2026 NHL Draft Early Trends: High Trade Prices, Upside Hope and Potential Upheaval – Hockey Writers – NHL Entry Draft

What a Tuesday it was in the NHL, right? It has been a long time since there has been that kind of global trading action in size and value in one day.

And yet, that may seem like an appetizer of what’s to come.

It is almost 48 hours since the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft as of this writing. It’s time to get an early sense of what might be trending as the clock ticks down on the Toronto Maple Leafs being on the clock.

Obviously, there’s a lot going on league-wide. Rumors are flying everywhere. Some of it is smoke. Some of it is true. Soon we will begin to learn what is true and what is not.

We begin our THW coverage of the 2026 NHL draft in Buffalo by looking at three early trends we’re seeing. You saw the price the Chicago Blackhawks paid for Bowen Byram, right?

“Star” Trade Prices

The Buffalo Sabers reportedly have multiple teams in Byram. In addition to the Blackhawks, the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers have been named as teams interested in acquiring the talented defenseman.

That partially explains why the Blackhawks paid a premium to acquire him.

The Rangers hold the fifth overall pick and the San Jose Sharks have the second and ninth picks. One would suspect that if the second pick was not involved here, the ninth pick would have played a role.

GM Jarmo Kekalainen and the Sabers have a good chance to take advantage of this situation by picking up a deal that came in at the highest price. The Blackhawks actually had to trade the fourth pick to get Byram.

Why were the Sabers in that position? That’s because with the extremely thin free agent market made even thinner by the Alex Tuch sign and trade, sellers were in a position to charge the highest prices on the trade market as demand outstripped supply.

The Sabers took advantage and can now use the fourth pick to pick or scout for more help now. But this trade shows us all an important lesson.

The current trade market prices, at least for now, are astronomically high. Consider that it took the ninth overall pick for the Ottawa Senators to land William Eklund.

When they talked to many people in Buffalo, they agreed with that position. Everyone wants to improve. Since there are only a few pure sellers and most everyone else wants to add, it adds up to a huge seller’s market.

Consider the Carolina Hurricanes who are reportedly showing interest in Alexander Nikishin. If Byram got the fourth overall pick, why shouldn’t the Hurricanes check the market and see if the same thing is possible?

There wasn’t much action on Wednesday in part because current rates are so high. Teams are hoping that as the season approaches, those high numbers start to drop.

It is still expected that many things will happen in the league games in the coming days and weeks. But since we are dealing with a seller’s market in this early stage, teams will have to pay a high price if they want to do something. Let the game of chicken begin.

Bjorck Generating Draft Buzz

In asking what prospects are likely to disrupt the team at the top of the draft, one name stood out. Viggo Bjork.

It’s easy to see why. Bjorck may only be 5-foot-10, but what he did in both international tournaments and the NHL Combine impressed teams. He is a World Juniors gold medalist and has been named one of Sweden’s best players there. He also scored the most points at the World Championships of any U18 player.

Bjorck knows his stock has been rising. He’s getting a lot of attention but right now he’s focused on one thing.

“You try to focus on your game and try to improve,” Bjorck said at the NHL Combine. “I think there are many things I still want to improve in my game and you always try to get better. It’s always nice when things go well. But even if things don’t go well, you need to keep going.”

A year ago, Bjorck would have been the type of prospect who might have fallen because of his size. He’s done enough with his game since the start of the season that it’s not that much of a concern.

It speaks to the potential height of the chaos in the draft…

On Top of Draft Chaos?

Bjorck has the kind of profile that would entice someone to take her in the top five. If that happens, that could open the door to chaos at the top of the draft.

As of this writing, we expect Gavin McKenna to go first for the Maple Leafs. And despite Mike Grier trying to say that right-handers don’t grow on trees, many expect the Sharks to target Ivar Stenberg for two.

Here is where it gets interesting. We are not alone in saying this. Some believe that the Vancouver Canucks may not be looking at Caleb Malhotra. This is one of the places where the framework really begins. Take the coach’s son or look for another way?

If the Canucks move on from Malhotra, they’re picking a top defenseman. They may also take a rising prospect from Bjorck.

Nothing is certain yet. But if there’s one prospect who could crash at the top of the draft like Beckett Sennecke did, it’s Bjorck. If it’s not the Canucks, there’s a good chance he’ll be gone soon.

Bjorck was the prospect we heard a lot about earlier this week. He and other top officials will speak to the media Thursday morning in Buffalo. It will be interesting to see what they have to say with a few days left to fulfill their dream of signing for the NHL.