Ranking the Best Landing Spots for Keaton Verhoeff – The Hockey Writers – NHL Entry Draft

With forwards Ivar Sternberg and Gavin McKenna fighting to go first overall, Keaton Verhoeff is undisputedly the top defenseman in the 2026 NHL Draft. With his size, physicality, and puck-handling skills, he’s drawn comparisons to Drew Doughty and Aaron Ekblad.

The NHL draft lottery is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, when we find out the draft order of the first 16 picks, but Verhoeff will fit some teams better than others. He’s expected to be a top-five pick, but 14 teams have a shot at selecting him. Here is my ranking based on fit and playing opportunity.

No. 14: New Jersey Devils (No. 12 Odds)

The New Jersey Devils are trying to win now. Their forward core has developed into one of the best in the league (when healthy), but their defense is a mishmash of veterans and high draft picks. If the Devils get a pick between picks 2-4, they’d probably trade it for a superstar winger or defenseman.

If they decided to draft Verhoeff, he’d have to compete with veterans Dougie Hamilton (barring trade) and Brett Pesce, along with young defensemen such as Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey. If he were to move left, Luke Hughes, Jonas Siegenthaler, and eventually Anton Silayev should man the three pairings. Simply put, there’s almost no playing time available for Verhoeff right now.

No. 13: New York Rangers (No. 3 Odds)

I put the Rangers this low because of their poor talent development. They’ve rarely developed prospects into game-changers, especially blue-liners.

There’s also a lot of competition. Verhoeff isn’t overtaking Adam Fox in his first NHL season, and he’s unlikely to overtake Braden Schneider either, should the Rangers keep him. New York also has Scott Morrow and E.J. Emery, who play on the right side.

No. 12: Calgary Flames (No. 4 Odds)

This is the first solid landing place for Verhoeff, but the Calgary Flames already have a young right-shot defenseman who’s their No. 1. However, the Flames could give Verhoeff a lot of room to grow. They’re a team on a rebuilding path, with a lot of top prospects.

Unfortunately, they have a lot invested on the right side. Zayne Parekh is more than likely the No. 1 defenseman of the future, with his offensive abilities. Behind Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz and Henry Mews should cut into Verhoeff’s potential minutes – both are right-shot defensemen. Verhoeff is probably more talented than the two, but it’s still a logjam he’d need to clear.

No. 11: Columbus Blue Jackets (No. 14 Odds)

The Columbus Blue Jackets have almost no shot at selecting Verhoeff, but if they did, he’d be another major prospect in their humongous pool of prospects. Again, it might be hard for him to get significant playing time off the bat.

Blue Jackets’ defensemen Dante Fabbro (four-year, $16.50 million) and Damon Severson (eight-year, $50 million) are still in the early stages of their contracts, and Denton Mateychuk is still the top long-term, right-shot defenseman. Fabbro has no trade protection, but Severson has a no-trade clause, so Verhoeff would have to go through at least two defensemen to pair with Zach Werenski.

No. 10: Chicago Blackhawks (No. 2 Odds)

The Blackhawks also have a logjam on the right side, though not as severe as the Flames’. Only two of their prospects in Daily Faceoff’s Top 10 Blackhawks prospects last season shoot right. Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov both played most of the 2025-26 season in the NHL. Levshunov showed more offensively, but was a borderline parking cone on defense, while Rinzel was better defensively.

Verhoeff could be better offensively than both of those two, but the Blackhawks might also try to acquire a top-pairing defenseman for immediate help to get out of their arduous rebuild. If it’s a right-shot defenseman, that could jeopardize Verhoeff’s shot at getting first-pairing NHL time.

No. 9: Nashville Predators (No. 10 Odds)

Now we get to teams that have plenty of NHL playing time available for Verhoeff, but have at least one first-pairing fixture in the way. The Nashville Predators’ defensive structure is lacking, but their aging captain, Roman Josi, shoots right.

Josi should be close to retirement by the time Verhoeff hits his prime, and he’s really the only player stopping Verhoeff from being the team’s top right-shot defenseman. Nashville has some quality prospects on the blue line (Tanner Molendyk, Cameron Reid), but they both shoot left.

No. 8: Seattle Kraken (No. 6 Best Odds)

The Seattle Kraken are also in no-man’s land, collapsing down the stretch after looking like they’d take the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference. However, they’d need to move a lot of players to kick-start a rebuild.

Defensemen Brandon Montour and Adam Larsson are a couple of them. Larsson just started a four-year, $21 million contract this season, while Montour is midway through the seven-year, $50 million contract Seattle paid him in the 2024 offseason. Considering the money they paid for those two, I doubt Verhoeff would overtake them in year one.

Outside of that, prospects such as Blake Fiddler and Ty Nelson could compete with Verhoeff. Neither one of them has the upside of Verhoeff, so if the Kraken decide to go full-scale rebuild, suddenly this becomes a much more interesting spot for him.

No. 7: Toronto Maple Leafs (No. 5 Odds)

The Maple Leafs are among the teams that could slot Verhoeff in as the No. 1 RHD in his rookie season. Toronto is a mess, and their defensive structure gets most of the blame. Morgan Rielly is only effective in the O-zone at this point, and his numbers have declined each year.

The trade for Brandon Carlo might lose them this pick, and Chris Tanev’s contract looks brutal, especially with the major injury he suffered in December. Verhoeff could be put on the first pairing depending on how much the new brass values Carlo. He already has great two-way abilities, but can he negate Rielly’s unreliable defensive play?

No. 6: St. Louis Blues (No. 11 Odds)

The St. Louis Blues could have two picks in the top 10 after the Detroit Red Wings traded their pick for defenseman Justin Faulk, which means more of an opportunity to get Verhoeff. There would be plenty of playing time for him in St. Louis, with limited options outside of Colton Parayko. The team doesn’t have as much invested in the blue line as they do in the forward group. The only major long-term play is Logan Mailloux, and while he’s progressing, he’s still raw.

The only problem is that there isn’t a star to play with Verhoeff. Phillip Broberg is solid, but not spectacular, on the left side, and Cam Fowler regressed after an amazing 2024-25 season. The Blues would need more than just Verhoeff to fix their blue line.

No. 5: Winnipeg Jets (No. 7 Odds)

The Winnipeg Jets have a proven superstar signed long-term on the left side, but may have room for competition on the right. The Jets have Josh Morrissey signed long-term, and he’s just starting to hit his prime. If Verhoeff eventually moves up to the first pairing, playing with Morrissey could be electric.

There isn’t a ton of competition on the current roster. However, right-shot defenseman Elias Salomonsson has the lead right now. He had five points through 32 games, but he looked alright in his own end, and he could get an extended look, with Winnipeg shipping off Luke Schenn. Winnipeg also extended Neil Pionk recently, and Dylan DeMelo is still serviceable, but he could be trade bait if the Jets want to punt 2026-27. That would help Verhoeff step up to that No. 1 role.

No. 4: San Jose Sharks (No. 9 Odds)

The Sharks could be a playoff team next season, with forwards like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund already developing into top-line anchors. Now, it’s time to build the defense.

They surprisingly have a lot of young LHD. Sam Dickinson headlines the bunch, but they also have Luca Cagnoni and Shakir Mukhamandullin, acquired in the Timo Meier deal. Verhoeff would be the perfect long-term play on the right side. The Sharks desperately need contributors on the right side, so Verhoeff could slot in immediately on the first or second-pairing.

No. 3: New York Islanders (No. 13 Odds)

The New York Islanders are a sneaky-good place for Verhoeff to land. Outside of Ryan Pulock, the Islanders’ right-hand side is rough. Wouldn’t it be something if they got Verhoeff to pair with Matthew Schaefer, and the pairing of Adam Pelech and Pulock could be reunited?

They also don’t have a major prospect for the right side right now. They have a lot on the left, including Isaiah George, Kashawn Aitcheson, and Jesse Pulkkinen.

No. 2: Vancouver Canucks (No. 1 Odds)

The Canucks are in a perfect position to draft Keaton Verhoeff first overall. If they land the first-overall pick, there’s a good chance they draft either McKenna or Stenberg, but there’s an argument to be made about selecting Verhoeff.

Zeev Buium is probably the long-term option for the left side. The Canucks acquired him in the Quinn Hughes deal, and he’s shown solid offensive upside already. He and Verhoeff would be a great pairing for the future.

No. 1: Florida Panthers (No. 8 Odds)

The Panthers are the best possible team for Verhoeff to land. They check all the boxes for him to thrive. They’re a Stanley Cup contender, despite a difficult season. They have a great system to help grow Verhoeff’s game, and head coach Paul Maurice will like his physicality.

While he wouldn’t get much playing time early, he would help the Panthers stay in contention next season. He would also be a great long-term play, with Dmitry Kulikov aging and some uncertainty on the backend.

The Panthers would be the perfect place for Verhoeff to develop into a player like Aaron Ekblad, one of his most popular draft comparisons. If Florida somehow gets a top-three pick or even wins the lottery, they should run to the podium to select him.