Canadian NHL teams make up the bottom of the NHL standings and the top of our Sour Rankings. But today, we look at who those teams can select in the 2026 NHL draft that can hopefully change the course of the franchise.
We’ve passed the halfway point of the NHL season as we enter 2026, and the standings are as big a mess as we’ve ever seen at this point in the season.
The Eastern Conference is one big mess with every team still in the hunt. The Western Conference is more defined, but barely. Three teams have pulled away in the Central Division, but the Pacific Division leader wouldn’t even be in a playoff spot in the East.
Needless to say, the standings are a mess. The bottom of the league is mainly made up of Western Conference teams from Canada. The Winnipeg Jets have been in a tailspin of epic proportions, the Vancouver Canucks are drowning without Quinn Hughes, and the Calgary Flames have fizzled out in just about every way.
The midway point of the season is an excellent time to not only look at the NHL Sour Rankings but also conduct our first mock draft of the season. It’s a very interesting draft class. Gavin McKenna came into the year as the No.1 prospect, but with some areas of his game coming under the spotlight and great performances of others, there is a group of players who could go first overall.
Let’s take a look at how the NHL’s basement dwellers could do come draft day if they are still sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings and the hockey gods look down at them favorably on draft lottery night.
Winnipeg Jets: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)
With the number one pick wide open and Lawrence leaving the USHL to join Boston University, if he has a good second half of the year in college, he could catapult himself into the top spot.
Lawrence is already the top center available in the eyes of most people. His downhill, head-on attacking style of play and sound two-way game make him a great candidate. The Jets have long needed help down the middle, with Mark Scheifele their only true top-six center. Lawrence could help bridge the gap between the last generation of Jets contenders and the next.
Vancouver Canucks: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)
While the fact that McKenna isn’t a perfect player has been the talk of the scouting world, the undeniable elite-level skill is truly special, and it’s why Vancouver goes with him at second overall.
The Canucks are in the midst of one of the most frustrating phases of a rebuild, where the team has talented players but isn’t anywhere close to playoff contention. They’ve moved Quinn Hughes. Now they need to focus on replenishing their cupboards with the high-end talent that they’ve been sorely lacking.
Calgary Flames: Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota (NCAA)
Outside of Zayne Parekh, the Flames' blueline pipeline is fairly barren. Adding the top defenseman in the class would be a big boost to the Flames' rebuild. The 17-year-old Verhoeff emerged as one of Canada’s best defensemen at the world juniors despite an underwhelming performance by the blueline as a whole.
His offensive game is built on his intelligence and vision with the puck, but he’s a sound defensive player as well. He cuts play off and gets things moving quickly with his length and skill. Verhoeff is a true do-it-all defender, and the Flames could certainly use that in their system.
St. Louis Blues: Ivar Stenberg, LW, Frolunda (Swe.)
A standout performance at the world juniors, where he helped lead Sweden to gold, propelled Stenberg into the conversation for first overall. In this scenario, though, Stenberg falls to fourth, where he will get the chance to team up with his older brother, Otto Stenberg, on the St. Louis Blues.
The younger Stenberg has been tearing up the SHL, producing at a record-setting pace and playing the kind of two-way game that pro coaches can rely on. He’d be an ideal fit for a Blues team that doesn’t want to stay down too long.
Chicago Blackhawks: Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit (Finland)
The Blackhawks are showing signs of improvement, so this might be one of their last chances to add an elite-level prospect to their system. They’ve invested across the lineup in recent years, so they are open to taking any position and maybe even some risk.
That leads them to take Latvian defender Alberts Smits. Playing in Finland, Smits has proven capable against men. At the WJC, he was a star for Latvia, which led to him earning a spot on the Latvian Olympic squad. Smits is a potential home-run swing, and no team can afford to take the hack like the Hawks.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor (OHL)
The Blue Jackets are building something that could be special, but as of now, they are toiling at the bottom of the standings with young players not taking the step so many thought they would. They are building a formidable forward group with plenty of size and skill.
Adding Belchetz to the group that includes Adam Fantilli, Cayden Lindstrom, Kirill Marchenko, and Dmitri Voronkov would make them one of the most physically imposing forward groups in the NHL. Belchetz has the kind of complementary skill to excel with that diversely talented group.
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New York Rangers: Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
I wish I could tell you exactly what the Rangers are doing. They aren’t a very good team, but they insist that they will be. They are in this draft range right now, and they can use prospects at every level. Chase Reid is a defender who fits their needs, with solid two-way ability and flashes of high-end chance creation. Reid is the kind of player that they could use when they eventually decide to move on from a player like Adam Fox.
Anaheim Ducks: Malte Gustafsson, D, HV71 (Swe.)
The first off-the-board pick comes from the Ducks, who could have opted for a puck-moving defender like Ryan Lin or a player with plenty of recent hype like Carson Carels, but they go with the massive, toolsy blueliner from Sweden who can help give them a foil to some of their high-skill young defenders. Gustafsson has shown some puck skills, but his tools project him as a very solid defensive blueliner.
NHL Draft Stock Watch: How McKenna, Stenberg And Others Fared At The World Juniors
The world juniors are a small sample size, but NHL scouts value these high-pressure events. So did Ivar Stenberg and Gavin McKenna meet expectations? Tony Ferrari examines them and eight others.
Nashville Predators: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford (OHL)
With the Predators toiling at the bottom of the standings once again, they will be looking to bring in another young talent, and they love players who bring an edge, play the right way, and have high-end motors.
With a long-term need down the middle, Caleb Malhotra makes a ton of sense. His two-way play, leadership ability, and intangibles excite NHL clubs. Malhotra may not be the highest upside play here, but he brings what Nashville values and needs.
Utah Mammoth: Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Fin.)
The Mammoth make no secret of their love of size and physical players, and Suvanto fits the mold. The big Finnish center is a truck on skates, barreling through the neutral zone and attacking play head-on.
His defensive prowess is notable as well, with a willingness to impose himself on puck carriers. Suvanto flashes high-end puck handling and a great shot. He has shades of Anton Lundell in his game, and if he can get to that level, the Mammoth would love that kind of depth at center.
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