The 2026 NHL Draft is already turning into a front-office knife fight, and the first pick hasn’t even been announced yet. In this 2026 NHL mock draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear locked in on Gavin McKenna at No. 1, while the San Jose Sharks, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues could help turn Friday night into a trade-heavy, franchise-shifting mess.

Beautiful chaos, basically.

Toronto owns the top of the board, and there isn’t much mystery there. McKenna, the dynamic left winger headed to Penn State, has been the obvious prize for months. Unless the Maple Leafs are running the most dramatic draft-week fakeout in recent memory, he’s the pick. The fit is obvious, too. Toronto needs more pace, more juice and more pure offensive danger around Auston Matthews. McKenna gives them exactly that.

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After that, things get spicy fast.

San Jose sitting at No. 2 is fascinating because the Sharks need defense, but they also can’t ignore elite talent. Ivar Stenberg feels like the kind of winger Mike Grier could talk himself into quickly. The Sharks already have Macklin Celebrini as a foundational piece down the middle. Adding Stenberg would give San Jose another top-six creator with two-way polish and immediate lineup upside.

And because San Jose also owns the ninth pick after moving William Eklund, the Sharks can afford to chase a forward early and still come back for a premium defenseman. That’s how smart rebuilds get loud.

At No. 3, Vancouver is where the draft starts to wobble. Caleb Malhotra once felt like the cleanest connection on the board, but with his father now behind the Canucks’ bench, that storyline gets complicated. Instead, Vancouver could pivot to Chase Reid, the offensive-minded defenseman from Sault Ste. Marie. Reid would instantly become one of the Canucks’ most important prospects and give the organization a high-end blue-line building block.

Buffalo jumping into the No. 4 slot changes everything. After a blockbuster-type move involving Bowen Byram, the Sabres land in prime position to grab Malhotra if he slips past Vancouver. That would be a monster outcome. Buffalo has spent years trying to turn potential into actual contention, and adding a talented center like Malhotra gives the Sabres more flexibility around Josh Norris and the rest of their forward group.

The New York Rangers at No. 5 are staring at a different kind of decision. They could chase ceiling, but Alberts Smits brings the kind of swagger and NHL-readiness that’s hard to ignore. If the Rangers believe Smits can step in quickly, that may matter more than waiting three or four years for a prospect with slightly more upside. New York isn’t exactly operating like a patient rebuilding team.

Calgary at No. 6 feels like a natural landing spot for Carson Carels. He checks a lot of Flames boxes: Canadian roots, defensive upside, bite and enough offensive ability to project as a long-term impact piece. Carels could eventually fit next to Zayne Parekh and give Calgary a legitimate left-side anchor on the blue line.

Seattle has never used a first-round pick on a defenseman, but this may be the year that changes. Daxon Rudolph makes sense at No. 7 because of his shot, offensive instincts and ability to drive play from the back end. The Kraken have leaned into skill and scoring profiles in the past, and Rudolph fits that identity better than a safer stay-at-home option.

Winnipeg at No. 8 could be thrilled if Viggo Bjorck is still there. The Jets badly need more high-end center talent in the pipeline, and Bjorck’s stock has been climbing hard. He brings creativity, versatility and the kind of top-six upside Winnipeg can’t afford to pass on if the defensemen it likes are already gone.

Then San Jose gets back on the clock at No. 9 and potentially steals one of the best defensemen in the class. Keaton Verhoeff would give the Sharks exactly what they need after selecting Stenberg earlier. If this board falls this way, San Jose leaves the top 10 with a potential star winger and a blue-chip defenseman. That’s not a draft night. That’s a franchise reset.

Nashville at No. 10 could benefit from the chaos ahead of it. Ethan Belchetz brings size, playmaking and power-forward potential, and his move to Michigan State should only help polish his game. The Predators don’t have many forwards like him in the system, which makes the fit clean.

The Blues are the team to watch in the middle of the first round because they’re loaded with picks. At No. 11, Malte Gustafsson gives St. Louis a left-shot defenseman with top-four upside. At No. 15, Oscar Hemming fits the Blues’ preferred mold as a physical, skilled winger who could break out at Boston College. At No. 16, Alexander Command gives them a badly needed center with two-way substance. And at No. 29, Jack Hextall would add another hard-nosed pivot to a suddenly deeper pipeline.

That’s how a front office rebuilds a prospect pool in one night.

New Jersey at No. 12 is a fun landing spot for Wyatt Cullen, one of the more creative wingers in the class. The Devils need more skill on the outside, and Cullen has the puck talent and offensive imagination to become a dangerous play-driving winger if he hits.

The Islanders at No. 13 could stop Tynan Lawrence’s slide. His second half at Boston University wasn’t ideal, but the talent is still there. New York needs centers, and Lawrence’s two-way profile gives him a strong path to becoming an NHL regular if the offense catches up.

Columbus at No. 14 may have to resist the urge to chase another forward and take Ryan Lin, a right-shot defenseman who fills a clear organizational hole. The Blue Jackets have left-side depth, but Lin would immediately become their top right-side defensive prospect.

The Kings at No. 17 need skill, and Nikita Klepov has plenty of it. His top-six upside makes him a logical swing for Los Angeles, especially with the organization needing more pure offensive punch.

Washington at No. 18 could go center after moving Connor McMichael and Milton Gastrin in a deal for Jordan Kyrou. Oliver Suvanto brings a high-floor, physical, responsible game. He may not be flashy, but he fills a real need.

Utah at No. 19 grabbing Adam Novotny feels like a strong identity pick. The Mammoth could use a bigger, harder-driving winger to complement their smaller skill forwards. Novotny’s skating, physicality and middle-six scoring projection make sense.

Buffalo circles back at No. 20 for Ilia Morozov, a young NCAA center with shutdown upside. Philadelphia at No. 21 feels destined to chase size and snarl, which makes 6-foot-7 defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii a perfect Flyers-type pick. Pittsburgh at No. 22 could lean into skill with JP Hurlbert if it doesn’t trade the selection. Boston at No. 23 gets a needed right-shot defenseman in Tommy Bleyl, one of the smoothest skating blueliners on the board.

The back end of the first round is loaded with upside swings.

Vancouver could take local scorer Mathis Preston at No. 24. Ottawa may grab physical center Maddox Dagenais at No. 25. The Rangers could address center depth with Brooks Rogowski at No. 26. San Jose might add another skilled winger in Elton Hermansson at No. 27. Montreal could chase size and power with Gleb Pugachyov at No. 28.

Calgary at No. 30 is where things get really fun if Liam Ruck is still on the board. The Flames have been tied to the Ruck brothers, and taking Liam would give them a skilled winger with upside and a fascinating twin storyline if Markus remains available later.

Carolina at No. 31 is the kind of team that doesn’t get scared by size concerns if the skill is loud enough. Xavier Villeneuve has major offensive upside from the blue line, and the Hurricanes have never been afraid to bet on talent.

Ottawa closing the first round at No. 32 with Marcus Nordmark would be a classic swing on upside. He’s not the safest player available, but he has the kind of top-six skill that makes sense for a team using a pick it didn’t expect to have until recently.

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That’s what makes the 2026 NHL Draft so dangerous. The top pick looks settled, but almost everything after Gavin McKenna is unstable. Trades are already reshaping the board. Teams are weighing immediate NHL help against long-term ceiling. Defensemen could fly off the board early. Centers could get overdrafted because everyone needs them.

And if the first round breaks the right way, San Jose, Buffalo and St. Louis could walk out looking like the biggest winners of the night.

The Maple Leafs may get the headline with McKenna.

But the chaos behind them is what could define the entire 2026 NHL Draft.