2026 NHL Draft Odds: Runaway Favorite Emerges for No. 2 Pick

• One Sharks trade sent the 2026 NHL Draft No. 2 pick market into a frenzy
• A top prospect’s odds to go second overall swung hard in just a few hours
• See the updated NHL No. 2 pick odds at sportsbooks below

One trade flipped the NHL No. 2 pick market on its head. The San Jose Sharks shipped William Eklund and two prospects to Ottawa for the ninth overall pick on Tuesday, and sportsbooks immediately read it as a signal about who’s coming off the board second on Friday.

The line move was dramatic. Ivar Stenberg sat at -145 on FanDuel on Tuesday morning, but by the time the dust settled on the Eklund deal, he had been bet all the way up to -700.

Here’s how the odds for the NHL No. 2 overall pick look ahead of Friday’s draft in Buffalo.

2026 NHL Draft No. 2 Pick Odds

Stenberg’s -700 price translates to an 87.5% implied chance of hearing his name at No. 2. Chase Reid, long viewed as the other realistic option, sits a distant second at +550, with an implied chance of around 15%.

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Odds as of June 23 at FanDuel Sportsbook. You can shop draft markets across the top NHL betting apps before Friday’s start in Buffalo.

Why the Eklund Trade Moved the Market

The case against Stenberg was never about talent. Most scouts have pegged the Swedish winger as the second-best player in this class behind projected No. 1 Gavin McKenna all season. The knock was fit, since San Jose looked stacked up front with Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Michael Misa already in the pipeline.

That argument took a major hit on Tuesday. By trading Eklund and adding the ninth pick, the Sharks cleared a forward logjam and gave themselves more draft capital to pursue blue-line help later. With picks at 2, 9 and 27, they no longer have to reach for a defenseman at the top.

GM Mike Grier has said all along he won’t draft for need at the top of the board. Pair that best-player-available stance with a roster that just shed a forward, and Stenberg makes a lot of sense at No. 2

Stenberg vs Reid on Kalshi

The prediction market backs it up. On Kalshi, Stenberg jumped 20 points to an 83% chance to go second, while Reid tumbled 30 points to just 7%. The money has poured in one direction since the trade broke.

Probabilities as of Jun. 23 at Kalshi. Bet on unique NHL Draft props at our top-rated prediction markets.

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The two markets agree on Stenberg, with FanDuel a touch higher at an 87.5% implied chance versus Kalshi’s 83%. The gap is wider on Reid, who Kalshi prices at just 7% while FanDuel still gives him a 15% implied shot. Kalshi traders also keep a small 7% sliver on McKenna slipping to No. 2, a longshot hedge if Toronto surprises at first overall.

With more than $111,000 in volume already on the Kalshi market, the books and the bettors are aligned. If you still think Grier pivots to Reid or trades the pick entirely, the value now lies in the Reid number or on Kalshi, where you can buy the dip.

Barring a draft-night shocker, though, Stenberg’s name is getting called second on Friday.