With just over three weeks until the 2026 NHL Draft, the rumor mill is starting to ramp up surrounding which prospects certain organizations at the top of the board are targeting for their respective selections.
Over the last 24 hours, Sheng Peng from San Jose Hockey Now reported that the Sharks are taking defensemen Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff to dinner this week. While Carels and Verhoeff surely won’t be the only prospects San Jose will meet with, there has been plenty of speculation on the organization drafting a defender with the second overall pick. These latest reports from SJHN substantiate those claims. Chase Reid is also expected to be considered for the selection.
Then, there’s the Vancouver Canucks, who just hired Manny Malhotra as the 23rd head coach in franchise history on Monday. Manny’s son, Caleb, has been widely projected as the pick for Vancouver at No. 3 in most mock drafts by top draft writers and analysts. Now that Manny is officially in charge behind the bench, it will be fascinating to see if the Canucks indeed go that route. Caleb is regarded as the top center prospect in the 2026 class.
Assuming that Gavin McKenna goes first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the door very well could be left open for the Chicago Blackhawks to select Swedish standout Ivar Stenberg when on the clock at No. 4. That’s how most mock drafts have had it play out thus far, including The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, who just posted his mock draft 2.0 on Monday. Here’s what Pronman had to say about the Blackhawks drafting Stenberg:
“This is an ideal scenario for Chicago. They get a dynamic offensive player, even if he’s yet another small player, to line up with Connor Bedard and add to a promising young core. If Stenberg is gone, it becomes a bit trickier, and I would guess the Blackhawks would lean toward a defenseman with this pick.”
While the majority of mock drafts project Stenberg dropping outside of the top three, Pronman’s Athletic colleague, Scott Powers, threw cold water on the idea last week. Powers reported that while the Blackhawks are preparing for every scenario possible, they do not expect Stenberg to be available when they’re on the clock. Personally, I’m right there with them.
If the belief is that Stenberg won’t make it there, the Blackhawks should pursue swapping first-round picks with the Sharks to trade up to second overall. Stenberg is a remarkably unique forward prospect, with a perfect blend of high-end skill and a non-stop motor, not to mention incredible success against grown men for being only 18 years old. Should San Jose be sold on drafting a defenseman, it would make sense for them to fall back two spots to No. 4 and recoup another asset. Their player of choice will likely still be there, considering reports of Vancouver taking Malhotra third.
However, there’s another avenue that would make sense for the Blackhawks this summer that involves the fourth overall pick, and the organization is apparently already considering it. Two separate NHL insiders, Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun, have each reported over the last week that GM Kyle Davidson is open to moving the selection in return for immediate NHL roster help.
Johnston listed the Blackhawks’ top 2026 draft choice at No. 21 in his latest NHL offseason trade board, where he looked at this summer’s most attractive targets. Johnston also mentioned the Sharks being open to trading the second pick.
“Similar to the scenario with the Sharks at No. 2, the prospect-rich Blackhawks are open to the possibility of moving off a valuable pick if they can get something back that improves them in the present,” Johnston wrote. “Given the expected unpredictability at the top of this class, it may not be a deal that comes together until draft night, when it becomes apparent which top prospect will still be on the board at No. 4.”
LeBrun wrote up the latest trade rumblings he’s hearing around the league with the calendar rolling into June. He, too, mentioned both the Blackhawks’ and Sharks’ willingness to move off their initial selections.
“The San Jose Sharks, meanwhile, are far enough along in their rebuild that GM Mike Grier is absolutely open to moving the No. 2 pick, depending on the offers, per league sources. Same goes with Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson and the No. 4 pick. Chicago views the pick as a heck of an asset, given the talent available in the top five, so it would need to be a darn good NHL player to move it, but the Blackhawks are open to it, per league sources. We’ll see if any team makes San Jose or Chicago blink.”
One potential trade target for the Blackhawks in return for the No. 4 pick could be Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies, who was listed at No. 12 on Johnston’s offseason trade board. Davidson has reportedly tried multiple times in the past to acquire Knies from the Leafs, and Johnston mentioned the door is open for teams that previously attempted to trade for him to try again.
Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish also could find himself on the trade block this summer, although the fourth pick would be an overpay for him. McTavish was listed at No. 4 on Johnston’s latest trade board — could the 2021 third overall selection be a fit for the Blackhawks moving forward?
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