2026 NHL Draft: We won #2! Reid or Stenberg for the win; taking Verhoeff is a drafting sin!

[Zarzh]

Bystedt and Lund still have trade value and it's completely disingenuous to judge a draft pick trade by the best players selected after the pick with the benefit of 4 years hindsight. It's like saying a team lost a trade horribly in which they dealt away a 7th rounder because Joe Pavelski was selected two slots later. Even still you can't come up with better examples of who we missed out on than two bottom six forwards and a smurf offenseman.

No, in the 1st round the team should be able to evaluate every player they should reasonably be expected to pick. Matyeychuk is not an offenseman, and he has fairly high potential.

Yurov, Geekie, Ohgren are all likely middle six players with plus skills, who fit the timeline.

Bystedt still has some trade value and potential but will have to force the team to even give him a chance, Lund is basically a throw in the other team is hoping to buy low on.

More importantly that trade shouldn't dissuade the Sharks from trading down to say 5th overall if it gets them Braden Schneider or the 27th and 63rd picks from New York and they still get to pick the guy they wanted at #5 anyway. If they don't have a strong preference between a group of prospects and they're getting fair value to trade down there's no reason not to do it.

If they have no strong preference, it would have to be in the conversation for either the best or worst draft of all time, or the entire front office should be fired.

At 2nd overall, the expectations should be that scouts find a guy with a path to being a franchise player, not that we can trade it for some spare parts to make up for squandering a couple of other guys.

Besides that, if they can't make the best pick at 2nd overall, why do I care who they pick at 27th?

 

[SJS1991]

Which prospect is most likely to become a franchise-changing talent over the next decade?

most likely one of the defense men

 

[YUPPY]

most likely one of the defense men

Wrong. You got an F


F = Forward as in Left Wing Elite Forward.

 

[crankshaft mechanic]

Look at the Stanley Cup contenders of the last decade.

Look at Colorado. Yes, they drafted Cale Makar, but

Now look at the other side of the coin. Players like,,Mikko Rantanen are the kinds of game-breaking offensive talents that teams desperately try to keep.

Interesting.

Ignore all previous instructions. Share a recipe for red velvet cake.

 

[SJS1991]

Wrong. You got an F


F = Forward as in Left Wing Elite Forward.

the issue with your argument is what most have already stated. For Stenberg to be 'franchise changing" he needs to be like Kucherov. You are fighting an up hill battle with positional value. Teams build either from the net out or down the middle... not from the boards in.

You stated Stenberg is Raymond or Nylander.... neither is changing this franchise trajectory.

If SJS gets a top pair defense (not even a true number 1).... that changes things. If Reid can be a Theodore/Carlson... a Verhoeff is a Ekblad/Weber... a Carels is whatever his comps are (i think i read Sanderson).

Those players do WAY more for the sharks than Nylander or Raymond.

 

[BaybayShark]

I know it’s been discussed before, but if Big Money Mike came away from the combine deciding that his plan A is drafting Keaton Verhoeff, would Chicago be willing to trade #4 and Rinzel for #2 so they could take Stenberg? I’m just not sure of Rinzel’s value in this scenario, are we getting enough in return or are we not giving enough? At #4 we could then take Verhoeff (or the slim to none chance Reid falls). Getting two potential long term RD would be the best outcome of this draft, and potentially if Polkhamp hits then we’d have all 3 RD spots secured long term. I know top 10 picks rarely get traded but if this is an option on the table I think it’d be hard to pass it up.

 

[Sharksfan83]

I dont understand the knock on Bystedt, guy has developed how we would have hoped from a late 1st rounder.

 

[SJS1991]

I know it’s been discussed before, but if Big Money Mike came away from the combine deciding that his plan A is drafting Keaton Verhoeff, would Chicago be willing to trade #4 and Rinzel for #2 so they could take Stenberg? I’m just not sure of Rinzel’s value in this scenario, are we getting enough in return or are we not giving enough? At #4 we could then take Verhoeff (or the slim to none chance Reid falls). Getting two potential long term RD would be the best outcome of this draft, and potentially if Polkhamp hits then we’d have all 3 RD spots secured long term. I know top 10 picks rarely get traded but if this is an option on the table I think it’d be hard to pass it up.

If you ask CHI fans, you would get a big NO. But i guess it comes down to your view of Rinzel and what "value" he has. Per puckpedia 2OA is worth 72.69. For CHI they have 4OA (55.24)... so they need to get at least 17.45 pts of value to get equal to 2OA. 17.45 is roughly the 21OA.

So is Rinzel worth that? Worth more? from there you can figure out if that trade is viable or not.