The 2026 NHL Draft takes place this weekend at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Initially, the Florida Panthers held the 9th overall pick in round one. Still, after a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, they won't pick until the 40th overall pick on Saturday morning.
However, hockey fans will tune in to see which prospect goes first overall, whether it's Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. Despite not having much to do on Friday, at the rate the Panthers are making deals, don't count them out on making a move at some point this weekend.
In the meantime, The Rat Trick is the place to follow the Panthers' moves at the draft. Whether it's news about their latest pick, post-draft analysis, or another blockbuster trade, everything you need will be below and updated as the event unfolds.
The first round of the 2026 NHL Draft will be available to watch on ESPN, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. In addition, fans can catch the action of rounds two through seven on Saturday on ESPN+, NHL Network, and Sportsnet.
Panthers 2026 Draft Selections
- 40th Overall
- 48th Overall (from Washington)
- 98th Overall (from Chicago)
- 168th Overall
- 181st Overall (from Philadelphia)
The Rat Trick Draft Coverage
- Panthers Host 2026 NHL Draft Party Despite Lacking First-Round Pick
- Top 10 North American NHL Draft Picks in Panthers History
- Panthers Trade Mackie Samoskevich to Kraken in Draft Pick Deal
- Where Are They Now? Every Panthers First-Round Pick From the Last Decade
- How Many Picks Do the Panthers Have in the 2026 NHL Draft?
- Panthers Projected to Draft Right-Handed Defenseman in Latest Athletic Mock Draft
- Top 10 European NHL Draft Picks in Panthers History
NHL Mock Drafts
- NHL.com
- The Athletic
- ESPN
- Bleacher Report
- Sportsnet (Jason Bukala)
- Sportsnet (Sam Cosentino)
- TSN (Craig Button)
- Elite Prospects
Top 2026 NHL Draft Prospects
Rankings from Elite Prospects
- Gavin McKenna (LW)
- Ivar Stenberg (LW)
- Chase Reid (RD)
- Carson Carels (LD)
- Caleb Malhorta (C)
- Wyatt Cullen (LW)
- Daxon Rudolph (RD)
- Viggo Bjorck (RW)
- Ethan Belchetz (LW)
- Malte Gustafsson (LD)
- Alberts Smits (LD)
- Keaton Verhoeff (RD)
- Xavier Villeneuve (LD)
- Adam Novotny (LW)
- Ryan Lin (RD)
- Tynan Lawrence (C)
- Maddox Dagenais (C)
- Oscar Hemming (LW)
- Alexander Command (C)
- Nikita Klepov (RW)
- Ilia Morozov (C)
- Maksim Sokolovskii (LD)
- Jaxon Cover (LW)
- Liam Ruck (RW)
- Elton Hermansson (RW)
- Egor Shilov (C)
- Nikita Shcherbakov (LD)
- Oliver Suvanto (C)
- Brooks Rogowski (C)
- J. P. Hurlbert (LW)
- Casey Mutryn (RW)
- Tommy Bleyl (RD)
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