The San Jose Sharks did not win the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night. However, general manager Mike Grier is certainly happy with his team’s outcome. They jumped seven spots to claim the second overall pick in the upcoming draft.
It’s a big move for the Sharks, who have their franchise cornerstone in Macklin Celebrini. Now, they have a lot of options. They could select a top defenseman. They could add another center. And they could take one of the two elite wing prospects that could go 1-2 in this draft. All of these options have Grier feeling quite good about the 2026 NHL Draft.
“If it was nine or two, we thought we were going to get a good young player to add to our core. With the second pick, you’ve got a chance to add some more high-end talent to the group, so that’s exciting,” the Sharks general manager said on Tuesday, via beat reporter Curtis Pashelka.
There is a chance the Sharks trade the pick, as well. Grier mentioned that he is open to a deal, though the price will be high. San Jose is the second team to publicly acknowledge their willingness to trade their pick. The Chicago Blackhawks are also open to trading their pick at the 2026 NHL Draft.
For now, though, San Jose intends to make the pick on June 26th. And they are looking forward to adding a player who could help them take the next step in their rebuild.
“When I look at our group, we took some steps forward. Hopefully, this player can just come in and add to it. We’re hopefully trending in the right direction, but there’s a lot of work to be done as a whole, my staff included, and the players and coaches included,” Grier said on Tuesday night.
The San Jose Sharks did not win the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night. However, general manager Mike Grier is certainly happy with his team’s outcome. They jumped seven spots to claim the second overall pick in the upcoming draft. It’s a big move for the Sharks, who have their franchise cornerstone in Macklin Celebrini.