Entering with the ninth-best odds to land the top pick, the San Jose Sharks shocked the hockey world last month when they landed the second overall selection in the NHL Draft Lottery.
Even before the lottery, the Sharks owned what scouts widely considered the league’s best prospect pool.
General manager Mike Grier, immediately after taking over hockey operations in 2022, initiated a methodical, long-term rebuild. The Sharks have an embarrassment of riches—a war chest full of high draft picks—after dealing away franchise cornerstones Tomáš Hertl, Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson in 2023 and 2024.
Bottoming out to position themselves for the draft lottery has allowed San Jose to accumulate high-end talent such as Michael Misa (No. 2 2025), Will Smith (No. 4 2023), William Eklund (No. 7 2021) and the first pick in the 2024 draft, which awarded San Jose a generational player in Macklin Celebrini.
And at the 2026 NHL Draft, which begins June 26, picking second gives San Jose a chance to add yet another extremely talented piece to its already exciting core.
While Grier is adamant that he typically prefers the “best player available” strategy, this draft may be the time to change course. Grier’s approach has been successful, giving the Sharks an impressive group of young players. However, San Jose is in the next stage of their rebuild.
Now that the Sharks have a foundation and a king’s ransom of promising forwards, they need to construct the remainder of their roster. Grier should address the team’s glaring need and use San Jose’s early first-round pick to select a premier defenseman of the future.
Sharks Have a Positional Need
For how stacked the Sharks’ prospect pipeline is, it sure lacks well-rounded, exceptional talent on the blueline. The young core of defensemen is barren, underwhelming and unproven. Even the most intriguing of the group has too many question marks.
Sam Dickinson put together an illustrious OHL career, but has plenty of work to do to become anything close to that player at the NHL level. While he is still really young and entering just his second full season, at no point last year did he look the part of a future franchise-altering top defenseman. San Jose hoped he could be when they picked him 11th overall in 2024.
2023 third-rounder Luca Gagnoni has shown flashes with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL, but at 5 feet 9 inches, his lack of size limits his ceiling.
24-year-old Shakir Mukhamadullin improved in many ways last season, but the coaches still don’t fully trust him.
Eric Pohlkamp excelled at the University of Denver and seems NHL-ready. But since he hasn’t played a game in The Show, there is no way of knowing for sure yet.
Simon Wang, the first selection of the second round last year, is a complete unknown. Scouts are adamant that the pick was a gamble since Wang is a raw and unfinished product.
With the proficiencies of most youngsters on the blue line a mystery right now, it only makes sense for the Sharks to take a defenseman early in the first round. San Jose badly needs as close to a sure thing on the blue line as possible in a young player.
Top Picks Expected to Be Forwards
There is a lot of uncertainty in this year’s draft. Recent mock drafts have offered vastly different predictions and evaluations, largely due to the wide range of ways in which teams view the top prospects.
According to most mock drafts, however, Penn State forward Gavin McKenna and Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg are slated to be the first two off the board. Center Caleb Malhotra is believed to follow them shortly after.
After that, most prospect rankings follow with three straight promising defenseman, including Chase Reid, Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff.
Since the consensus top two prospects are both forwards, instead of losing out and passing on McKenna or Stenberg by taking a defenseman with the second pick, the Sharks should trade down to ensure they don’t lose value and waste their draft position.
If San Jose wants to take a defenseman with its current pick anyway, it’s in their best interest to give it to another team. Especially one that is likely to take whoever is available between McKenna and Stenberg with the second pick. That way, the Sharks can still select a highly-touted blueliner, ideally the same one they could have taken at No. 2 while gaining some additional picks in the process.
Trading Down Collects Talent and Stockpiles More Picks
Grier already has a reputation for utilizing his picks to add additional pieces, and giving away the second pick to trade down would be another smart draft night move.
Depending on what selection they receive in exchange for the second pick, trading down benefits San Jose because they could acquire an additional second or third rounder in the swap. They could also use the Buffalo Sabres’ 27th pick acquired in the June 17 Michael Kesselring deal as a trade chip to get an additional mid-first-rounder.
It’s no secret that the Sharks need more capable players who can be effective in the event of major injuries or unexpected roster moves. While the No. 2 selection figures to be a big piece of the team’s future, trading down to have additional first, second or third-round picks can help San Jose acquire not only one great player, but also a few good ones in the draft to enhance its depth.
Can San Jose Find a Trade Partner?
The Sharks’ willingness to trade down and give away the No. 2 pick depends on whether another team drafting high is interested.
In order to pick one of the top three defenseman, San Jose wouldn’t want to trade too far down. The Sharks should absolutely reject any offer that would land them a pick below No. 10, unless it is packaged in a trade for an established and notable blueliner on another team.
Teams with numerous holes to fill, such as the Vancouver Canucks (No. 3 pick), Calgary Flames (No. 6 pick) or the Seattle Kraken (No. 7 pick), are possible suitors. Those teams would likely prefer to take either McKenna or Stenberg over a defenseman if they got the chance.
While this means that San Jose should have some interest from lottery teams if it includes the second pick in trade offers, it also suggests that the Sharks’ preferred choice is for a defenseman. The blueliner they view the highest of the top three could still be available at a later pick than No. 2.
Importance of Upgrading and Improving the Blue Line
Imagine if the odds held and the Sharks had won last year’s lottery to select Matthew Schaefer.
While none of this year’s top defense prospects are as decorated or acclaimed as Schaefer was before entering the league, one elite defenseman can transform this Sharks team and make them even more frightening for the rest of the league.
While one defenseman doesn’t solve San Jose’s issues overnight, picking one early in the draft, along with the recent acquisition of 26-year-old Kesselring, could be a start.
The existing defense core is nowhere near championship caliber. But it would look a whole lot better with one special transcendent player on the blue line.
Sure, they can add yet another sensational center or winger in the top four. However, at some point, the abundance of forwards will create a logjam and possibly stifle development.
Championship Rosters Require Reliable Defensemen
The team will be better served in the long run and in a better position to win the franchise’s elusive first Stanley Cup if they can solidify their blue line and construct a balanced roster. One that contains not only skilled forwards but also high-quality, two-way defenseman.
San Jose must score more to contend, no doubt, but won’t go anywhere without making strides on defense. For years, the team’s porous defense has kept the Sharks stuck in the proverbial basement.
Sharks’ ‘terrible’ defense to blame for Yaroslav Askarov’s forgettable night
San Jose has been in the bottom three in goals allowed every year since the 2020-21 season, excluding one. More than anything, their struggles of getting the puck out of their zone left the team defending for long stretches. This led them to give up an excessive number of shots.
Every championship team needs a suffocating defense to keep the puck out of its net. Last year’s Stanley Cup Champion, the Florida Panthers, led the league in goals against.
The cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes this season had five dependable defenseman. Jacob Slavin, Shayne Gostisbehere, K’Andre Miller, Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker. The five of them understood their roles, suppressed scoring chances and contributed offensively.
As currently constructed, San Jose doesn’t have one, let alone multiple, defenseman of this quality.
The key to becoming more than just a fun and entertaining team is beefing up its blue line. Scoring goals only gets you so far if you can’t prevent your opponent from responding right away.
For the Sharks to develop into the dynasty that their forward group suggests they can be, they need a strong group of defenseman to complement the skaters up front and take some pressure off the goaltenders.
Luckily for San Jose, they have an opportunity in this draft to do just that. After all, defense wins championships.
Leave a comment