Toronto Maple Leafs win No. 1 pick at 2026 NHL Draft Lottery

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksPlayoff bracketNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Playoffs The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery was held Tuesday night at NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, N.J. Jared Silber / NHLI Via Getty Images Share article44The Toronto Maple Leafs won the No. 1 pick at the 2026 NHL Draft in late June, leaping four spots at the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night. The Leafs entered the lottery with just an 8.5 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick. The Leafs had the fifth-best odds of grabbing the No. 1 pick after finishing with the fifth-worst overall record this season. The Leafs have only made two No. 1 picks: Wendel Clark in 1985 and Auston Matthews in 2016. Both went on to rank among the best players in franchise history. The lottery win is a silver lining in an otherwise miserable Leafs season — and should help the new front office of GM John Chayka and senior executive adviser Mats Sundin begin to rebuild a roster for next season. The Leafs entered the 2025-26 season having won the Atlantic Division the previous year and had Stanley Cup aspirations. Instead, a poorly-constructed roster led to an epic collapse. The Leafs lost 26 of their final 34 games of the season, eliminating them from the playoffs and putting them in the lottery for the first time since 2020. The Leafs were at risk of losing their first-round pick to the Boston Bruins if they fell outside of the top five selections. Former general manager Brad Treliving traded the team’s 2026 first-round pick to the Boston Bruins at the 2025 NHL trade deadline as part of a package for defenseman Brandon Carlo. Treliving only secured top-five protection on the pick. The Leafs must now send first-round picks in the 2027 and 2028 drafts to Philadelphia and Boston. By winning the first overall pick, the Leafs have become one of the most notable success stories in NHL draft lottery history. The New York Islanders moved up an incredible nine spots to win the 2025 draft lottery. But generally, there is not a ton of movement among teams towards the top of the draft lottery. The San Jose Sharks retained their spot with the best draft lottery odds in 2025, and picked first overall. The Chicago Blackhawks moved from having the third-best odds in 2024 up to first overall. In 2022, the Montreal Canadiens retained their spot at the top of the draft lottery after finishing with the worst record in the 2021-22 season. Now the Leafs have an opportunity to add a franchise-altering talent. Should the Leafs keep the No. 1 pick, the selection will immediately become their best prospect since Matthews was drafted in 2016. Penn State winger Gavin McKenna is the presumed top pick. After logging 51 points in 35 games in his first NCAA season, the high-IQ playmaker could provide necessary offense to the Leafs and become a future linemate of Matthews. The Leafs could also consider Ivar Stenberg. The Swedish left winger and offensive wizard tallied 33 points in the SHL this season, the fifth-most ever by an 18-year-old in the top Swedish league and the most since Hall of Famers Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 1998-99. Otherwise, the Leafs could consider moving down in the draft to still add a high-end prospect while also bolstering their fledgling prospect pool with multiple other picks. What the Leafs do with the pick becomes one of the first orders of business for Chayka since formally joining the Leafs organization on Monday. Either way, winning the No. 1 pick could drastically alter the Leafs’ future. The Leafs have only made two first-round picks in the previous five drafts: Ben Danford, taken 31st in 2024, and Easton Cowan, selected 28th in 2023. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms