The first step of the NHL offseason is upon us.
The 2026 NHL Draft will take place in Buffalo, NY, with the first round starting on Friday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, while rounds 2-7 will occur on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. ET on NHL Network.
Let's dive into our NHL Draft picks, predictions, best bets and NHL picks.
2026 NHL Draft Predictions
Caleb Malhotra Selected at Pick 3 (-115)
By Greg Liodice
If I was a Vancouver Canucks fan, I’d be torn.
One way is pulling me toward Caleb Malhotra, the son of new Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra.
The other is pulling me toward locking up the best defenseman in this draft, Chase Reid.
Malhotra is definitely going to be a player in this league, and he’s shot up the draft board over the past year. And teams love a fast riser. Just look at Beckett Sennecke last season, when he went from the late teens to the third overall pick.
Not to mention, who doesn’t love a father-son duo in the NHL? It would be a fantastic storyline.
At -115, I think it’s incredible value here. David Pagnotta reported that he doesn’t see the Canucks taking Malhotra, but Pagnotta’s success rate has been less than stellar for the past decade.
The problem that I have is passing on Reid.
You’re not going to find a better defenseman than him in this class. He’s incredibly mobile, has laser precision for a shot, and has the instincts of a 10-year veteran.
But then, when I look at Vancouver’s depth chart for the next five years, it already has Filip Hronek and Marcus Pettersson locked up. In addition, the Canucks picked up 20-year-old Zeev Buium in the Quinn Hughes trade. So, the need may not be there.
The Canucks have been a dumpster fire for a while now, and perhaps selecting Malhotra signals a new era. Lord knows they need it.
Pick: Caleb Malhotra at Pick 3 (-115, FanDuel)
Chase Reid Selected at Pick 4 (47 cents, Kalshi)
By Nick Griffith
After finishing 30th in goals against last season and posting 3.18 xGA/60, San Jose appears to be an obvious landing spot for a defenseman at No. 2 overall. Chase Reid has long been the name most linked to that need.
That said, GM Mike Grier recently reiterated that he'll take the best player available regardless of position, and all signs point to that being RW Ivar Stenberg. With the Sharks also holding the ninth pick, the expectation is that they address defense there instead.
Assuming San Jose passes on Reid at No. 2, the draft could break perfectly for this play. I'm still sold on Vancouver taking Caleb Malhotra at No. 3 despite recent speculation against it. That would leave Reid available at No. 4, a pick Buffalo acquired in a lopsided trade with Chicago on Wednesday.
If the first three picks are all forwards, No. 4 feels like the obvious spot for the defenseman run to begin. Buffalo could trade the pick to a team eager to secure the top defenseman in the draft, or simply keep it and take Reid themselves.
Despite creating a need at forward with their recent moves, I find it hard to believe they’d pass on Reid’s talent here.
I loved this play at 3-1 before Chicago moved out of the fourth spot, and I still like it at slightly better than even money on Kalshi, especially given the possibility that Buffalo ultimately deals the pick.
Malte Gustafsson to be Selected in Top 10 (+105)
By Greg Liodice
Malte Gustafsson flies under the radar to most because he’s not a sexy pick. The difference is that teams would kill to have a player like him.
He’s a towering defenseman who has incredible stamina and durability, and someone who uses his body tremendously to stifle incoming offenses.
There’s always a chance that he slips out of the top-10, but when I think of a team that needs a player like Gustafsson, it’s the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks have two top-10 picks, including the second-overall pick, in which they plan to take Ivar Stenberg. But they have the ninth-overall pick as well, where Gustafsson is an option.
And at +105, there’s an opportunity to get solid value here.
I’ve seen a lot of mock drafts predicting that Daxon Rudolph is the pick. While I like Rudolph, he feels more of a project than a sure thing. Considering that the Sharks just missed the playoffs last season, I have to imagine that GM Mike Grier would like to have something a little more imminent.
Gustafsson fits that bill for me, especially when you look at their defense. I don’t think he will play in the NHL next season, but the following season is a real possibility.
Expect Shakir Mukhamadullin back, and they just picked up Michael Kesselring. Outside of that, all they have signed are Sam Dickinson and Dmitry Orlov.
There are still a lot of question marks surrounding San Jose’s defense. Gustafsson answers those.
