With the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft in the books, it’s time to take a look back and see how everyone did.
There were clear winners and losers following Day 1. Some teams came away like bandits, while others, not so much.
So, let’s dive into the winners and losers of the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Winners and Losers of Round 1 in 2026 NHL Draft
Winners
Toronto Maple Leafs and Gavin McKenna
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Gavin McKenna, despite ruining the moment with Justin Bieber, came out as clear winners. The Leafs had no business picking in the first round to begin with.
That’s why landing the best player in this year’s draft was a major coup. The Leafs now have a superstar to ride shotgun with Auston Matthews.
For McKenna, he rose from his obscure beginnings to the biggest stage in hockey. As the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, he will be tasked with ushering in a new era of optimism in Toronto. For someone with his personality, he should fit right in.
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues entered the 2026 NHL Draft with four first-rounders. Two of those became Mason McTavish. While McTavish does come with a grain of salt, there’s no question this was a massive move.
In a couple of days, the Blues shed Jordan Kyrou’s bloated contract while adding two solid young forwards in McTavish and Connor McMichael. Plus, adding two young centers in Tynan Lawrence and Maddox Dagenais boosts the organization’s prospect pipeline, while adding more trade capital if needed.
The Blues should be a team to watch next season.
San Jose Sharks
The biggest winners of the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft were the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks ended up with three first-rounders. Their second-overall selection became Ivar Stenberg. Stenberg was arguably a better prospect than McKenna. But with the Leafs dead set on taking McKenna, it made sense for the Sharks to pick Stenberg.
What makes the Sharks come away like bandits is having defenseman Keaton Verhoeff land on their lap at No. 9. Verhoeff should have been off the board by the time the Sharks picked again. Yet, there he was.
The Sharks now have a prospect who could turn into a top-pairing blueliner. San Jose completed its future top pair by taking Ryan Lin with the 21st pick. The Sharks moved up following a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Given their current prospect pool, plus the three high-end pieces added on Friday, the Sharks come away as the clear winners of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Losers
Chase Reid
Some pundits had picked defenseman Chase Reid as the top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft. There was some talk that the Sharks could take him at No. 2, with even some speculation that the Maple Leafs could shock the world by passing on McKenna for Reid.
That wasn’t the case. In fact, Reid slipped all the way the seventh. At that spot, it made no sense for the Seattle Kraken to pass on him. The Kraken made the pick and landed a future top-pairing defenseman.
Reid is by no means a bad player, but one has to wonder why other teams let him slip by. In particular, the Buffalo Sabres passed on him, reaching for Daxon Rudolph. Rudolph should have been a mid-round pick. But there was something the Sabres preferred about Rudolph, allowing them to pass on Reid.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights were one of the teams that formally made a trade at the 2026 NHL Draft. The team, unfortunately, traded RFA Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers. In the deal, the Golden Knights got a first-round pick back, the 29th overall pick originally belonging to the Colorado Avalanche.
It was good for the Golden Knights to get back into the first round, but defenseman Juho Piiparinen will not make up for the lost offense departing in Dorofeyev.
NHL fans
Lastly, the biggest losers of the 2026 NHL Draft were the fans. All told, the first round took over four hours to complete. The opening round is far too long, making it tough for fans, networks, organizers, and broadcasters to get through the whole thing.
Moving forward, the NHL has to consider shortening the theatrics of the draft to make it faster and more engaging for fans.
2026 NHL Draft: 1st Round Winners and Losers