It appears there could be movement in the draft order at the top of next month’s NHL Draft.
TSN’s Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the San Jose Sharks are open to moving the second-overall pick and the same goes for the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 4 overall.
LeBrun notes that both teams, of course, will need to be impressed in order to give up their position. He writes in The Athletic the Blackhawks would need to see “a darn good NHL player” coming back to trade the pick.
The Toronto Maple Leafs won the draft lottery last month, moving up from the fifth pick after entering with the stress that moving down at all would have seen the pick transfer to the Boston Bruins. LeBrun writes that new Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka is willing to listen on the pick, though he believes it’s unlikely Toronto trades it.
The Sharks and Blackhawks are both deep into their rebuilds, with San Jose last making the playoffs in 2019 and the Blackhawks in 2020.
The Sharks took a significant step forward last season, finishing with a 30-35-8 record for 86 points - four points out of a playoff spot - after posting just 50 points in 2024-25. The team was vaulted forward by a sophomore surge from Macklin Celebrini, who posted 45 goals and 115 points in 82 games. Fellow centre Will Smith, 20, was second on the team with 24 goals and 59 points in 69 games.
The Blackhawks showed a more gradual improvement, posting 72 points after finishing with 61 last year. A mid-season injury slowed the output from Connor Bedard, who finished with 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games.
Following the Maple Leafs and Sharks, the Vancouver Canucks own the third-overall pick.
The New York Rangers are slated to select fifth overall after the Blackhawks, with the Calgary Flames, Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators rounding out the top 10.
You can see TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s latest draft ranking here.
