Wild Can Still Have Draft Success Without 1st or 2nd Pick – Hockey Writers –

It’s been 10 days since the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup over the Vegas Golden Knights, and the NHL hasn’t had a moment of silence since. The 2026 NHL Entry Draft will take place this weekend on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27. With the draft just around the corner, the trade market was on fire as several big trades took place in the past few days including Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals, and Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Wild haven’t worked on any trades yet, and unlike the majority of NHL fans, Wild fans won’t be overly excited about the draft. They don’t have a first- or second-round pick; their first pick is 89th overall in the third round. Then there is one in the fourth, two in the fifth, and the last one in the sixth round. In this article, we’ll take a look at why the Wild don’t have a first- or second-round pick and what positions they should focus on with their remaining picks.

Wild Took Hughes

Many know why the Wild don’t have a first round pick this year because they used it as part of a trade to bring in Quinn Hughes. At the time, draft picks weren’t much of a concern as they traded Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, and Liam Öhgren, all players on the roster at the time. Now that the draft is upon us, everyone is wondering why the Wild don’t have a first round pick, and then they remember why.

While it will be difficult to watch all the talented juniors being selected, having Hughes on the roster seemed worth it. Within a game or two of being with the Wild, he transformed the team and the fan base. The Wild have always had a strong following, but he gave them the hope they had longed for and gave the team a boost.

Hughes was an integral part of the Wild’s roster and helped them advance past the first round of the postseason for the first time in 11 years. He was fourth among Wild players in points in the regular season, but moved into a tie for first with Kirill Kaprizov during the postseason; both have 15 points in 11 games. Although the postseason didn’t end the way they wanted, it’s hard to argue against the Hughes trade, and it could be a start as long as Hughes re-signs with Minnesota.

Wild’s Unfortuante Second Round Loss

Losing in the first round is hard to take, but the reason they lost a second round pick is even harder. The Wild traded their second-round pick in this season’s draft to the Nashville Predators for Gustav Nyquist on March 1, 2025. And, at the time, it probably didn’t seem like much, but it ended up not working out for them.

Nyquist had a few points with the Wild, but not what everyone expected, and in the postseason, he really struggled. There is one game that will probably stick with Wild fans for a long time, and that was in the 2025 postseason against the Golden Knights in Game 5, when a goal was called back because he was listening. It was obvious, and he didn’t try to cut the line, which caused anger.

Requirements of the Wild

Most players who make it to the NHL are first and second round picks, of course there are players from all rounds of the draft, but the odds decrease the further into the draft you get. It is also difficult to choose which players the team will see. However, some groups require a specific position and will consider it more closely in the framework they travel.

The Wild are a team that needs a starting center but they obviously won’t get that in the third round, it would be hard to get that even in the first round. However, they can still look at the centers for their future as well as the wings and even the goal scorers. They can use almost any position when choosing that low, as it’s a player who won’t make it to the NHL for at least a season, if not longer.

This is when a team can find a talented young player and have time to fine-tune that skill. The Wild don’t have a specific position where they need to build, but they can find someone at each position to cover all positions because none of these players will be ready to move quickly.

The Wild can still use these picks to build for the future, even if they won’t play right now. Hopefully he can make a strong selection and have a great future in the next few seasons.