Noise around second overall pick is increasing and Mike Grier has to make a decision

But the real question is whether Grier actually needs to sell it.

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier confirmed Tuesday that roughly five clubs have been consistently serious about acquiring the second overall selection in Friday's 2026 NHL Draft, with legitimate offers already on the table.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that Grier is absolutely open to moving the pick depending on the offers.

That framing has turned the story into a tense countdown ahead of the draft in Buffalo.

But the Eklund trade tells a different story.

On the same day Grier was fielding offers for No. 2, the San Jose Sharks traded William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and Brandon Svoboda to the Ottawa Senators for the ninth overall pick.

That is not the move of a team urgently trying to liquidate its most valuable asset.

Grier converted a $5.6 million winger into a top-10 pick, giving San Jose the No. 2, No. 9, and No. 27 selections heading into Friday.

He now holds three legitimate chips and faces zero urgency. The Sharks are not a team backed into a corner.

Every team calling this week is negotiating against a GM who no longer has to accept anything short of a market-altering return.

Grier has been direct about what San Jose needs - a young, top-pair defenseman already proven at the NHL level.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported Vancouver, New York, Calgary, and Winnipeg as potential suitors interested in moving up.

Packages floated by NHL scouts have included players like Rangers defenseman Adam Fox.

The last time a top-five pick moved post-lottery was 2008.

That number is not an accident. Grier is using five serious bidders to extract maximum value - for a pick he almost certainly plans to keep unless the offer is genuinely historic.

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