10 former first-round NHL draft picks under pressure to take a step in 2026-27
For fans of NHL teams, nothing provides hope like the first round of the NHL Draft. It’s a day that might see your team add a foundational piece for the organization for years to come.
While some of those picks turn into exactly that, others never fulfill those hopes, with draft day being the highest level of excitement a fanbase might have for a player. In this article, we’ll explore 10 players who need to take a big step forward in the 2026-27 season to get back on the right track.
Cayden Lindstrom, C/LW, Columbus Blue Jackets
On the surface, Cayden Lindstrom’s three-goal, 10-point freshman season was a major disappointment as the fourth-overall pick just a couple of years ago. The glimmer of hope comes in the form of a few games where, in his limited minutes, he looked like one of the best players on the ice.
Those shifts where he handles the puck in traffic, threads passes through defenders, and uses his size to play a power forward game are just enough to make you believe again. The elephant in the room is obviously his health. Even in some of the games he suited up in, Lindstrom’s ability to get around the ice looked more like a chore than it should be. There are moments where he gains speed and beats an opponent to a spot, but there’s an equal number of times where any type of explosiveness escapes him.
It really isn’t Lindstrom’s fault that he’s on this list with how uncooperative his body has been; it’s just the reality of the situation.
Despite some writing him off, his impressive flashes of skill prove that there’s still a world where Lindstrom can flip the narrative this season. He should play a bigger role on a Michigan State team that should compete for a national championship. With the amount of developmental time lost, he really can’t afford another stop-and-start year marred by injuries.
Marco Kasper & Nate Danielson, Cs, Detroit Red Wings
Coming out of the 2023 NHL Draft, Detroit had to have felt good about their future at the centre position with captain Dylan Larkin and a pair of highly drafted pivots in Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson.
Fast forward three years, and that future has become much murkier. Two seasons ago, Kasper (who graduated prospect status a while ago but remains just 22 years old) looked the part with a rookie year that nearly finished with 20 goals. Last season was a considerable step back, though, and having back-to-back regressive years would be a real gut punch for Detroit.
For Danielson, the question has never been about his ability to defend or stick as a centre; it’s about the offensive upside. He’s produced at a respectable rate in his AHL time, but the offence isn’t coming in inspiring ways. Lots of the plays he makes are successful when in structure or in straight lines, which only works up to a certain point. Any spontaneous action that requires him to deceive, manipulate, or create space in a non-predictable fashion is not easy for Danielson. A centre who is constantly conscious of the defensive side is still valuable. Still, if that comes with a clear trade-off of the creative aspect of his offence, it will lead to limitations in his game that may prevent him from justifying his top-ten selection.
To top it all off, the Larkin trade request only elevates the pressure on the two young centres to potentially fill that void. But it’s too early to disregard either of them as foundational pieces, which is why they’re on this list going into the season.
Terik Parascak, RW, Washington Capitals
In his two seasons since his selection, Terik Parascak hasn’t followed a linear developmental curve. Yes, his output has gone in the wrong direction since his monstrous draft-year season; however, it goes deeper than that. He’s always been more dangerous away from the puck (especially as a net-front option) and as a quick-trigger shooter, but the concerns surrounding his creation ability and overall urgency have improved only marginally.
Can he be a consistent play-starter instead of just a play-finisher? The lack of a physical game or defensive impact restricts the possibilities for him as well, specifically as a down-low puck retriever that can do some of the dirty work on a line. Parascak can be an afterthought during viewings until he’s able to win positioning and use his hands in-tight to capitalize. There’s no doubting the usefulness of that quality, though it’s fair to question whether the other parts of his game will translate well enough for him to play a role professionally that allows him to use that asset. As a first-rounder in his third year at the CHL level, the dominance you’d expect wasn’t there, and that’s further evident by the lack of noise surrounding his World Junior chances.
On top of a stagnation of development for Parascak, he’s also dealing with an organization that has poured resources into wingers. The Capitals’ roster is populated with players who should be there for the long term, like Ryan Leonard, Aliaksei Protas, and newcomers Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou.
That in itself isn’t a death note; the bigger issue is his standing with players around his status and age. Andrew Cristall and Ilya Protas have passed him in our eyes, and we remain high on 2025 first-rounder Lynden Lakovic. Parascak will be a regular in Hershey next season, a place where fellow prospects like the younger Protas and Cristall showed very well. Parascak will have to do the same.
Jett Luchanko, C, Philadelphia Flyers
In a way, Jett Luchanko was under a microscope the moment he was drafted because of the surprise of his selection over some other names. Luchanko is a centre with high-end speed, which he uses to push pace and pressure opponents. He’s also an honest worker, shows effort defensively, and brings energy on the ice.
However, there are question marks surrounding other parts of his offensive game, and specifically, whether it’s at a level beyond the NHL average. There are flashes of playmaking, and to a much lesser extent goal-scoring, but those plays are largely built on his skating, meaning there’s not a whole bunch of variety in how he creates plays or space.
Though Luchanko made the Flyers roster out of camp just a few months after being selected, it was clear that he wasn’t quite ready for that. The same thing happened the following season, and since then, he’s been just fine in the OHL and in a depth role at the World Juniors.
It would be a surprise if Luchanko didn’t become an everyday NHLer in some role due to his skating and never-ending motor, but whether he can produce enough offence to become a top-six forward is an entirely different question. Realizing that upside hinges on how much he can expand his offensive arsenal, and he’ll have to take steps in that direction this season.
David Jiříček, D, Philadelphia Flyers
Of all the players on this list, it’s probably fair to say that David Jiříček is heading into the most make-or-break season. Part of that can be attributed to him being the oldest of the bunch, but he’s also the only one who’s on the third team in his career already.
There’s a reason why he was drafted so high – he’s a right-handed defender with size, offensive ability, and can defend in tight spaces well. However, the shortfalls in his game have been such a hindrance that it has caused those features to become irrelevant for the most part. His much-discussed skating deficiencies aren’t exaggerated and are the source of lots of issues Jiříček has. In space, he’s vulnerable to getting beat by opposing skaters because of the concerns regarding his acceleration, lateral quickness, and transitions in and out of pivots. It shrinks the margin of error dramatically, as one wrong step or decision isn’t something he can easily recover from. Similarly, his defensive sense and decision-making have only compounded the problems in his own zone.
One reason for optimism is how Philadelphia has succeeded with high-pedigree draftees who struggled with a previous organization. Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are the best examples of that, with both turning into key pieces of a surprising playoff team last season. This may become Jiříček’s last shot to prove himself because at some point, the opportunities won’t be available anymore.
Samuel Honzek, LW/C, Calgary Flames
Similarly to Lindstrom, Samuel Honzek’s career has been littered with injuries (a number of them being freak injuries), so his inclusion on this list isn’t necessarily due to any fault of his on-ice performance. In two straight training camps, Honzek has raised eyebrows in Calgary, earning a spot on the opening roster, and in the most recent season, he finally looked like a consistent NHL contributor.
With a blend of size, skating, and impressive defensive instincts, Honzek was playing the checking and penalty kill role really well before an unfortunate open-ice collision with a teammate resulted in season-ending surgery. The Flames should have opportunities galore for young guys to make an impression, and as a 2023 pick, it’s likely to be the best chance he’ll get before higher-end prospects join the fray. The upside might not be tantalizing for Honzek, but if he’s able to fill the spot that Blake Coleman left behind as a middle-six forward with 200-foot versatility, it would be a useful piece for the future.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki, RW/LW, Vancouver Canucks
Few prospects have had the rollercoaster path that Jonathan Lekkerimäki has since being drafted into the NHL. After an underwhelming draft-plus-one year, Lekkerimäki bounced back with a productive SHL campaign and was one of Sweden’s most important players in the 2024 World Juniors. It looked like he was primed for an NHL career filled with goals utilizing his elite shot.
In recent years, that path hasn’t gone completely smoothly. In the NHL chances he’s been given, his game hasn’t translated despite some flashes, which is why he hasn’t been able to nail down an everyday role. Lekkerimäki will be coming off of shoulder surgery entering this season (a bit worrying for a shoot-first winger), but with the Canucks in a total rebuild, he should be given every opportunity possible to become an important part of their future.
Forwards with one-shot ability who can score from range might be the hardest type of winger to find; therefore, Lekkerimäki hitting close to his upside would check off an important box as the Canucks move forward. It’s also crucial to have Braeden Cootes and Caleb Malhotra in mind as they, to varying degrees, aren’t known for their elite offensive ability, making Lekkerimäki a theoretical fit on the wing as someone who can boost the danger level on that side of the ice.
Eduard Šalé, RW/LW, Seattle Kraken
For fans in North America, exposure to Eduard Šalé primarily came from the World Juniors, and that impression was positive because of his performances for those three years. His transition to pro hockey in North America has been tumultuous, though.
Šalé is a finesse-based winger with above-average passing, shooting, and handling skill – all qualities fit for a role as an offensive creator. When he’s on, he looks like one of the most dangerous players on the ice, making highly difficult plays with his wide array of tools. That makes his production – he’s averaged less than .5 points-per-game in his two seasons in Coachella Valley – a worrying tale thus far.
There is bound to be a transition phase for players adjusting to professional hockey on this side of the Atlantic, but Šalé is two years in and still having some difficulty. He prefers to play an east-west game to slow the play down and pick apart defences, which isn’t an uncommon method for offensive players. With that said, Šalé has struggled with the pace of the game and has had trouble finding different ways to use his skill. The motor and physical aspects aren’t strengths of his either, so when he’s not at the top of his game, he can blend into it without much of an impact. The presence of a “B-game” is missing, and the versatility further down in a lineup is also limited because of how he plays.
Assuming he’ll be with Coachella again this season, Šalé needs to have a big year to prove he can be a scoring option in the NHL. If not, he risks topping off as a good AHL producer who can’t fit into an NHL lineup optimally.
Quentin Musty, LW, San Jose Sharks
At first glance, it might not seem fair for Quentin Musty to be included here after recording 21 goals and 45 points in 61 games in his first year in the AHL. Context matters though, and with the crowded nature of San Jose’s youthful forward group, Musty will likely need to evolve as a hockey player to fit into the puzzle.
He’s a creative forward with the ability to complete ambitious plays as a playmaker and puck-handler, and the lack of skating speed forces him to find unique ways to open up time and space, which he does well with deception and manipulation. At the same time, he can be a bit frustrating with how loose he is with the puck and the lack of other elements that prevent him from being a well-rounded player.
His overall effort wasn’t a problem, but he’s not overly attentive to details away from the puck, and his value in physical engagements or forechecks isn’t currently there. There’s some overlap here with Šalé, as both are very skilled offensive creators who are still trying to figure out how to impact the game in other ways.
The amount of blue-chip forwards seemingly ahead of Musty within the Sharks organization creates a clear obstacle for him. If Musty wants an opportunity at the NHL level, he may be better served rounding out his game and showing the organization that he isn’t an offence-only player.