Will Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko be the one for Rangers? 

Thirty-one players will be chosen in the first round of the National Hockey League draft Friday night in Vancouver. Two stand head and shoulders above all the rest: American center Jack Hughes and Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko.

“The two of them are at the top of this draft class,’’ Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting, said at the NHL’s Draft Combine last month.

The Rangers were the biggest winners in the NHL’s Draft Lottery on April 9 when they jumped up from the sixth position in the selection order to No. 2 overall. The Devils technically “won’’ the lottery, as they got the No. 1 pick, and they get to choose which of the two superstars to take. But it also comes with the pressure of possibly taking a player who ends up being a flop, while the one they pass on becomes a Hall of Famer. In that case, their decision would be rued as long as the franchise exists.

The Rangers? They know that whichever player the Devils don’t take is likely to be a star. And on the off chance he isn’t, at least they won’t have to live down the notion that they made the wrong choice.

So what are the factors that will drive the Devils’ decision?

Hughes is the Central Scouting’s No. 1 North American skating prospect and Kakko the No. 1 European skating prospect. Hughes generally has been the presumed top choice since the 2018 draft was completed. He played for the U.S. National Team Development Program and had 34 goals and 112 points in 50 games this season, and broke the NTDP career record for points, with 228. He also broke Alex Ovechkin’s record for points in the U18 World Championships, with 32. Listed on Central Scouting’s site as 5-10, 171 pounds (he claimed at the Combine to be 5-11), he is a superior skater with seemingly X-ray vision and elite playmaking skills.

Kakko was always considered  second best to Hughes, but he played against grown men in Finland’s top pro league and set a record for a draft-eligible player with 22 goals in 45 games. Then he led Finland with six goals at the World Championships, helping the Finns win the gold medal and sparking a debate as to whether he should be the top pick. Listed at 6-2, 194 by Central Scouting, Kakko is actually thought to be bigger than that. And while Hughes still is developing. Kakko is fully developed, and he plays a power forward game, working the boards, driving the net and finishing scoring chances.

“There is a difference between them, and each team knows what they like in a player; they know what their situation is,’’ Marr said. “They both could have Jack at the top, they both could have Kakko at the top. Who knows what the teams are thinking; all we know is that they’re both going to be ready to play in the NHL in the near future and they’re both destined for success.’’

The near future almost certainly means this season. If Hughes goes first to the Devils, he’d probably slot in as the second- or perhaps third-line center. Kakko, who wouldl have to adjust to the smaller NHL rinks, probably would challenge for first-line minutes with the Rangers. Should the Devils opt for Kakko, he’d probably play on their second line, and Hughes likely would center the Rangers’ second or third line.

Bottom line, any team would be happy to have either one of these guys.

“I think Kakko is at a different stage in his physical development,’’ Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury said. “Being 6-3, and kind of having what is closer to what is probably a filled-out man’s body…  [and] playing against men for a lot longer than Hughes has, probably gave him an early advantage in that [World Championship] tournament. Jack is obviously an elite, elite talent. Terrific skater, terrific hockey sense; the edges on his skates and the things he does with them off the puck, are exciting to watch for anybody. At the end of the day, I keep saying they’re both terrific players and both New Jersey and us are going to be happy either way.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.