Sharks turn former Panthers first-round draft pick into draft-day steal

The Florida Panthers had a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, but that was until last Sunday, when they used their draft capital to acquire Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.

In that deal to bring Matthew Tkachuk’s brother to South Florida, they sacrificed this year’s first-round pick, No. 9 overall, plus a first-round pick in 2029, plus two second-round picks in 2030.

Two days later, the Senators sent the No. 9 pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for William Eklund. That became the franchise’s second pick in the top 10, since San Jose already held the second overall pick, which they used on Swedish star Ivar Stenberg.

For the days leading up to the draft, NHL Insiders wondered if the Sharks would get involved in the trade market and swap out one of these top picks. However, they kept both draft picks and used the No. 9 pick, which had belonged to the Panthers, to select Keaton Verhoeff.

As one of the top-ranked defenseman in this year’s prospect class, many commentators felt that Verhoeff fell down the order and turned into a magical gift for the Sharks, who already hit a homerun an hour earlier with Stenberg.

The 18-year-old from Fort Saskatchewan, AB, CAN, played two seasons in the WHL with the Victoria Royals, scoring 21 goals and 45 points in 63 games in 2024-26. Last year, Verhoeff played in the NCAA for the University of North Dakota, scoring six goals and 20 points in 36 games.

Moreover, he was captain of Canada’s U18 team, picking up four assists in five games at the U18 World Juniors, where he captured a gold medal. Verhoeff won a bronze medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup while picking up NCAA (NCHC) All-Rookie Team honors.

Now Verhoeff will join an up-and-coming Sharks team led by Macklin Celebrini, last year’s first overall pick.

The Panthers don’t make their first selection in the 2026 NHL Draft until 40th overall in the second round on Saturday. However, with the recent trades General Manager Bill Zito has made leading up to the draft, the club may not be on the clock tomorrow.

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