What’s every NHL team’s biggest need entering the 2026 draft?

The 2026 NHL Draft is now just one day away. While it’s likely the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to take Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick, plenty beyond that remains a mystery.

What isn’t a mystery is the needs each team should address in the draft. Whether they can fill those needs is another matter.

The Athletic asked its NHL staff for the biggest need each club should prioritize in the 2026 draft, based on factors such as glaring holes entering the offseason, free-agent additions and subtractions, franchise trajectory, draft capital and positional depth.

Anaheim Ducks

Organizational depth

The sexier answer would be to pull off a seismic trade, but the Ducks are just opening their contention window and are not at the championship-or-bust stage. The Ducks have quality prospects at center (Roger McQueen, Lucas Pettersson) and on defense (Tristan Luneau, Stian Solberg). Another intriguing one is UMass-bound right wing Maxim Massé, who earned CHL player of the year honors. With the earliest pick being at No. 50, it’s about adding assets and being ready to strike the right impact deal. — Eric Stephens

Boston Bruins

Skill at all positions

The Bruins took a good first step last year by drafting James Hagens at No. 7. But they remain under construction at forward and defense when it comes to players who can push the pace and be creative offensively. — Fluto Shinzawa

Buffalo Sabres

An impact forward

Overall, the Sabres have a pretty balanced prospect pool. They are well-stocked with right-handed defensemen after drafting Radim Mrtka in the top 10 last summer. But with Noah Östlund, Konsta Helenius and Jiri Kulich all arriving in the NHL the last two seasons, the Sabres could use another impact forward to backfill those players graduating from prospect status. Ideally, the Sabres would add some size up front to differentiate skill sets. But as Buffalo’s recent picks show, competitiveness and hockey sense can make up for a lack of height. — Matthew Fairburn

Calgary Flames

Game-breaking potential/scoring wingers

The Flames are rebuilding, and they’re off to a great start with the prospects they’ve drafted. But the Flames need a player with game-breaking potential. Their next best chance to grab anyone close to that is at No. 6 in the draft. Or they could find a way to trade up into the top five. — Julian McKenzie

Carolina Hurricanes

Center

The Hurricanes have a couple of center prospects with potential. Ivan Ryabkin has been good since returning to the AHL, helping the Chicago Wolves reach the Calder Cup Finals, but he has primarily played the wing since coming back from the QMJHL. Charlie Cerrato also has potential after two good seasons at Penn State, and Justin Robidas has become a proven top-line AHL player. But Carolina could still use more down the middle, particularly since reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal will be 38 to start next season. — Cory Lavalette

The Blackhawks are without a first-round pick for the first time under general manager Kyle Davidson. (Chase Agnello-Dean / NHLI via Getty Images)

Chicago Blackhawks

Prospect depth

The Blackhawks’ draft outlook changed completely when they traded the No. 4 pick to the Sabres as part of a package for Bowen Byram on Tuesday. That leaves the Blackhawks without a first-round pick for the first time under general manager Kyle Davidson. They also dealt a second-round pick in the trade. They could turn their remaining two second-round picks into a first-rounder, but the Blackhawks have to consider adding prospect depth to their pool and the benefit of adding two players instead of one. The Blackhawks could use those picks on another forward and defenseman. There are arguments to be made that the Blackhawks could use more of both in their prospect pool. — Scott Powers

Colorado Avalanche

Wingers

Colorado’s pipeline isn’t the strongest, coming in 28th in Scott Wheeler’s latest rankings. Gavin Brindley is an excellent prospect, but he’s also the only forward in the top seven in those rankings. The rest of the Avalanche’s top prospects are defensemen and two goaltenders. Adding a winger, or even an offensive-leaning center, with top-six potential to the mix would be nice. — Jesse Granger

Columbus Blue Jackets

Power forward

The Blue Jackets can’t get picky at No. 14. They’ll take the top player on their board no matter the position. (OK, not a goalie.) But the space in their prospect pool is at forward, especially with 2024 No. 4 pick Cayden Lindstrom needing a longer ramp at the start of his career. Further, when you see how the Blue Jackets are set up to have diminutive wingers Kent Johnson and Conor Garland in their top six, size is a desired attribute, too. Names to know: Ethan Belchetz and Oscar Hemming. — Aaron Portzline

Dallas Stars

NHL-caliber skill

This is really a moot point with Dallas, whose only pick in the first four rounds is at No. 59. Years of (completely justifiable) win-now trades have left the Stars with the second-worst prospect pool in the league and only one first-round pick and one second-round pick in the next three drafts. In theory, the Stars need everything in this draft. In reality, they don’t need anything. As long as this window is open, it’s all about the present; the future be damned. — Mark Lazerus

Detroit Red Wings

Top-six center

Perhaps you’ve heard about Dylan Larkin’s trade request. The Red Wings used a pair of top-10 picks on Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson, but it’s unclear if either still has a path to being a top-line center, and both project as more middle-six types right now. Currently, Detroit doesn’t have a first-round pick, after trading it for Justin Faulk. But could they get back into the first round and hunt for a center? Finding one with as much upside as possible is the key. — Max Bultman

Edmonton Oilers

Skilled center

The Oilers’ biggest need is a skilled center with speed. None of the team’s center prospects are on a trajectory to land on an NHL skill line in the coming years. The NHL depth chart is the best in the league, with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson all available for next season. The Oilers badly need to identify a real option for the future. The best bet is to draft an undersized, pure-skill pivot with the range of skills needed to stay at center. — Allan Mitchell

Florida Panthers

Hit on a second-round gem

Florida is all in on the present, having now traded their next four first-round picks after the Brady Tkachuk deal. No one will be surprised if they have a massive bounce back to respectability in 2026-27, especially if everyone is healthy, and the draft isn’t a key focus for the organization. Given the age of this roster and the players heading to UFA in 2027, however, the Panthers need someone who can help in their contention window, which means ASAP. It’s possible they can find that at picks 40 and 48, but they’ll have to really ace those selections. — James Mirtle

Los Angeles Kings

A highly skilled forward

With the No. 17 pick, the Kings aren’t in a position to take the best forwards in this draft. But there are enough to inject a center or a wing with NHL upside and first-round pedigree that they’re short on in the pipeline. If it’s a center, Alexander Command, Oliver Suvanto or Ilia Morozov could be available. Boston College power forward Oscar Hemming would be ideal, though it’s likely he won’t fall that far. But other wingers such as Elton Hermansson or Nikita Klepov are potential picks. — Eric Stephens

Minnesota Wild

Warm bodies

With the number of prospects and draft picks they’ve dealt the past two years, the Wild need to start replenishing the pipeline. The best player available will be the biggest need, because you can’t get picky when you don’t currently have a first- or second-round pick. Minnesota would love to add size on the back end and skill up front. Oh, and they’ll also need to replace Judd Brackett this offseason, the director of amateur scouting who’s now an assistant general manager in Toronto. — Michael Russo

Montreal Canadiens

High compete forward with size

The Canadiens will always target skill in the first two rounds, but they have consistently looked for size and compete to fill out their forward group. Despite that, the need still exists, as the last playoff run demonstrated. — Arpon Basu

Nashville Predators

Centermen

There’s actually a case to be made that this franchise, which drafted defensemen at an elite level under GM David Poile, needs to replenish the blue line as much as anything. But weakness down the middle has been a franchise staple as well, and Chris MacFarland may as well continue addressing it, even after the Ross Colton and Jack Drury trades. — Joe Rexrode

New Jersey Devils

A high-upside forward

Picking at No. 12, the Devils will have a chance to add some skill to their prospect pool, which ranked No. 22 in colleague Scott Wheeler’s March ranking. None of their top three prospects on Wheeler’s list were forwards, so this could be a good chance to take a swing for a forward with upside. The Šimon Nemec trade, though, could open another door for another defenseman to join the pipeline. — Peter Baugh

New York Islanders

A potential top-six forward

The Islanders have Matthew Schaefer as their top defenseman for years to come, and Kashawn Aitcheson coming, too. That makes this a prime spot to target a forward unless there’s a defenseman available they really like. Mathieu Darche has improved the prospect pool since taking over as GM, in part thanks to the Noah Dobson trade, and this is another chance to add a high-ceiling player. — Peter Baugh

New York Rangers

High-end skill and speed

I could have easily said centers, a position the Rangers haven’t used a first-round pick on since 2017. But for a team with needs all over and very few elite talents in their pipeline, the focus should be on the best player available. After years of overcorrecting in the grit direction under team president Chris Drury, the key will be uncovering prospects who can infuse the organization with the scoring and skating they need to keep pace in today’s NHL. — Vincent Z. Mercogliano

Ottawa Senators

A finisher, either at wing or center

Remember when it looked like the Sens would have no first-round pick in this year’s draft? They have two, for now. Maybe the No. 25 pick is in play for a move, just like they did in sending the No. 9 pick to San Jose for William Eklund. The Sens will pick at 32, not that they could trade it anyway. With either selection, the Sens should, if possible, target a skill-based prospect with offensive upside. Ottawa has hard-working forward prospects and some defensive talents. But it needs a prospect with a wicked shot and finishing ability. — Julian McKenzie

Philadelphia Flyers

Defensemen

Since 2020, the Flyers have drafted just one defenseman in the first round — Oliver Bonk, selected 22nd overall in 2023. Consequently, they’ve targeted young defenseman in a few trades over the years, which is how they got Jamie Drysdale and David Jiricek. While they’re likely to go with the highest player on their board with the 21st pick in this year’s draft, finding another top blue-line prospect could be a priority. — Kevin Kurz

Pittsburgh Penguins

Defensemen

The Penguins may well trade up for a top-six style forward, and they badly need an infusion of top-end skill. More than anything, though, they need defensemen. In Harrison Brunicke, they have a player clearly on pace to be in the NHL soon. Other than him, though, they are thin on the blue line. They have guys who might make it to the NHL, but no sure things. They could use a couple. Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang aren’t getting younger. — Josh Yohe

Will the Sharks draft Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 pick? (David Berding/Getty Images)

San Jose Sharks

Solidifying their contending-worthy future

Mike Grier has been an active general manager, first in acquiring Michael Kesselring for his defense while still keeping an extra first-round pick (No. 27). Now he’s got No. 9 as well as his own No. 2 overall after trading William Eklund. It sure seems like Ivar Stenberg is the choice after Gavin McKenna. But Grier also needs to come away with an impact defender, either for now or the future. Or both. San Jose could be set up for years of success. — Eric Stephens

Seattle Kraken

Upside

Selecting in the seventh spot of the first round, the Kraken need to prioritize upside. This is a team devoid of stars, a legacy of a bungled expansion process in which the Kraken built depth, but failed to convert the asset harvest event into future values or star power. That’s left the Kraken in the mushy middle since birth: too good to fail the way you need to access star players, too bad to make noise in the Seattle market. To break this cycle, the Kraken must swing for the fences. — Thomas Drance

St. Louis Blues

Star power

The Blues have four picks in the first round (Nos. 11, 15, 16, 29). The organization’s prospect pool was ranked 10th by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler this season, but it lacks star power. GM Doug Armstrong expressed an eagerness to move into the top four, if possible, and isn’t opposed to trading all four picks. If the Blues stay at No. 11, they could add a center such as Viggo Björck, if he’s still around, or Tynan Lawrence. — Jeremy Rutherford

Tampa Bay Lightning

Defensemen

Not a single Lightning defense prospect made Scott Wheeler’s midseason prospect ranking. That’s a problem for a team with Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh entering their late 30s, and it has become an even bigger one after Darren Raddysh’s departure. Obviously, without a first-round pick, any players Tampa Bay drafts this year will likely be four years away, but it still stands out as a glaring need. — Max Bultman

Toronto Maple Leafs

Centers, defensemen and high-end skill

I’m going to break the rules and pick three things. First is centers as the Leafs are desperately thin in the middle after Auston Matthews, and part of the reason is they haven’t landed many centers at the draft — and the two they did, Pontus Holmberg and Fraser Minten, were both let go. Second is defensemen who can play in the modern NHL. The Leafs’ defense — with the exception of Morgan Rielly — were all drafted by other teams. The Leafs need to develop more of their own. The few they did hit on over the years — Rasmus Sandin, Sean Durzi, Timothy Liljegren — were also traded for one reason or another. Third is high-end skill and upside. A second-round pick in 2021, Matthew Knies was a rare home run at the draft. The Leafs need more big swings, players with high-end skill and upside who might one day develop into impact NHL players. — Jonas Siegel

Utah Mammoth

Highest upside available

The Mammoth don’t have a major need heading into the draft because their excellent pipeline features elite prospects on the wing (Tij Iginla, Daniil But), at center (Caleb Desnoyers), on the back end (Dmitri Simashev), and in net (Michael Hrabal). Utah is in a uniquely strong position to simply take their scouts’ favorite player and can afford to aggressively swing for upside. — Harman Dayal

Vancouver Canucks

Everything

The Canucks were the NHL’s 32nd-place team this past season, and finished last with a margin. Their prospect pipeline is average. They have some good young players, but no surefire future stars on the roster or in the organization. They need star power, they need depth. They need upside, they need floor. They need centers, wingers, defenders and goaltenders. The Canucks, more than anything, need to place as many value bets as they can on draft day. — Thomas Drance

Vegas Golden Knights

Speed

The Golden Knights’ prospect pool is pretty thin, and that won’t be changing with no first, second or fourth round pick in this draft. If there’s one particular trait Vegas could use to add to its pipeline, though, it’s speed. The team is getting older, and the younger players on the roster aren’t the fleetest of foot. — Jesse Granger

Washington Capitals

Center

Ilya Protas’ emergence as a potentially high-end down-the-middle piece was a major story for the Capitals, but their prospect pool is still tilted pretty heavily at the top toward wingers and defensemen. Other than Protas, only two of Wheeler’s top-10 players in Washington’s system are centers, and neither is above No. 7. — Sean Gentille

Winnipeg Jets

The next great Jets centerman

If Winnipeg leaves the draft with a top defenseman, he’ll be the Jets’ new No. 1 prospect. But the dream selection — one not likely to be available when the Jets pick at No. 8 — is a centre so good he can help during Mark Scheifele’s productive years and then surpass Scheifele in the No. 1 role. It’s lofty to the point of unrealistic, so Alberts Smits, Daxon Rudolph, Keaton Verhoeff or whoever could be great picks. — Murat Ates