Why The Islanders & Sharks Could Be Perfect Trade Partners This NHL Draft Season
The Islanders & Sharks could line up as perfect NHL Draft trade partners, with San Jose searching for defensive help and New York looking to add more young offensive talent & another first-round pick.
The headline from the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery was the Toronto Maple Leafs, and rightfully so after coming away with the No. 1 overall pick despite having the fifth-best odds, as they kick off the John Chayka era with a bang.
But another major storyline was the San Jose Sharks, jumping from ninth overall to No. 2, a massive swing for a franchise that appears ready to take that next step toward contention.
They’ve rebuilt through the draft, selecting superstar Macklin Celebrini first overall in 2024 before selecting defenseman Sam Dickinson 11th overall just 10 picks later.
That came after selecting Will Smith fourth overall and Quentin Musty 26th overall in 2023.
To take that elusive next step, it’s well known that they have a major area of need: defense.
However, this draft does not appear to hold any immediate NHL-ready defenseman, though Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff could prove that statement wrong.
This 2026 draft class also features two clear-cut top prospects: Gavin McKenna and Ivan Stenberg.
McKenna will almost undoubtedly head to the Maple Leafs, giving them a Canadian star who can jump right into the NHL after just one season at Penn State.
Stenberg, meanwhile, is right there and should be an immediate NHLer, one who looks to have the potential of 100+ points, and that’s before the idea of slotting him alongside Celebrini and Smith.
It’ll be extremely hard for the Sharks to pass on Stenberg, even if they feel Reid or Verhoeff might fit their need better. The wisest thing to do for teams at the top of the draft is to take the best player available.
The Sharks will be on the hunt for a defenseman or two this summer, but using the second-overall pick to do so seems unlikely.
Instead, they could package their later first-round pick, the 20th overall pick (originally Edmonton’s), alongside one of their young forwards to land a defenseman.
Here’s where the New York Islanders could enter the chat.