No mucking around: Our NHL mock draft top-10

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BUFFALO — The Maple Leafs strutted out of the draft lottery on Tuesday night with the No. 1 pick overall, shocking many across the National Hockey League while leaving a feeling of dismay in several locales (hello, Vancouver).

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The Leafs, presumably, will get their hands on one of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg once the draft gets underway on June 26.

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Some intriguing factors could come into play for the Leafs, and for the nine teams that pick next.

We take a look at some of the possibilities:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

The pick: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State University, NCAA

With more than seven weeks to go before we get to the first round of the draft, speculation and opinions will go into overdrive regarding this pick. Let’s end some of it now. Do we envision a scenario in which the Leafs trade this pick? Nine times out of 10, absolutely not. For the tenth time to kick in, new general manager John Chayka would have to be floored by an offer. One of two things could happen: The Leafs have a player in McKenna who slots in beside captain Auston Matthews on the top line, or, if Matthews decides he wants to continue his prolific NHL career elsewhere, then McKenna is a player the Leafs can begin to build around. And the young, top-notch defenceman that Toronto needs badly would have to be the target in any package that comes back for Matthews.

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2. San Jose Sharks

The pick: Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL

If the Sharks decide above everything else that picking the best player available is the way to go, then they announce the name of Ivar Stenberg. However, San Jose has its forward core set for years to come, with budding superstar Macklin Celebrini (first overall in 2024) leading the way and supplemented rather nicely by Michael Misa (second overall in 2025) and Will Smith (fourth overall in 2023). Reid has all the elements to develop into a prime defenceman in the NHL. Given the young forward depth the Sharks have, taking Reid, or another defenceman if GM Mike Grier so chooses, would make a lot of sense. There’s also the possibility that Grier could trade the pick.

3. Vancouver Canucks

The pick: Ivar Stenberg, RW, Frolunda, SHL

The Canucks had the best odds to win the draft lottery at 25.5%, yet fell to third spot once the final balls had dropped. That continued a run that is hard to believe: Vancouver has never picked first overall. The solace here for the Canucks’ invested fan base is the possibility that a player of Stenberg’s ilk could be available. If so, then not having the first pick won’t have mattered. There will be an opportunity here for the incoming Canucks GM to make a splash, and the Stenberg ripples would be felt for years to come. If Stenberg goes to the Sharks, Reid is a fine option, and so too would be centre Caleb Malhotra, whose dad, Manny, just happens to coach the Canucks’ farm team in Abbotsford.

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4. Chicago Blackhawks

The pick: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford, OHL

In Connor Bedard (20 years old) and Frank Nazar (22), the Blackhawks boast a couple of young centres who will help form the club’s backbone down the middle for the foreseeable future. In comes Malhotra, who would complete that backbone. The best NHL teams have to have a foundation down the middle, and it would be awfully difficult to defend against a trio of Bedard, Nazar and Malhotra. The Hawks have had trouble putting the puck in the net. Malhotra would hep solve that issue. There will be several defencemen with excellent potential available, but Chicago has a good D corps, including Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov, whose best days in the NHL are to come.

5. New York Rangers

The pick: Keaton Verhoeff, D, University of North Dakota, NCAA

The Rangers need help everywhere, but a defenceman here makes the most sense, considering the group that will be available. If not Verhoeff, who made a nice adjustment to the college ranks after starring for Victoria of the WHL in 2024-25, Carson Carels or Alberts Smits would fit what the Rangers need. At 6-foot-4, Verhoeff is the biggest of the highly ranked D-men and boasts offensive talent as well as a willingness to be physical. Rangers GM Chris Drury has some amends to make with the Madison Square Garden faithful and a defenceman of Verhoeff’s talent could go a long way.

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6. Calgary Flames

The pick: Carson Carels, D, Prince George, WHL

The Flames have strong young D-men in the pipeline, headed by Zayne Parekh, with Hunter Brzustewicz and Etienne Morin also on the way. Carels would provide an awfully nice complement to the group, though his offensive talents would be welcomed by the majority of teams picking in this range. Carels blossomed for the Cougars in 2025-26, scoring 20 goals and recording 73 points. If it’s about taking the best player available, as Flames GM Craig Conroy is bound to do, it could be Carels that he and his staff decides would look best in the Flames’ colours.

7. Seattle Kraken

The pick: Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit, SM Liiga; Munich, DEL

This will be the Kraken’s sixth draft since joining the NHL in 2021 and it has followed a pattern: Seattle’s five first-round picks all have been forwards, starting with Matty Beniers at No. 2 in ’21. Defenceman Ryker Evans has been rounding into form the past couple of seasons after the Kraken drafted him in the second round five years ago, but the fact is that Seattle needs a blue-chip blueliner. Smits is big and mobile and doesn’t lack in self-esteem. There’s also defenceman Daxon Rudolph to consider. Of course, in his second draft as Kraken GM, Jason Botterill could stick to what the organization has known and take a forward. In that case, it might be Viggo Bjorck or Tynan Lawrence.

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8. Winnipeg Jets

The pick: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University, NCAA

If Lawrence isn’t already gone, he could end a run of picks of defencemen at this slot. After starting the season with Muskegon of the USHL, putting up 17 points in 13 games, the New Brunswick native transferred to Boston U., where he had seven points in 18 games. It’s not necessarily easy to make a big, immediate dent outside of the top couple of picks, but Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will have to try to come up with something after Winnipeg crashed out of playoff contention this past season. Would that include an attempt to trade up? Possibly.

9. Florida Panthers

The pick: Viggo Bjorck, C, Djurgardens, SHL

At 5-foot-9, 177 pounds, Bjorck won’t bowl over opponents with size, but that worrying about that would be missing the point. He doesn’t shy away from physical play, a fairly crucial intangible to succeed in the Atlantic Division, and the Panthers could set him up to learn under captain Aleksander Barkov. There’s no stage too small for Bjorck, as he played a key role in Sweden’s gold-medal win at the 2026 world junior championship. If there’s a team that could best prove that the past season was a one-off, we would put our money on the Panthers to return to playoff contention in 2026-27. Whichever way GM Bill Zito decides to go with this pick, there should be no rush to get the player to the NHL.

10. Nashville Predators

The pick: Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert, WHL

As much as the Predators would probably like captain Roman Josi to play forever, it’s not going to happen. Drafting a defenceman to potentially apprentice under the 35-year-old Josi wouldn’t be a surprise, though Rudolph could be gone by the time Nashville rounds out the top 10. If the new Predators GM is advised by the scouting staff to take a forward, Bjorck or Lawrence could be the one here.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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