There’s a specific type of NHL trade we haven’t seen for a quarter century. And while the odds are still slim, there’s at least a whiff of a chance we’ll see another one in the next six days.
On draft day, 2001, the New York Islanders acquired Alexei Yashin for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and a second-overall selection the Ottawa Senators used to take Jason Spezza.
That swap marks the most recent time a top-5 pick that was already locked on an NHL draft board — not a first-rounder that was traded months or years in advance that wound up becoming a top-5 pick — was moved for a return centered on an established NHL player. (One year later, the 2002 draft had all kinds of crazy machinations at the top of the board, but it was ostensibly a lot of picks and pick options changing hands as opposed to true pick-for-player trades).
Twenty-five years after the Yashin swap, could the San Jose Sharks or Chicago Blackhawks — holders of the second- and fourth-overall picks, respectively — make a similar, seismic move by the time the 2026 NHL Draft gets going in less than one week?
Apropos of that speculation, it’s probably worth a refresher on what caliber of NHL player Yashin was at the beginning of this century. When the Isles acquired Yashin — a second-overall pick himself in what turned out to be a horrendous 1992 draft (seriously, take a look) — they were getting a 27-year-old, six-foot-three, right-shot centre who was two years removed from being runner-up for the Hart Trophy.
That’s a serious dude, even if he did miss the entire 1999-2000 campaign due to a contract standoff with the Sens.
Now bring it back to the present, as we ponder what it would take for either San Jose or Chicago — in the name of diversifying and accelerating rebuilds — to part with high-end picks.
The short answer is, a lot.
Heck, even locked-in selections in the back half of the top 10 rarely get moved for established players. We’ve only had six instances of that in the past 15 years, with Ottawa getting Alex DeBrincat from Chicago for No. 7 in 2022; Vancouver getting Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland from the Arizona Coyotes for No. 9 in 2021; The Coyotes getting Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta from the Rangers for No. 7 in 2017; the Devils getting Cory Schneider from Vancouver for No. 9 in 2013; the Canes getting Conn Smythe winner Jordan Staal from Pittsburgh for No. 8 in 2012 and the Blue Jackets getting Jakub Voracek from Philadelphia for No. 8 in 2011.
Every one of those deals happened either on the day of the draft or in the 24 hours leading up to it.
Could the Winnipeg Jets (No. 8 on the draft board) or Florida Panthers (No. 9) provide the first deal like that in four years? Winnipeg needs a 2C to help its veteran core and the Cats — after an injury-ravaged season — are all in, gunning for a third title in four years.
Since these swaps are apparently hard to pull off, we figured NHL general managers could use some unsolicited help. With that in mind, here is one trade proposal apiece for pick Nos. 2, 4, 8 and 9 in the 2026 draft.
New York Rangers get Second-overall pick
San Jose Sharks get Adam Fox
Why you’d think about it: Whatever the Rangers’ existing plan to get back on their feet is, the chance to draft second and fifth overall is too much to pass up. It might take a couple years for the fruit to fully bloom, but you could walk away with a core forward piece like Ivar Stenberg and your next great blueliner with a player like Carson Carels or Keaton Verhoeff.
San Jose, which has not been shy about adding veterans to augment its young core, can add at a position of need. Fox, who doesn’t turn 30 until 2028, is under contract for three more seasons. With the exception of Sam Dickinson, San Jose’s best young skaters are forwards. Fox would transform the look of the team’s defence corps and give the Sharks a righty to play on the top two pairs and run the power play with Macklin Celebrini.
If Michael Kesselring — a big, right-shot RFA defenceman acquired from Buffalo on Wednesday — works out on the third pair, suddenly San Jose would be looking strong on the starboard side of the D.
What would give you pause: This would represent a clear choice of taking the long, rebuilding path back for New York, which may not be palatable. For the Sharks, there’s an opportunity to draft right-shot defenceman Chase Reid at No. 2. Reid won’t be as good as Fox any time soon, but if he gets there eventually, you’ll have him for 15 years and he’s going to play at six-foot-two and (eventually) over 200 pounds. For as good as Fox is, he’s not the dream fit with his five-foot-11 frame.
Dallas Stars get Fourth-overall pick, Kevin Korchinski
Chicago Blackhawks get Jason Robertson, with an eight-year extension
Why you’d think about it: It feels like we’ve been talking about contract drama around Robertson for half a decade. He’s now coming off his four-year bridge deal with Dallas and can be a UFA as early as the summer of 2027. The Stars are up against it cap-wise and keep hearing how 24-year-old breakout forward Mavrik Bourque is a candidate to be targeted by another team with an offer sheet. Moving on from Robertson would be an extremely tough call, but it allows you to completely reset the books and sit there at No. 4 and just take whoever slips through the first three picks. However the first three selections break, you’re getting one heck of a prospect at four.
Usually the phrase “best player available” applies to draft conversations, but Chicago should be using that mentality to add high-end talent to any part of the roster. The Hawks have good pieces up front, on the blueline and in goal; they just need more of them. After picking first (Connor Bedard), second (Artyom Levshunov) and third (Anton Frondell) in the past three drafts, Chicago needs a stud player in his prime to move this thing along.
What would give you pause: It’s probably a slam-dunk from the Hawks side of things. Dallas, though, would have to really wrestle with moving on from such a fantastic player in the early prime of his NHL career.
Vancouver Canucks get Eighth-overall pick, Cole Perfetti
Winnipeg Jets get Elias Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk, 24th overall pick
Why you’d think about it: Let’s acknowledge that recent rumblings about Connor Hellebuyck’s immediate future in Winnipeg cast some kind of shadow over everything about the Jets. That said, we don’t know how things are going to play out between Winnipeg and its star goalie and it’s probably fair to assume the Jets — with their locked-in veteran core — would likely attempt to find an established replacement and drive on.
The need for a second-line has been an ongoing subplot in Manitoba for years, as is the fact Winnipeg is neither a free agent destination, nor a spot every NHLer is going to waive trade protection to go to.
But what about a Swedish guy looking to re-establish himself as a star player? Winnipeg is surely the calmest Canadian market, so the temperature would come down for Pettersson relative to the pressure he faced in Vancouver — especially when things went rotten. Throw in DeBrusk and suddenly there’s hope Winnipeg has re-made its top-six forward group on the fly.
Pettersson is never going to live up to his $11.6-million cap hit, but Winnipeg has the benefit of having the likes of Mark Scheifele, Josh Morrissey and (for now, anyway) Hellebuyck on very team-friendly deals.
Can Pettersson be a 70-point guy for the Jets? If so, it’s a massive upgrade on what they’ve been getting from that slot in the past few years.
As for Vancouver, the Canucks can cut bait on a couple guys who don’t fit with a long rebuild. Suddenly Vancouver would be drafting twice in the first eight selections, with a chance to find both a cornerstone forward and blueliner in those spots.
What would give you pause: Even with a rising cap, Pettersson’s contract would be a debilitating burden if he never gets untracked. There’s always downside to acquiring a distressed asset. If there wasn’t, the asset wouldn’t be available.
Seattle Kraken get Ninth-overall pick
Florida Panthers get Jesper Wallstedt
Minnesota Wild get Dylan Larkin
Detroit Red Wings get Matty Beniers
Why you’d think about it: Hopefully the teams would consider this just to give us the hair-raising excitement of a four-team swap! The Panthers can reset their crease by acquiring Wallstedt and letting Sergei Bobrovsky walk. All things considered, Minnesota has always seemed like the most logical landing spot for Larkin after his trade request and while Detroit would be assuming some risk by acquiring Beniers as his replacement, you could make worse bets than on a former rookie of the year who plays a premium position and could yet be entering the best years of his NHL career.
Seattle would probably prefer a big trade that moves the franchise forward immediately, but are the Kraken really one swing away from real relevance? Why not pick seventh and ninth overall, with an eye to being a wagon in three years when the likes of Berkly Catton and Jake O’Brien hit their stride? Alternatively, Seattle could put either pick in play on draft day for somebody who can play right now.
What would give you pause: Even if the move lands you a No. 1 centre, the Wild would have some queasiness about parting with 23-year-old Wallstedt and his stud potential. Maybe Detroit would want multiple pieces to spread around from a Larkin trade for fear putting all their eggs in the Beniers basket could further break their spirit if things don’t work out.