New NHL Mock Draft Trends and Trade Targets to Know from Top Experts' Latest Predictions

The 2026 NHL draft will likely be led off by Gavin McKenna.

The Canadian winger has been at the top of the 2026 NHL draft class for quite some time and he appears to be a great fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto has a handful of other issues it needs to solve, but landing a playmaker that can make a difference for a decade or longer is the priority in the draft.

There is more debate about the picks beneath Toronto. The San Jose Sharks have a tough decision to make at No. 2 that will shape the rest of the top five.

As always, trades will happen at the draft, but the key name to watch right now is Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings.

Draft compensation could be used to acquire Larkin. That could affect how the back end of the first round plays out.

Mock Draft Trends

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McKenna is still the consensus No. 1 overall pick.

NHL.com and The Athletic's Scott Wheeler both have Toronto selecting the Canadian forward out of Penn State.

San Jose's pick at No. 2 is where the debate begins. Wheeler has Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg landing there, while NHL.com's pair of experts have defenseman Chase Reid going to the Sharks.

San Jose has a terrific young forward group, led by Macklin Celebrini, and while another forward would be great, it needs more talent on the blue line.

This is the perfect opportunity for the Sharks to land a top-tier prospect in defense to partner with Celebrini, Will Smith and Co.

The No. 3 pick seems obvious for the Vancouver Canucks. Caleb Malhotra is the pick across the board. Malhotra's dad, Manny, was just named the Canucks head coach. That could play a factor in the selection.

Stenberg dropped to the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 4 in NHL.com's most-recent mock draft.

Wheeler placed defenseman Carson Carels with Chicago and then Reid at No. 5 to the New York Rangers.

Carels was mocked to the Rangers by NHL.com, so there is a pretty good idea that McKenna, Reid, Carels, Stenberg and Malhotra will be the top five picks in some order.

Potential Trade Targets

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A lot of the NHL draft trade talk is currently centered around Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin.

Larkin could potentially bring a first-round pick back to the Red Wings.

The Detroit Free-Press' Helene St. James reported on Monday that Larkin has a list of three teams he'd like to be traded to.

Florida, Minnesota and Vegas were mentioned in the report as the preferred teams. Florida has the ninth overall pick in the 2026 draft.

Whether Florida would trade the draft pick, or even be in the market for Larkin, remains to be seen.

Vegas and Minnesota already traded away their first-round picks to Calgary and Vancouver.

Another team could always swoop in and deal for Larkin. Draft compensation might be required so that the Red Wings can land a premium young talent.

No other draft trades are on the radar yet, but there could always be movement as it gets closer to the selection process.

For now, Florida is the team to watch because of its potential pursuit of Larkin.