Will Sharks Trade No. 2? What They Can Learn From Recent Top-10 Pick Deals (+)

The last time that a top-five pick was traded, post-Draft lottery, was 2008.

So chances are, the San Jose Sharks are not dealing the No. 2 pick of the 2026 Draft.

In 2008, the New York Islanders sent the No. 5 pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the No. 7 pick and 2008 third and 2009 second-rounders.

The Leafs selected defenseman Luke Schenn with the fifth-overall, while the Islanders flipped the seventh-overall to the Nashville Predators for the No. 9 and another second-rounder.

This fact is striking, because top-five picks were not valued like this pre-2005 salary cap.

From 1998 to 2004, in every year, a top-five pick, post-Draft lottery, changed hands.

This recent reticence to deal top-five picks is perhaps some tribute to the importance of cost control in the salary cap era. A young high-level contributor on an entry-level contract, or even a bridge RFA contract, means more bang for the buck, which is paramount to being competitive in the cap era.

Historically, a top-five pick is more likely to contribute at a high NHL level on his ELC than a non-top five.

That’s just one idea. Also, high picks across sports are, in general, more valued than they were in say the 1970’s.

All that said, there have been almost a dozen top-10 picks moved, post-Draft lottery, in the cap era.

There are, generally, three types of trades, when a top-10 pick is traded.

Here’s the full list of cap era top-10 deals, the three types of trades, and what the San Jose Sharks might learn from these moves, leading up to Jun. 26.