San Jose Sharks
· 2026-06-26
The San Jose Sharks landed the second overall selection in the NHL Draft Lottery, giving them a chance to add another extremely talented piece to their already exciting core.
As of June 26, 2026, the Sharks stand 11th in the Western Conference with a 39-35 record, on a W1 streak.
General manager Mike Grier initiated a methodical, long-term rebuild in 2022, which has allowed San Jose to accumulate high-end talent such as Michael Misa and William Eklund.
The Sharks have an embarrassment of riches—a war chest full of high draft picks—after dealing away franchise cornerstones Tomáš Hertl, Timo Meier, and Erik Karlsson in 2023 and 2024.
Grier's approach has been successful, giving the Sharks an impressive group of young players, but now they need to construct the remainder of their roster.
The Sharks have a foundation and a king's ransom of promising forwards, but they lack well-rounded, exceptional talent on the blueline.
Grier should address the team's glaring need and use San Jose's early first-round pick to select a premier defenseman of the future.
The young core of defensemen is barren, underwhelming, and unproven, with players like Sam Dickinson and Luca Gagnoni having too many question marks.
And with the proficiencies of most youngsters on the blue line a mystery right now, it only makes sense for the Sharks to take a defenseman early in the first round.
So the Sharks badly need as close to a sure thing on the blue line as possible in a young player.
The 2026 NHL Draft begins June 26, and the Sharks have a chance to add another talented piece to their core.
But Grier should change his typical "best player available" strategy and focus on addressing the team's positional need.
The Sharks' prospect pipeline is stacked, but it lacks exceptional talent on the blueline.
Grier's rebuild has been successful, but now it's time to construct the remainder of the roster.
The Sharks have a chance to add another talented piece to their core, but they should use their early first-round pick to address their glaring need for a premier defenseman.