The Nashville Predators enter the 2026 NHL Draft with 11 picks for new general manager Chris MacFarland to use. The Predators enter the KeyBank Center in Buffalo tied with the New York Rangers for the second-most picks across the seven rounds, trailing just the St. Louis Blues who have 13 picks.There's already been some predraft movement in the top ten picks, but McFarland told reporters in a predraft press conference that, despite making calls to move up, he expects to make the Predators' first pick when No. 10 is on the board on Friday night. Experts consider the top of the draft to be ripe with defensive talent, but many mock drafters predict the Predators to select a forward. 17-year-old Wyatt Cullen out of Moorhead, Minnesota is considered one of the top forwards that can fall into Nashville's range. 18-year-old Ethan Belchetz is out of Ontario, Canada and is rumored to be on Nashville's radar. The NHL Draft first round can be seen on ESPN beginning at 6 p.m. CT. The second through seventh rounds begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN+.ESPN: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor SpitfiresBleacher Report: Wyatt Cullen, LW, USNTDPNHL.com: Wyatt Cullen, LW, USNTDPElite Prospect: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor SpitfiresTSN: Alex Command, C, OrebroFollow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram for the latest news.