Category: Sports News

How Sharks can improve for upcoming season after future-focused 2026 NHL Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

BUFFALO — And on the second day of the 2026 NHL Draft, Mike Grier rested.

That’s just a joke — after a whirlwind first round of the draft, the Nos. 2, 9, and 21 picks set up by three trades in 10 days, including a draft day deal on Friday — no doubt that the SHarks general manager was hard at work the next day. It just felt like a break with just three picks in six rounds (and a signing) on Saturday.

But Grier’s hardest work is at hand, the challenge of turning the Sharks, out the Stanley Cup playoffs for seven seasons and counting, into a contender this summer.

What can Grier do to get back — responsibly — to the postseason?

San Jose is on two timelines: In the present, Macklin Celebrini is a superstar and needs lots of help. And in the future, the Sharks’ enviable farm system lords over the league.

You can’t ask Celebrini to wait three years.

Grier did serve the future well with three picks in the first round and three to close the draft.

“He’s more hard skill, more F.U. skill than [Lucas] Raymond,” an NHL scout, not with the Sharks, said about No. 2 pick, winger Ivar Stenberg. Raymond is a point-per-game winger for the Detroit Red Wings.

“I had Verhoeff as the best [defenseman] in the draft,” the scout said about No. 9 pick Keaton Verhoeff.

“He’s just one of the best players in the draft, period,” the scout said about No. 21 pick, smaller defenseman Ryan Lin.

“Our goalie group with Ryan Miller really believes in Brady, and really likes the upside and potential,” Sharks director of amateur scouting Chris Morehouse said about No. 127 pick, 6-foot-5 goaltender Brady Knowling. “The skating, the quick feet, the athleticism, those are all things that profile really well at the next level.”

“He’s a big kid, we like his development path,” Morehouse said about No. 174 pick, 6-foot-4 center Jake Gustafson, also the son of SAP Center vice president Jon Gustafson. “He’s going to fill out his frame, he’s a good athlete, and on top of that, he’s a fantastic kid…we liked the upside.”

“There’s athleticism there, untapped,” Morehouse said about No. 201 pick, 7-foot-1 defenseman Alexander Karmanov, the tallest player ever drafted, “Raw project…we just like the potential that could be here…it’s going to be a long-term project, but kid’s a great kid, he wants to work.”

Besides expected-to-be NHL-ready winger Stenberg, however, all this doesn’t help the Sharks today. And Stenberg’s addition, theoretically, is canceled out, at least in the short-term, by the subtraction of winger William Eklund for the No. 9 pick.

So how will Grier address his team’s needs today, up front and on defense? The goaltending appears set, between young Yaroslav Askarov and veteran Alex Nedeljkovic.

Here are some ideas, a few days before the beginning of NHL free agency on July 1.

Forwards

Grier did lock up fourth-line center Zack Ostapchuk on the second day of the draft, to a four-year, $9.4 million contract ($2.35 million AAV).

Celebrini, Michael Misa, Alex Wennberg and Ostapchuk should hold the fort down the middle for the Sharks.

Stenberg, Will Smith, Igor Chernyshov, Collin Graf, Tyler Toffoli, Kiefer Sherwood, Adam Gaudette and Barclay Goodrow project to be on the wing.

Ty Dellandrea can swing between center and wing.

That’s 13 forwards already.

It doesn’t mean that the Sharks can’t get better up front. Last summer, they were interested in adding an impact winger like Mitch Marner, Nikolai Ehlers or Brock Boeser. Last summer, however, the Sharks weren’t an attractive free-agency destination.

This summer, San Jose is far more attractive, but the UFA wingers, headed by inconsistent Anthony Mantha, aren’t as tempting.

The Sharks could use more size and finish up front.

Six-foot-5 Mason Marchment has potted 63 goals over the last three seasons and could be a more realistic and reliable UFA signing.

The Athletic’s most recent offseason trade board has a host of upgrades on the wing, but most seem far-fetched, like Jason Robertson or Kirill Marchenko or Owen Tippett. If San Jose brings in an established star via trade, it should be a defenseman.

So perhaps more realistic, 6-foot-1 Rickard Rakell isn’t the biggest winger, but he’s a 200-pound player who can absolutely finish, to the tune of 20-plus goals seven times. The 33-year-old is signed to a reasonable $5 million AAV for two more years, and while acquiring him might deplete assets needed for a blueliner, he’s also not going to be close to Robertson cost-wise.

Defense

Grier probably wouldn’t admit this, but I would bet money that his dream first round would’ve been coming out with Stenberg and 25-year-old defenseman Bo Byram, the two-way right-hander potentially coming to San Jose for the Nos. 9 and 27 picks that eventually became Verhoeff and Lin.

Instead, the Chicago Blackhawks overpaid for Byram, surrendering the No. 4 pick. I certainly wouldn’t have beat that by offering the No. 2 pick for Byram.

That said, the Sharks have just left-handers Dmitry Orlov and Sam Dickinson signed. Lefty Shakir Mukhamadullin and right-hander Michael Kesselring are RFAs, both expected to be signed.

Best guess, they bring back pending UFA and right-handed PK stalwart Vinny Desharnais.

The Sharks still need a high-impact blueliner in the worst way, especially on the top power play unit.

Problem is, the UFA market appears bone-dry for top defensemen.

Twenty-two-goal scorer Darren Raddysh would’ve been the obvious play, but he’s already gone to the Toronto Maple Leafs. John Carlsson would’ve been ideal, but the veteran wants to return east.

Rasmus Andersson had an up-and-down post-NHL trade deadline stint with the Vegas Golden Knights, but he’s just 29 and can run a power play. But is the upside there with Andersson, as it was with Raddysh, to offer the right-hander a maximum-length contract?

The physical Jacob Trouba, 32, and late bloomer Ryan Shea, 29, can help, but again, how much term do you want to give them?

Meanwhile, the trade market is highlighted by reigning Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski, and the 28-year-old superstar would solve a lot of the Sharks’ blue line woes. But acquiring the left-hander would gut San Jose’s organization depth, and there’s no guarantee that the soon-to-be UFA is staying beyond 2028.

Left-hander Alexander Nikishin, just 24, is promising, but it’s concerning that the Carolina Hurricanes seem to want to move so quickly away from a rookie once trumpeted as the “best defenseman outside of the NHL.”

So, the Sharks might not be able to find high-impact defensive help this off-season? They already gave it a pretty good shot by trading Eklund away for a No. 9 believed to be earmarked for Byram.

Thirty-two-year-old Morgan Rielly, signed for $7.5 million AAV through 2030, could help the Sharks, as long as you think that his already declining skills won’t fall of a cliff. The same could be said for Darnell Nurse, but he doesn’t appear to want to go to San Jose, while Rielly is thought to be open to it.

Mason Lohrei, 25, is a gamble, and like Nikishin, why are the Boston Bruins in such a hurry to dump a young, productive defenseman?

But again, maybe the Sharks will have to wait in-season to really upgrade their defense? You never know what might become available then.

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The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is complete, with nine new prospects joining the Vancouver Canucks' organization. The common theme for this draft appeared to be size, as only two of the nine prospects are listed at 6'0" or shorter. Vancouver also added five prospects listed at 200 lbs or heavier, indicating a desire to build a stronger, heavier prospect pool. 

This draft was the first under Ryan Johnson as GM. While there was a regime change, the scouting staff remained the same, including Todd Harvey, the Canucks' Director of Amateur Scouting. After the draft, Harvey spoke to the media and highlighted Vancouver's plan for the 2026 draft. 

"Well, obviously we've got direction, and things have changed here, obviously," said Harvey. "And you know, our direction was we wanted to get quicker. We wanted to get bigger and harder to play against. We kind of went down, sat, we talked through the list. You guys don't want to know how many times we've gone through that list. We've done it over and over again. And we got it to where we thought everything aligned, and you never know what the draft, how it kind of plays out. But to get the guys we got and kind of targeted really fit the mould here."

The Canucks newest draft class also had an international feel as eight different countries were represented. Of the eight, the only country that featured multiple prospects was Canada, with players from Belarus, Czechia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and the US also hearing their names called. For Harvey and his staff, the main focus of the draft is picking the best prospect, regardless of nationality. 

"It's kind of funny now. Everybody's coming over. You have (Niklas Aaram-Olsen) going to BU. It's all about their development path. And, you know, I don't think we look at it that way. There were players that were from the West that were on our board, and there was players from Quebec that were on our board. So we just kind of felt that in the late round, we had some size and some speed, and he's coming over here, and I thought that was a good way we should go."

Vancouver's new draft class also features a handful of players who have already committed to the NCAA for either this season or the 2027-28 campaign. This includes third overall pick Caleb Malhotra as well as Brooks Rogowski, who was selected 33rd overall. As Harvey explained, he and his staff want to have an idea of a prospect's timeline before potentially selecting them. 

"We talk about it when we're sitting in our meetings. That's a big thing. Where's he going? What's his plan? You really like when, especially when you're in the interview process with the kids, you like to know that they have a plan and kind of know the path that they're on. It does make a bit of a difference. I think this whole new way of things has changed a lot of things. And I think it's good for the players, because a lot of them sometimes aren't ready physically, and this is another path that they can go on."

Vancouver Canucks 2026 NHL Entry Draft Selection TrackerA list with articles on all prospects the Vancouver Canucks select at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, updated throughout the draft.

Harvey was asked about the contract status of Ian Clark, who is listed on the team site under Scout and Goalie Development. Clark has helped shape the Canucks' goaltending group for nearly a decade and is considered one of the best goalie coaches in the NHL. Harvey was unable to provide an update, but did say that the organization has been in contact with Clark. 

Lastly, Harvey revealed that eight of the nine prospects drafted are expected to attend development camp this year. The only exception is Russian goaltender Dmitri Ivchenko. Development camp will take place in Abbotsford this year, with on-ice sessions open to the public. 

Canucks 2026 NHL Draft Selections:

3rd Overall: Center Caleb Malhotra

24th Overall: Left Winger Adam Novotný

33rd Overall: Center Brooks Rogowski

41st Overall: Left Winger Niklas Aaram-Olsen

78th Overall: Goaltender Dmitri Ivchenko

97th Overall: Left Winger Yaroslav Bryzgalov

129th Overall: Right Winger Connor Davis

176th Overall: Right Winger Lucian Bernat

184th Overall: Defenceman Samuel Eriksson

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In the middle of all that Draft chaos, we almost forgot that a trade happened!

The Bruins announced that they have traded Forward Prospect Fabian Lysell to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Prospect Ivan Ivan. The trade is one for one.

The Bruins acquired Lysell in the 2021 NHL Draft as a first round selection. While he is unquestionably talented, the AHL level seemed to be where his skillset was best utilized, as after his single season with the Vancouver Giants, he joined the Providence Bruins, and was one of their better forwards. He was, however, rarely utilized at the NHL level, only playing 12 games with the big boy club and all of it from last year. As it increasingly became clear this was not going to be a viable option for him, I think a trade like this became inevitable for the young Swede.

Ivan Ivan, on top of maybe being the best name in the NHL, was an undrafted signing for the Avalanche who has split time between the Colorado Eagles and the Avalanche. He has been a major part of the Eagles’ success through the last few years, and while he hasn’t been able to do much with last year’s Avalanche, this could be a much better opportunity for the young man to get some strong minutes, as Boston’s roster is notoriously in flux.

Analytically, Ivan Ivan is a solid depth guy who’s strength is in backchecking.

Given the team he just joined, I think he’ll do just fine.

Let’s all welcome Ivan to the Boston Bruins!

The Colorado Avalanche moved on from Ivan Ivan on Saturday—but the deal was about far more than just a name.

In a one-for-one trade with the Boston Bruins, Colorado acquired former 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell, a once-hyped offensive winger still trying to turn prospect pedigree into consistent NHL production. In return, the Avalanche parted ways with Ivan, a depth forward who carved out an NHL role after arriving to the organization as an undrafted free agent.

For Colorado, it’s a bet on untapped upside. For Boston, it’s a swap for reliability.

Lysell arrives in Denver after spending most of last season with the Providence Bruins, where he put together 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points in 57 AHL games. He was a key contributor on a Providence team that finished with the league’s best regular-season record and claimed the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, finishing sixth on the roster in scoring and fifth in both goals and assists.

Across four seasons in the AHL, the 23-year-old Swedish winger has been productive, totaling 57 goals and 106 assists for 163 points in 219 games with Providence. At the NHL level, he has appeared in 12 games for Boston in the 2024-25 season, recording one goal and adding two assists.

His track record before turning pro reinforced the offensive projection. With the WHL’s Vancouver Giants in 2021–22, Lysell posted 62 points in 53 games and then elevated his game in the playoffs with 21 points in 12 contests, leading the league with 17 assists during that run.

Originally selected 21st overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Lysell also developed through Luleå HF in Sweden’s SHL after coming up in Frölunda’s junior system. On the international stage, he has represented Sweden twice at major tournaments, earning bronze at both the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship and the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Ivan’s path looks very different.

Signed by Colorado in March 2024 after going undrafted, he worked his way into 49 NHL games with the Avalanche, producing five goals and four assists while establishing himself as a steady, energy-driven bottom-six presence. He also logged extensive time with the Colorado Eagles, recording 25 goals and 44 assists across 169 AHL appearances. That should have been enough to graduate to the NHL level but with his contract now complete the Avalanche were at a crossroads with him.

The move ultimately comes down to projection versus production. Colorado is wagering that Lysell’s offensive toolkit still hasn’t fully translated at the NHL level, while Boston adds a player whose role and identity are already defined. Both are Restricted Free Agents but with Lysell coming off his Entry Level Contract he does not hold arbitration rights like Ivan does. Clearly Colorado’s strategy is to hope one of these 2021 first round picks (along with Fyodor Svechkov and Zach L’Heureux) stick hoping another organization’s development will pay off for them.

Just when it appeared they were probably done selecting in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins snuck in to snag one more player to complete their draft class.

The Penguins acquired the 160th overall pick from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick and used it to draft Russian goaltender Matvei Nikonovich. The Belarusian netminder posted impressive numbers last season in the MHL - Russia's junior league - including a 20-14-4 record with a .939 save percentage and a 1.96 goals-against average in 38 games. 

He stands at 6-foot-2, 187 pounds, and, according to Elite Prospects, he is known for his strong tracking ability as well as his power. 

Nikonovich was one of 31 goaltenders selected in this year's draft, which is an atypically high number. He was obviously what the Penguins deemed a "value pick" in the later rounds, where they've found some value before: top goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov - a fellow Russian - was a fourth-round selection (118th overall) in 2022, and he took a similar path as Nikonovich and had similar numbers in the MHL.

He completes the Penguins' 2026 draft class, which also consisted of twin brothers Liam (22nd overall) and Markus Ruck (39th overall), defenseman Tomas Galvas (54th overall), left wing Pierce Mbuyi (86th overall), and defenseman Parker Von Richter (111th overall).

Family Reunion: Penguins Select Markus Ruck With 39th Pick, Get Both TwinsIt appears a family reunion is in order for the Ruck family in Pittsburgh.

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