2026 NHL Draft Day 2 Preview

After a busy first round Friday night, the focus shifts to the value portion of the draft as Rounds 2-7 get underway Saturday in Buffalo. While many of the headline prospects are gone, Day 2 is where scouting departments often make their reputations, uncovering future NHL regulars and late-round gems.  

Here are the biggest storylines to watch:

• Trade activity could spike. Teams with multiple mid-round selections are in position to package picks to move up the board for targeted prospects.

• Goalies begin coming off the board. Netminders are rarely first-round picks, so Saturday is traditionally when teams address organizational depth in goal.

• European talent gets more attention. Several players who spent the season in Sweden, Finland, Czechia, and Slovakia are expected to hear their names called early on Day 2.

• Best-player-available vs. positional need. With the elite tier gone, clubs often face the decision of selecting the highest-rated prospect remaining or filling holes in their pipeline.

Tampa Bay Lightning Outlook

The Tampa Bay Lightning enter Day 2 without a first-round selection, making Saturday especially important for their draft class.

The Lightning currently hold seven picks:

• Round 2: No. 58

• Round 3: No. 90

• Round 5: Nos. 133, 134, and 154

• Round 6: No. 186

• Round 7: No. 218  

What to watch

General manager Julien BriseBois has built a reputation for finding NHL contributors outside the first round, so Tampa Bay’s scouting staff will be under the spotlight again.

Areas that make sense for the Lightning include:

• Defensemen with strong skating and puck-moving ability to replenish organizational depth.

• Centers with two-way upside who could eventually develop into middle-six NHL players.

• Trade-up possibilities. With three fifth-round picks, Tampa Bay has the ammunition to package selections if a coveted prospect begins to slide.  

After the draft

The Lightning won’t have much downtime. Their development camp begins Monday, giving fans an immediate opportunity to see the organization’s newest prospects alongside recent draft picks.  

Players to keep an eye on:

Every draft unfolds differently, but these are the types of prospects who often become excellent Day 2 values:

• Skilled forwards who slipped because of size concerns.

• Mobile defensemen with offensive upside.

• Overagers coming off breakout seasons.

• Goaltenders with strong athletic tools but limited experience against elite competition.

Saturday’s later rounds rarely generate the same buzz as Round 1, but NHL rosters are filled with players who were selected on Day 2. For teams like Tampa Bay that consistently draft late because of regular-season success, finding contributors in these rounds is an essential part of staying competitive.