26 Thoughts on the 2026 NHL Draft: Prevailing Questions, Overall Takeaways & More

The 2026 NHL Draft has come and gone. To say it was an interesting week in Buffalo would be a major understatement.

Considering all the bigger trades that took place along with the ones that almost took place, the week will be remembered for how massive the moves were. It still could have been much more. Yet, the trade action is far from over.

In this space, we’re going to share 26 thoughts on the 2026 NHL Draft. This will include everything from teams that crushed the two days to some different rumblings going around along with some analysis on the draft as a whole.

All we can say is, don’t go too far away from your devices. The potential for huge movement could crop up at anytime. With Zach Werenski’s situation unclear, that’s where we’ll begin.

26 Thoughts on the 2026 NHL Draft

1. There is a belief that the trade action league wide cooled off a little on Saturday because of the uncertainty surrounding Werenski. Interested teams know they will have to pay a premium to have a real shot at acquiring him. They won’t engage in other things until they know they’re in or out on the Norris Trophy winner. It’s too early in the process to handicap the favorites as the meeting between Werenski and the Blue Jackets still needs to take place. There’s a chance Werenski is a Blue Jacket to start 2026-27. Teams know they’ll have to put their best foot forward.
2. Team most often connected to Werenski we heard in the last few days: The Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ll be far from alone though.
3. Don’t discount the Auston Matthews factor in Toronto for any potential Werenski interest. They are really good friends. The thing the Maple Leafs have to weigh is the chances the defenseman would stay after two years. That’s risky.
4. GM Don Waddell spoke to the media about the Kirill Marchenko reporting and said he didn’t think the situations involving him and Werenski were related. Montreal is definitely interested in Marchenko. They won’t be alone. The Blue Jackets want to keep the star winger if possible.
5. At some point, the Blue Jackets are going to have to take a stand. The narrative surrounding them about star players potentially leaving is back at the forefront. It’s the last thing anyone there needs. The mood within the team is already somber as it is. They need to determine who wants to be part of the solution there and who doesn’t and then act swiftly to make moves on the players who don’t want to be there. The Blue Jackets want to compete and give their fans something to look forward to. If that means trading their two stars away, then that’s what has to happen. The team needs to draw a line in the sand and dig in.
6. Say goodbye to the San Jose Sharks from the draft lottery for a long time. If you’re an NHL veteran looking for a place to play that’s going to the sky in potential, SAP Center is where it’s at. Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin added to an already robust pipeline? It’s one of the best first-round performances by a team in recent memory. Those Sharks/Ducks games for the next decade are going to be something.

7. The Sharks weren’t done making news. They drafted Alexander Karmanov in the seventh round. He is the tallest player to be drafted in NHL history. At 7-foot-1, he’s four inches taller than Zdeno Chara was. That would be a sight to behold, eh?
8. Liam and Markus Ruck became the fifth set of twins drafted to the same team in NHL history. The others? Peter and Chris Ferraro by the New York Rangers in 1992, Daniel and Henrik Sedin by the Vancouver Canucks in 1999, Matt and Mark McRae by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2000, Justin and Drew Daniels by the San Jose Sharks in 2008.
9. The country of Latvia saw four players drafted in the same draft for the first time in their history. Alberts Smits fifth overall, Rudolfs Berzkalns 58th overall, Patriks Plumins 114th overall, Olivers Murnieks 124th overall. Certainly a proud day for the Latvians to celebrate.
10. There were a total of 33 trades between Friday (13) and Saturday (20) at the NHL Draft. Nine of those 13 were announced at the draft. The two biggest of Saturday? John Carlson’s rights were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Kyle Masters and pick 192. Also Brandon Carlo was traded to the St. Louis Blues for picks 73 and 76 on Saturday.
11. Top-five picks by birth country: Canada 68, United States 58, Sweden 25, Russia 23, Czechia 12 (including six goalies!). Finland was sixth with 11 prospects taken.
12. The OHL led the way in number of first-round picks by league (7) and total number of players selected by league (45). The CHL saw 98 players taken overall. Teams will now be more willing to draft CHL players under the current system as they’ll potentially have the prospect’s rights for longer.
13. Most active at the NHL Draft? The LA Kings welcomed 11 new prospects. The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed 10. Meanwhile on the other side, the Minnesota Wild welcomed just three new prospects while the Washington Capitals had four.
14. The first round saw 22 forwards and 10 defensemen taken. No goalies were taken in the first round. Tobias Trejbal was the first goalie taken. The Calgary Flames took him 42nd overall.
15. Was Daxon Rudolph being the first defenseman taken in the draft a surprise? In asking around, the consensus was no. “A disruptor” was how one source put it when describing Rudolph’s game.
16. The Seattle Kraken needed good news after being turned down by Jason Robertson. Landing Chase Reid and then Casey Mutryn in Round 2 helped ease some of the pain. Both excellent picks.
17. After being thought of as a potential top-10 pick, Ethan Belchetz fell to 17th. The Utah Mammoth traded up to that spot to take him. If he gets the skating in order, that’s a steal.
18. Montreal took Gleb Pugachyov 26th overall. Don’t ever underestimate the power of the Gold Star Camp that Dan Milstein runs in Florida. Pugachyov was the prospect that got the late bump as a result. A 6-foot-3, 224-pound power forward who’s in position to exceed his draft slot. In all, 22 of Milstein’s clients were taken in the draft including at least one player in every round.
19. Prospect that will have a massive chip on his shoulder? Xavier Villeneuve. He fell out of the first round. The Chicago Blackhawks took him with the second pick (34th overall) on Saturday. There are some that believe he was a high first-round talent. Can he overcome the undersized narrative?

20. Matthew Schaefer and Malte Gustafsson on the same blue line for the Islanders for years to come? Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
21. Let’s wrap this up with some overall draft thoughts. Being there live, the first night seemed good. The second day slowed up. The number of trades had a part to do with it. Some teams took the whole three minutes to make their picks on Saturday. The first pick Saturday was just after 11:15 A.M. eastern. The seventh round wrapped up just after 4:00 P.M. eastern. That’s too long.
22. It will be interesting to see how the NHL handles the presentation of the de-centralized draft in the future. From our media perspective, it was great. We were well positioned to see the stage and could get to the interview room in little time. But for fans watching on TV, it was a mixed bag of reactions with some saying the league should get away from stars making picks.
23. Speaking of the de-centralized draft, some teams like it this way. But there are others as well as most of us media types that want to go back to the centralized draft. Teams would have to approach the commissioner in order to do that. I’ll say this. Don’t underestimate the power of bringing people together in one place. That’s always the most enjoyable part of these events is seeing and catching up with those you wouldn’t see otherwise. Money ultimately talks, but here’s hoping this changes back to the way things used to be down the road.
24. There’s a reason Buffalo hosts NHL events. Proximity and facilities. The NHL Combine is there every year. Having Maple Leafs fans in droves in Buffalo cheering on Gavin McKenna’s selection while Sabres fans booed them in response made for an electric atmosphere in the building to start Friday night. Buffalo is not Las Vegas or Nashville, but it has its own set of benefits the league likes.
25. On to development camps and then free agency. Dylan Larkin. Darnell Nurse. The Blue Jackets’ situation. Jason Robertson. There is enough unresolved big items to watch over the next little bit. Will someone drop an offer sheet? This free agent class is as thin as it’s ever been entering July 1. There will be signings. There will be trades, some of which could happen later in the summer. Stay tuned.
26. And finally, just thank you. Thank you to everyone who follows, who reads our coverage. We don’t take a single second of it for granted. You, the fan, are the lifeblood. You make the NHL what it is today. The draft is now in the books. What other insanity is waiting for us next?