NHL Draft prospects 'geeking out' over flurry of trades ahead of 1st round

BUFFALO -- Ilia Morozov sounded like a prospect and a fan all at once when asked about the series of trades made by NHL teams this week leading up to the first round of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

Four first-round picks in the 2026 draft were dealt in five separate trades: No. 4 to the Buffalo Sabres, No. 9 to the San Jose Sharks, No. 16 to the St. Louis Blues, and No. 25 to the Ottawa Senators. 

Morozov was particularly curious when the Sabres acquired the No. 20 pick from the Sharks on June 17 for defenseman Michael Kesselring and the No. 27 pick in a move that was a lot more personal to the freshman forward out of Miami University.

"I was more surprised with Buffalo moving up to 20, because that's where I might go," said Morozov, No. 10 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. "I'm following (the trades) pretty closely. Things that can play a big role in the team that I go to. It's so exciting and interesting."

The Sabres on Tuesday traded defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks for the No. 4 pick, defenseman Louis Crevier and a 2026 second-round pick (No. 45).

"I think (the Blackhawks) should have kept the (No. 4) pick, but it's their choice," said Morozov (6-foot-3, 205 pounds), one of 15 prospects to speak at New Era Cap World Headquarters on Thursday.

That's the strange tension of the final 24 hours before the first round of the draft. The prospects have done their testing, interviews and waiting. Now they sit and watch NHL front offices turn the board into a moving target and the Sabres did more than anyone to scramble the night. 

The first team to pick will be the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on May 5. They will select No. 1 for the third time and the first since choosing center Auston Matthews in the 2016 NHL Draft, also held in Buffalo.

Viggo Bjorck, a center with Djurgarden in the Swedish Hockey League, framed the chaos as part of the theater of draft week. 

"Of course, you see (the trades) and I think it's a fun part," he said. "You never know what's going to happen. Teams give up different picks to get that player, and they try and maximize what they can from the situation.

"The fourth overall is a pretty high pick to trade away."

Bjorck, who is No. 4 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, said seeing forward and fellow countryman William Eklund traded from San Jose to Ottawa "surprised us all." The 23-year-old forward was acquired with Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda on Tuesday for the No. 9 pick, which the Senators acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers on June 21.

"It’s more excitement," Boston University forward Tynan Lawrence said. "You never know. That trade could be for you, could not, could be for your buddy." 

Chase Reid of Sault Ste. Marie in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the top defensemen available, took a similar approach. 

"I think it's definitely cool but now that you're in the moment, you got to look at it from a different perspective," said Reid, the No. 2 player on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. "You got to take everything into consideration. I don't know ... it's all in God's hands and whatever's going to happen is going to happen."

Penn State left wing Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick, sounded like someone enjoying the show before becoming the headline. 

"It's exciting," he said. "Obviously there's been a lot of big moves and I'm just watching it as a fan right now, so it's been fun to watch."

Forward Ivar Stenberg of Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, who is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, referred to the wheeling and dealing, "super-excited to see what happens." Caleb Malhotra, a center with Brantford (OHL) and No. 6 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, enjoys it.

"As a hockey fan, I'm kind of geeking out over it," he said. "Talking with my buddies like, 'Wow, look at this, so-and-so got traded here and these picks got traded.' It's just exciting. You see it coming up close to the draft where more and more trades are being made. In the past, watching the draft, seeing trades on draft day is pretty exciting."

Manny Malhotra, Caleb's father, was named coach of the Vancouver Canucks on June 1. The Canucks have the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft.

"I don't know how I'll be feeling on draft night when those trades are happening, but it's just pretty cool and just exciting to see how it's breaking down right now," Caleb said.

NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report