NHL Draft Blog: Who are best players available in Round 2?

The first round of the 2026 NHL Draft is complete and was full of action.

We saw several picks swapped, but also some player movement too.

• Pavel Dorofeyev is now a member of the New York Rangers, signing a seven-year extension with an $11 million AAV.

• JJ Peterka was sent from Utah to Boston almost exactly one year after the Mammoth acquired him from Buffalo, while Utah also made a goalie trade, acquiring Sebastian Cossa from Detroit.

• St. Louis used two of the four first-round picks it held to trade for centre Mason McTavish from Anaheim.

• And the host Buffalo Sabres got into the action, picking up RFA, offensive defenceman Olen Zellweger from the Ducks earlier in the day.

Rounds 2-7 of the draft continue Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. ET/ 8 a.m. PT, which you can watch on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

To check out how Round 1 unfolded, from Gavin McKenna to Jaxon Cover, check out how the live blog unfolded below. We have also wrapped it up with a look ahead to Round 2 with the best players still available.

And to see all the picks in one neat location, be sure to check in with our draft tracker.