2026 NHL Draft

[wpgallday1960]

I grew up with a guy who was playing in the MJHL at 15 and made his WHL debut at 16. Drafted early 2nd round in "my draft year" lol

Big, tough... could fight and score. Never even got an NHL game... he just loved to party

He's one of the reasons why I caution crazy parents against anointing the next "chosen one" at 12 or 13.... get back to me after he's met his first girlfriend and had his beer

This happened to me except the sport was curling.

 

[Hunter368]

Interesting if the Jets are planning to drop back in the draft from 8th OA to add additional draft capital or are they anticipating adding an additional late 1st or a 2nd rd pick in a trade yet to be announced or finalized. Teams also don’t like to give their true intentions often or like to give illusions what they might do to hide their true plans. Another option could be they’re considering trading the 8th OA for a player and getting a 2nd back in the trade. Many options.

Going to be a fun draft I think, can’t see whatever they do or whoever they pick.

 

[Daximus]

Interesting if the Jets are planning to drop back in the draft from 8th OA to add additional draft capital or are they anticipating adding an additional late 1st or a 2nd rd pick in a trade yet to be announced or finalized.

Nope pure speculation.

 

[Hunter368]

Nope pure speculation.

Yes…..everything is speculation until it isn’t right. Haha

 

[CanMerc]

Interesting if the Jets are planning to drop back in the draft from 8th OA to add additional draft capital or are they anticipating adding an additional late 1st or a 2nd rd pick in a trade yet to be announced or finalized. Teams also don’t like to give their true intentions often or like to give illusions what they might do to hide their true plans.

Going to be a fun draft I think.

If by fun you mean white knuckling it til #8 hoping we don’t do something stupid, and then eventually throwing something at the wall when they do…yeah….fun

I need a drink just thinking about it

 

[Daximus]

Yes…..everything is speculation until it isn’t right. Haha

!00%.

I don't think Chevy has the cajones to do it though. He's far to conservative to make a power move like that.

 

[Hunter368]

!00%.

I don't think Cheyv has the cajones to do it though. He's far too conservative to make a power move like that.

I certainly wouldn’t call it necessarily a traditional type of Chevy move, but when has Chevy been in this exact type of situation and feeling so much pressure before. Pressure can lead to non traditional thinking at times. Fun times to see however it works out, many options to consider.

 

[gojetsgo]

jets aren't planning to drop back and would be stupid from our position to do as well

 

[Daximus]

I certainly wouldn’t call it necessarily a traditional type of Chevy move, but when has Chevy been in this exact type of situation and feeling so much pressure before. Pressure can lead to non traditional thinking at times. Fun times to see however it works out, many options to consider.

It's possible but nothing Chevy has done has ever made me think he's an out of the box thinker.

Would make for some entertainment but I just don't think it will be Chevy doing the entertaining.

 

[Buffdog]

I certainly wouldn’t call it necessarily a traditional type of Chevy move, but when has Chevy been in this exact type of situation and feeling so much pressure before. Pressure can lead to non traditional thinking at times. Fun times to see however it works out, many options to consider.

I think dealing Laine and then later PLD might have been pretty pressure-filed

If anything, I think Chevy does his best work when he's been backed into a corner and forced to do something

 

[Oseductive]

It's possible but nothing Chevy has done has ever made me think he's an out of the box thinker.

Would make for some entertainment but I just don't think it will be Chevy doing the entertaining.

I know this has been discussed a bunch already, but if one of Rudolph, Reid, Verhoeff, and Bjork is available at #8, I'd be all for the Jets trading Hellebuyck for Florida's #9 pick. Seems like a good way to kick off a retool/rebuild with a potential future 1RHD and a top-6 center.

 

[Hunter368]

I think dealing Laine and then later PLD might have been pretty pressure-filed

If anything, I think Chevy does his best work when he's been backed into a corner and forced to do something

100% agreed……I think this situation is even more high pressure then back then regarding a Laine trade, but that’s just my opinion. But overall I agree with you, both are pressure pot situations

 

[Daximus]

I know this has been discussed a bunch already, but if one of Rudolph, Reid, Verhoeff, and Bjork is available at #8, I'd be all for the Jets trading Hellebuyck for Florida's #9 pick. Seems like a good way to kick off a retool/rebuild with a potential future 1RHD and a top-6 center.

Would be interesting but it's pretty unlikely it happens unless Helle requests a trade to Florida which is still very speculative at this point.

 

[Daximus]

I think dealing Laine and then later PLD might have been pretty pressure-filed

If anything, I think Chevy does his best work when he's been backed into a corner and forced to do something

Oh absolutely there are countless examples of that. Kane, Trouba, Laine, PLD. When Chevy's back is up against the wall he comes out swinging. He's like a Badger, you really don't want to corner him.

But he's not really cornered, at least not that we know of.

He's the second longest tenured GM in the league and there is really no reason for him to be worried about his job, and unless there is something we don't know about going on behind the scenes he isn't currently worried about losing anyone in the short term.

What Chevy isn't is creative on the fly with no real pressure involved. He's not going to trade down in hopes of nabbing something he's not sure will be there. He will deal in certainties. He'll keep the pick and pick the BPA they have on their list and that will be it.

 

[Heldig]

If we assume for a minute that McKenna, Stenberg, Reid, Carels, Malholtra, Verhoeff, Smits, Björck, and Rudolf are in some order the top 9, we should focus on ranking the next 10. See if we identify a potential reach candidate.

Cullen is the reach.

 

[CanMerc]

Curious…someone on the main board Helle thread suggested Helle to St. Louis for 2 x 1sts, Hofer and Jiricek.
If we got #11, #15, Hofer, and Jiricek… that’s a good way to pad the cupboards.
Gives us 3 picks in the top 15. #’s 8, 11, 15

I’m not saying St. Louis would do it, but it would be interesting

 

[Daximus]

Curious…someone on the main board Helle thread suggested Helle to St. Louis for 2 x 1sts, Hofer and Jiricek.
If we got #11, #15, Hofer, and Jiricek… that’s a good way to pad the cupboards.
Gives us 3 picks in the top 15. #’s 8, 11, 15

Yeesh that would be hard to pass up. Which is why St. Louis would never do it.

 

[CanMerc]

Yeesh that would be hard to pass up. Which is why St. Louis would never do it.

I doubt they would also…plus I’m not sure about trading Helle in division…but if they wanted to get back into it quick, it would be the move to do it

 

[Daximus]

I doubt they would also…plus I’m not sure about trading Helle in division…but if they wanted to get back into it quick, it would be the move to do it

It would be a massive deal. Biggest ever for a goalie.

 

[Buffdog]

I doubt they would also…plus I’m not sure about trading Helle in division…but if they wanted to get back into it quick, it would be the move to do it

Why would St Louis do this? They should be closer to rebuild mode than us

I also doubt that Helle waives for the Blues. He'll want a chance at a cup to cement his legacy

 

[CanMerc]

Why would St Louis do this? They should be closer to rebuild mode than us

I also doubt that Helle waives for the Blues. He'll want a chance at a cup to cement his legacy

I have no idea what St Louis is doing…they’re keeping their players, so maybe they want a quick turn around…hard to say.

Helle likely waives only for a contender like Vegas or Florida, but maybe he sees the Blues as a contender with him in net.

None of us know for sure so that’s why SPECULATION is fun

 

[Hunter368]

Curious…someone on the main board Helle thread suggested Helle to St. Louis for 2 x 1sts, Hofer and Jiricek.
If we got #11, #15, Hofer, and Jiricek… that’s a good way to pad the cupboards.
Gives us 3 picks in the top 15. #’s 8, 11, 15

I’m not saying St. Louis would do it, but it would be interesting

Values aside from both teams, I highly doubt Helle agrees to that, bc the Blues are going to be rebuilding/restructuring and sucking for a years.

 

[Daximus]

Values aside from both teams, I highly doubt Helle agrees to that, bc the Blues are going to be rebuilding/restructuring and sucking for a years.

Very true. Helle likely only has a handful of teams he'd go to right now.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Curious…someone on the main board Helle thread suggested Helle to St. Louis for 2 x 1sts, Hofer and Jiricek.
If we got #11, #15, Hofer, and Jiricek… that’s a good way to pad the cupboards.
Gives us 3 picks in the top 15. #’s 8, 11, 15

I’m not saying St. Louis would do it, but it would be interesting

That's a massive overpay. In the real world we would need to throw in 8OA to get that.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I doubt they would also…plus I’m not sure about trading Helle in division…but if they wanted to get back into it quick, it would be the move to do it

StL would hesitate to trade Hofer in div too.

Edit: That proposal is way unrealistic. Its only value might be as an indication of how others see, and value, Helle.