With the 2026 NHL Draft moving ever closer and the 17th overall selection on the horizon, the coming 10 days will prove fascinating for the LA Kings' future. An organization with a typical preference for drafting hard-nosed players who won't back down to the physical challenges of competing in the Western Conference may have to put those desires aside to swing hard on upside in a range of the draft that may very well feature a falling high-skill piece from the top 12. We also discuss how players like Byfield and Turcotte have or haven't developed, and what we can learn from those selections.

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The blueline class in the 2026 NHL Draft is hyped up for a reason, with potential top pair pieces available, like Carels, Reid, and Verhoeff. As we begin to unveil our final rankings this week, we present our top 10 defencemen, all of whom are clear 1st round talents in our eyes. From the shifty undersized dynamos Xavier Villeneuve and Tommy Bleyl to the hulking Maksim Sokolovskii and Malte Gustafsson, the variety of profiles available is impressive. What would your rankings look like?

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The 2026 NHL Draft is notoriously open even amongst the class's top talents, with a dozen names with at least a chance of hearing their names selected inside the top 5. While we get the sense that McKenna is the guy for Toronto at 1, it's wide open after that, and we expect a surprise fall from somebody, whether it be the high-flying Ivar Stenberg outside the top 3 or one of the hyped defencemen slipping outside the top 5 entirely, while late risers like Wyatt Cullen could raise eyebrows early. What's your prediction?

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