Alright folks, this is for the fun crowd out there who is tired of seeing the Nashville Predators win games that are meaningless in the grand scheme of things. They need the Predators to hit a five-game losing streak almost as much as they need oxygen.
Now I don't really consider myself part of this crowd, but I do respectfully understand where they're coming from as it pertains to the Predators fooling us again with some winning, but ultimately ruining their draft position just to get smoked by Colorado, Edmonton or Vegas in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The current NHL draft lottery odds have the Nashville Predators with the seventh-best odds to land the No.1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft which is set to be held in Buffalo, New York on June 26th and 27th.
Those top pick lottery odds for the Predators comes out to 6.5 percent if they were to remain in this spot in the standings when the season ends, which is entirely possible. The teams with better odds, and worse in the standings right now, are the Canucks, Blues, Flames, Jets, Rangers and Blackhawks. All are mediocre teams that will have a hard time moving past the Predators in the overall standings.
Gavin McKenna was originally the top overall pick consensus, but his stock has dipped a bit
There isn't a consenus on who the No.1 overall pick will be, although at the beginning of the season it was Gavin McKenna as the overwhelming favorite to be the top prize draft pick.
McKenna has been widely-considered the top prospect for the 2026 draft as a high-scoring winger who lit up the WHL at age 16, rivaling Connor Bedard in point production at that age. McKenna erupted for 97 points in only 61 games.
Since then, McKenna has begun his collegiate career at Penn State University during this current season leading up to the draft. And while he is still considered at least a top-5 draft target, some weaknesses in his game have been revealed.
Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News had this to say about certain parts of his game that have been noticed at the collegiate level:
""His lack of off-puck engagement and defensive commitment has raised eyebrows. His lack of 5-on-5 production has also been a bit of a red flag, putting up the vast majority of his points on the power play."Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News
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If the Predators managed to fade down the stretch of the regular season and land somewhere in the top-5 of the draft again, then it might not require winning the top overall pick to get a chance at McKenna after all.
I would still expect with McKenna's raw talent and scoring ability that he lands in the top-3.
Will the Nashville Predators prioritize drafting another center with their first round pick?
Tynan Lawrence is a name we should become familiar with, and one that the Predators could very well be missing out on if they keeping winning and find their way into the playoffs.
Lawrence is another Team Canada product and plays that elusive but vital position of center that the Predators have never been able to draft effectively. They selected Brady Martin last season, but the cupboard remains pretty bare in terms of future talent at center for the prospect pool. This makes Lawrence a perfect fit for Nashville to target should they win a top-3 draft selection.
Ryan O'Reilly, one of your top centers for the Predators, isn't getting any younger and about to head into his final season under contract in 2026-27, making the center position even more critical for the future transition phase.
According to Steven Ellis' latest mock draft on Daily Faceoff, he has Lawrence going No.3 overall and has this to say in his scouting report:
""Remember, you’re drafting based on the future, not the present. Few players can influence the play both with and without the puck in this draft class as Lawrence can.""Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
Lawrence is in a similar situation to McKenna in terms of struggling a bit in the transition to the collegiate ranks. He is only a freshman and selecting Lawrence would undoubtedly be a long-term plan, and not an instant fix.
Some pretty major midseason news for Lawrence just went down in the new year as he has left the USHL to boost his draft stock in the collegiate ranks for Boston University.
As stated in the opening, this draft class is wide open for top pick consideration and Lawrence is a dark horse candidate depending on how he performs for Boston University. If he shines under difficult circumstances, it could be enough to push him to the top. However, it could also impact him negatively if he struggles badly, making him more of a top-5 prospect.
Either way, it's unlikely that Lawrence slips out of the top-5 and into the grasp of the Predators if they land in their current spot of selecting at the 7th-overall pick. So you're most likely missing out on the top center prospect by winning now.
Maybe the Nashville Predators decide to keep stockpiling top notch defensive prospects
Let's shift to the defensemen prospects and a coupe of the top targets. First we have another collegiate player in Keaton Verhoeff. Currently playing for the powerhouse University of North Dakota, he's considered a top target at his position for 2026 as a right shot defenseman.
Verhoeff could go top overall or might slip to No.2 or No.3, depending on team need at the time. But he has top pick talent if the right team lands the first-overall pick.
Young defensive prospects putting up 20 goals should never be taken lightly, and that's why Verhoeff did at age 16 in the Western Hockey League. And just like McKenna and Lawrence, Verhoeff is now building his draft stock in the collegiate ranks.
Verhoeff has the reputation of being an all-around game changer on the blueline, He does everything really well and isn't some one trick pony. And he has the physical traits at a commanding 6'4" frame.
Justin Giampietro of The Hockey Writers had this glowing review of Verhoeff going into 2025-26:
""In his draft-minus-one season, Verhoeff played like a future No. 1 defenseman. This combination of size, tools in all three zones, and production isn’t the norm for a 16-year-old blueliner—it only comes once or twice in a generation.""Justin Giampietro, The Hockey Writers
Verhoeff has only confirmed his high draft status with North Dakota so far in 22 games, notching six goals and 11 assists.
If you want who is being called a "generational talent" in Verhoeff, then you better start improving those draft lottery odds or hope you get a lot of fortune with the lottery ping pong balls to move up into at least the top-3. It might actually even take the top overall pick to get Verhoeff.
Then you also have defensive prospect Chase Reid, who is a right shot defenseman as well and currently playing in the OHL for the Soo Greyhounds and teammate of Brady Martin, selected by the Predators last season.
Reid is your modern day offensive defenseman with transition skills and the ability to pile up the points. McKeen's Hockey has this to say in their scouting report from earlier this month:
""Reid is the prototype of the modern-day NHL puck moving defender. He’s got size at 6-foot-2, but is also explosive, skilled, and aggressive. He consistently attacks downhill and loves to play the game at a quick pace, utilizing his ability to blend power and skill to be an impactful transition player. Reid is also an excellent powerplay quarterback thanks to his heavy shot and critical thinking skills with the puck. ""McKeen's Hockey Scouting Report
If you're lucky enough to draft Reid, then the Predators would be adding another talented offensive defenseman with elite qualities down the road. Again, as with most of these prospects this year, this is a long-term plan.
Reid is committed to Michigan State University and is another prospect you'll likely need to be selecting in the top-5 to draft if you're the Predators. They sit at the 7th-overall pick if the season ended today.
What mock drafts are saying about the Nashville Predators if they pick #7 overall
Ellis' latest mock draft on Daily Faceoff has the Predators taking Alberts Šmits, a left defenseman who is already playing against professionals in the Finnish pro hockey league called Liiga. That's a big boost to his draft profile because he's already showing he can play against grown men, and he's holding his own with 13 points in 34 games.
That experience in pro hockey is invaluable and can be a prized trait for many GM's, so the Predators taking this guy if they fall to No.7 makes total sense. And we know how much Trotz values defense first.
Tankathon's mock draft has the Predators taking Reid, which I would be elated with and possibly a steal of the draft. Getting arguably the best offensive defenseman of the draft at No.7? Sign me up for that.
And then there's Bleacher Report who has the Predators keeping up their winning ways to fall back to No.8 overall. That would have them selecting left winger Ethan Belchetz of the Windsor Spitfires.
In this argument for the Predators selecting Belchetz, they state that he fits Nashville's tendency to draft heavy forwards who play physical but also can bring offensive upside and that would be complementary to Brady Martin's game.
So to round this up, there is an argument to be had that if the Predators keep making this playoff push and somehow even make the playoffs, they will be missing out on some of these possible generational talents like McKenna or Verhoeff.
There can also be an argument that they keep winning and make things interesting, but get some lottery fortune and still get a game-changer like Reid or Lawrence.