1 Trade Idea for Teams In B/R's 2026 NHL Mock Draft If They Win the Lottery
The 2026 NHL draft lottery is set for May 5, and there are 12 teams with a chance to select No. 1 overall if the lottery balls fall their way.
Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is expected to be the top pick, potentially adding a franchise-changing player to a lineup.
The Vancouver Canucks, owners of the NHL's worst record this season, have the best odds of winning the pick (25.5 percent), and if they do, it would be the first time they have ever selected No. 1 overall. Given the current state of the roster and organization, this would be a great time for it.
The Chicago Blackhawks have the second-best odds at 13.5 percent and are well-positioned to add another potential superstar to pair up with Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick in 2022. Even picking in the No. 2 or 3 spot could land them a star.
The New York Rangers round out the top three at 11.5 percent.
The Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues are the remaining teams eligible to move up to No. 1 overall.
Getting the No. 1 overall pick is a big moment for a franchise, and it also puts added pressure on management to build a competitive team around that pick. The process should start as soon as the lottery balls go its way.
So let's take a look at one potential trade for every team should it win the top pick.
This is not a trade idea involving the No. 1 pick itself (because that almost never happens), but rather something each team should do to complement that addition.
Updated B/R 2026 NHL Mock Draft
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1. Vancouver Canucks: Keaton Verhoeff, D, University of North Dakota (NCAA)
2. Chicago Blackhawks: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)
3. New York Rangers: Ivar Stenberg, LW/RW, Frolunda HC (SHL)
4. Calgary Flames: Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds
5. Toronto Maple Leafs: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
6. Seattle Kraken: Carson Carels, D, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
7. Winnipeg Jets: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)
8. Florida Panthers: Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
9. San Jose Sharks: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
10. Nashville Predators: Adam Novotny, LW/RW, Peterborough Petes (OHL)
11. St. Louis Blues (via DET): Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit (Liiga)
12. New Jersey Devils: Viggo Bjorck, C/RW, Djurgardens IF
13. New York Islanders: Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
15. St. Louis Blues (via DET): Elton Hermansson, RW/LW, MoDo Hockey (Hockey Allsvenskan)
16. Washington Capitals (via ANA): Alexander Command, C, Orebro HK (SHL)
17. Los Angeles Kings: Oscar Hemming, F, Boston College (NCAA)
18. Washington Capitals (Via ANA): Marcus Nordmark, RW, Djurgardens IF U20 (U20 Nationell)
19. Utah Mammoth: Juho Piiparinen, D, Tappara (Liiga)
20. San Jose Sharks (via EDM): Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw Spirit
21. Philadelphia Flyers: JP Hurlbert, C, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Wyatt Cullen, LW, USNTDP
23. Boston Bruins: Malte Gustafsson, D, HV71 (SHL)
24. Vancouver Canucks (via MIN): Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
25. Montreal Canadiens: Egor Shilov, C, Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
26. Seattle Kraken (via TBL): Ilia Morozov, F, Miami University (NCAA)
27. New York Rangers (via DAL): Ryan Roobroeck, C, Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
28. Calgary Flames (via VGK): Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
29. Buffalo Sabres: Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa Generals
30. Carolina Hurricanes: Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
31. St. Louis Blues (via COL): Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
32. Ottawa Senators: William Hakansson, D, Lulea HF (SHL)
Vancouver Canucks
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The Canucks have the best odds of landing the top pick, but their plans should not change whether they pick first, second, or third. They need to get rid of people.
Brock Boeser, Filip Hronek and Jake DeBrusk should all be on the trade block. Heck, Elias Pettersson should probably be too, if they can find another team to take his contract, even if the return isn't ideal.
This team is years away from contention, and nothing is going to change that in the short term.
The Canucks should keep collecting assets for the long term and build around the top pick if they get it. They should then put up a "for sale" sign and say everything must go.
This team just needs a major reset.
Chicago Blackhawks
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Winning the draft lottery, or at least picking in the top two and guaranteeing one of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, would be the only redeeming quality of yet another lost season for the Blackhawks in the early stages of the Connor Bedard era.
They have a 13.5 percent chance at the top pick and know they are going to get another elite NHL-ready prospect. That's still not enough, though.
With another star likely on the horizon, the Blackhawks should dip into their prospect pool and trade some of them for another impact player.
If somebody like Jason Robertson, Robert Thomas, or even Brady Tkachuk is available, they need to get in on it.
They will be entering Year 4 of the Bedard era next season and have yet to crack 30 wins with him. They are not going to make progress by sitting on their hands just waiting for everybody to develop. They need to make a big move.
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New York Rangers
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It is hard to envision what the New York Rangers' offseason will look like right now because there are so many unanswered questions. Specifically, how much retooling are they looking for? And are they focusing on the right things?
From an outside perspective, this team clearly needs more difference-makers in the top six and more impact players. But the Rangers are talking about needing to add more bottom-six help. That is not going to fix their biggest issues.
Hopefully, wiser heads will prevail, and they will realize that difference-makers are what they need.
If they win the lottery (they have an 11.5 percent chance), the Rangers should focus on moving one of their veteran centers (specifically Vincent Trocheck and/or J.T. Miller if they could find a taker for that contract) and then make a play for somebody like Robert Thomas to give them a more impactful center.
Adding a McKenna and Thomas into the top six would be a serious needle-mover, especially with a franchise goalie (Igor Shesterkin) and top-tier defenseman (Adam Fox) still coming back and still in the prime of their career.
Calgary Flames
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Other than maybe the Canucks, there is not another team in the NHL that might need a player like McKenna more than the Flames.
They are devoid of offensive talent and playmakers, and getting the top pick in the draft would be an ideal way to fix that.
If they do, the Flames should dig into their impressive collection of draft picks to add more short-term help. They have two first-round picks in each of the next three years, multiple second-round picks in each of the next three, and multiple picks in the third round of this year's class.
Package some of those picks together to get more offense and improve a team that was 29th in goals scored a year ago and 32nd this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs
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It's hard to know exactly what the Maple Leafs will do until they decide on a general manager, but it's clear the team needs a lot of help this offseason.
Their 2025-26 season was awful across the board, and while it would enrage fans outside of Toronto to see the Leafs win the draft lottery, it would be a much-needed win for the franchise to bring in a top-tier talent.
If they did get the top pick (they have an 8.5 percent chance), it could open the door to a move for forward Matthew Knies for a haul of picks or young assets.
Along with needing another big-time talent, they also need more draft pick capital and more prospects coming into the farm system.
Outside of Auston Matthews or William Nylander (who are not likely to go anywhere), there is no better trade chip on the roster than Knies. It is a lot easier to move a player like him when you have the potential of a Gavin McKenna coming into the organization.
Seattle Kraken
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The Kraken are by no means the worst team in the NHL, but they might be the most boring. There just isn't anything here to hang your hat on.
The results on the ice have been mediocre almost since the moment they arrived in the NHL. They have almost no star power, and only one player in the history of the franchise has scored more than 30 goals in a single season (Jared McCann, just once).
They need offense and star power. Getting McKenna would be a great start, but they can't stop there.
Whether they get the top pick or not (7.5 percent chance), they should be aggressive in adding more offense this offseason, especially with two first-round picks at their disposal.
Go after a Jason Robertson. Go after a Robert Thomas. Bring some excitement to this team.
Winnipeg Jets
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Starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck threw down the gauntlet with the front office following a massively disappointing 2025-26 season, making it very clear this team needs to get better, and quickly.
Aggressiveness and proactive roster movement, however, have not really been the calling cards of the Kevin Cheveldayoff management team.
The harsh reality is that there was nothing fluky about Winnipeg going from the Presidents' Trophy to out of the playoffs in just one year. The roster was not particularly good, and for years has been boosted up by Hellebuyck being one of the best goalies in the world.
When he has a down year, the entire team has a down year. He needs more help than that, and Winnipeg needs to give it to him before he gets tired of it and asks out.
While getting the top pick would be a huge help (6.5 percent chance), they also need to aggressively retool their forward depth.
There is no bigger hole on the roster than their center depth. Somebody like Vincent Trocheck would be a strong second-line center addition, and combined with the addition of a player like McKenna, they would immediately add two top-six forwards to a team that desperately needs it.
Florida Panthers
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The Panthers are going to be better in 2026-27 just due to the simple fact that they should have better injury luck and (ideally) get full seasons from top forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. By the end of the 2025-26 season, the roster looked more like an AHL team, given all of the players they were without. A lineup of the players not in the lineup would have absolutely crushed the lineup they were actually using.
Could you imagine adding Gavin McKenna into that mix as well?
If they were to get lucky enough to be in that position (and they have a 6.0 percent chance), the one big issue would be in goal, where Sergei Bobrovsky is an unrestricted free agent and coming off a brutal performance this season.
That is where the Panthers should get ultra aggressive and see if Connor Hellebuyck really is at his breaking point with Winnipeg and try to go all in for him. Go full Death Star with the roster and do not look back. Go all in.
San Jose Sharks
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Macklin Celebrini just completed his second season in the NHL, is still only 19 years old, and is already one of the best players in hockey.
He is the foundation for the Sharks. Will Smith and Michael Misa look like cornerstone players to build around him.
There is a future here that is getting closer to becoming the present.
San Jose also took a big step toward respectability and competitiveness this season. All good signs.
An even better sign would be adding another All-Star-level player in McKenna (5.0 percent chance).
Even with that, there are still big needs all over the roster in terms of depth and especially on defense. They should target the New Jersey Devils who could have both Dougie Hamilton and Simon Nemec on the trade block.
Hamilton is the better player right now, but Nemec still has some untapped potential and is at an age (22) that could fit in with San Jose's current core.
Nashville Predators
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The Predators are another team that's kind of stuck in no-man's-land. Not a high lottery team but not a playoff team, either.
They have only a 3.5 percent chance of moving up to the No. 1 spot, but they still barely missed the playoffs despite the Western Conference being mediocre and watered down.
It is two years in a row outside of the playoffs for the Predators, though, and they are in the process of hiring a new general manager.
Getting the top pick would be a great starting point for the new GM and should start a chain reaction of some other moves. This team needs to get younger and faster, and adding a Gavin McKenna could make it a lot easier to deal with some of the bigger-money (and declining) veterans on the roster, like Steven Stamkos or Jonathan Marchessault.
Nashville is a team that just needs a reset. This core has had its chance, and those moves might need to happen whether the Predators get the top pick or not.
St. Louis Blues
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The Blues are in a near-identical situation to the Predators: not terrible, not particularly good, just extremely middle-of-the-road.
However, it's not hard to see a path back to the playoffs in relatively short order for St. Louis. The one thing that held it back in a big way is (again) the goaltending, given how poorly Jordan Binnington performed in net this season.
Whether the Blues win the No. 1 overall pick or not, moving out from his contract and upgrading the position needs to be the top priority of the offseason.
If they keep Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou and have the lottery balls fall their way (3.0 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick), there is the potential for a solid core group of forwards here.
Upgrading in net would fix a lot of other perceived problems on the roster.
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