that, likely in the second round, perhaps the top of the third.



His draft position is moot now and the Rangers patiently are awaiting his decision to turn pro, though it sure seems like he’ll be signing...