After front office changes, Maple Leafs win draft lottery

Secaucus, NJ — the Toronto Maple Leafs Won the NHL Draft Lottery Tuesday night, giving it a chance to select Penn State phenom Gavin McKenna, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick.

“You need some luck, and we got it tonight,” Maple Leafs new general manager John Chayka said a day after the team introduced himself. “The road ahead is long. There’s a lot of work to do. But when you get the first overall pick, it’s a huge opportunity.”

san jose sharks Won the second lottery for the No. 2 pick, beating the odds after having only a 5% chance of doing so.

The Maple Leafs had an 8.5% chance of winning the first lottery drawing, the fifth-best lottery odds. They finished last in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. Should he be selected at the NHL Draft on June 26 in Buffalo, New York, it would be the third time Toronto has drafted at No. 1 overall. The Maple Leafs selected forward Wendell Clark in 1985 and current star center auston matthews In 2016 – also in a draft held in Buffalo.

The draft lottery win led to a tumultuous 24 hours for Toronto. The team debuted its new front office on Monday, with former Arizona Coyotes GM Chayka joining Hockey Hall of Famer Matt Sundin, who was hired as senior executive advisor of hockey operations. His introductory press conference was full of tension, as CEO Keith Pelley was peppered with questions about his hiring process and Chayka’s qualifications for the job.

Needless to say, getting the No. 1 pick was a bit of a bummer.

“It’s a sudden surge,” Chayka said.

There was extra drama for the Maple Leafs in this draft lottery. Had Toronto’s pick been outside the top five, he would have been moved boston bruins As part of a trade to the Maple Leafs for defenseman brandon carlo At the 2025 NHL trade deadline.

Although the draft lottery broadcast said the Bruins would now receive either the Leafs’ 2027 or 2028 first-round pick, that may not be the case. Several reports Tuesday night indicated that philadelphia flyers Believe they have a claim on the 2027 pick after acquiring a conditional first-rounder from the Leafs Scott Laughton Trade on deadline. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN he is not ready to make a decision yet on who owns those picks, calling it a “complicated situation.”

The lottery sees a set of 14 ping-pong balls placed in a lottery machine, allowing 1,001 combinations. Each of the 16 non-playoff teams is assigned a set of random four-number combinations. The lower a team finishes in the standings, the more combinations they are assigned. vancouver canucksThe one who finished with the league’s worst points percentage had 185 combinations, or an 18.5% chance of winning the lottery.

chicago blackhawks (135, 13.5%) and New York Rangers (115, 11.5%) also had more than 100 number combinations.

There are two drawings in the NHL Draft Lottery. The first determines the number 1 pick and the second determines the number 2 pick. Teams can only move up a maximum of 10 spots if they win the lottery; Therefore, only the 11 teams with the worst regular season records can earn the No. 1 selection. If the winner of the first draw wins the second draw, a re-draw takes place.

In the last season, New York Islanders There was only a 3.5% chance of landing the No. 1 pick entering the draft, which was the 10th-best chance out of 16 teams. They won the draw and the chance to draft a defenseman Matthew Schaeferwho is the favorite to win Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

The first three numbers selected in the first draw were 7-2-11, leaving eight teams alive for the top pick: Vancouver, Chicago, Rangers, calgarytoronto, seattle, winnipeg And San Jose. The final number was 12, making Toronto the No. 1 pick.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said drama is what makes the live lottery work.

“It’s the uncertainty, right? I mean, you don’t know what’s going to happen until the ball comes out,” he said.

San Jose’s numbers were 11-4-3-7. With six teams remaining before the last ball was drawn, the Sharks had an 18.2% chance of winning.

General manager Mike Grier said he was “surprised” by the team’s lottery win. If San Jose retains the selection, it will be the fourth consecutive NHL draft in which the Sharks have selected in the top four. he added first Will Smith (No. 4, 2023), Star Center McLean Celebrini (No. 1, 2024) and center michael misa (No. 2, 2025).

The Canucks entered the final draw of the night with an 18.2% chance of winning. But the team with the NHL’s worst record will pick third in next month’s draft.