- Draft Lottery set for Tuesday, May 5 at NHL Network’s studio
- Canucks carry the best shot at the top pick at 18.5 percent
- Read below for full odds, Gavin McKenna video highlights, and the Leafs’ pick at stake
The NHL has locked in the date for its 2026 Draft Lottery. The drawing will take place Tuesday, May 5 at NHL Network’s Secaucus, N.J. studio, the league announced Saturday.
ESPN, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports will carry the event live, with the exact start time still to be set. The lottery determines the order of the first 16 picks. As each ball is drawn, viewers will watch the odds update and see teams get eliminated.
Vancouver enters with the best shot. The Canucks finished 25-49-8, the worst record in the league, and fired GM Patrik Allvin one day before the league announcement. Their 18.5 percent odds give them a real chance at the first pick.
Chicago sits second at 13.5 percent. The New York Rangers are third at 11.5, followed by Calgary (9.5), Toronto (8.5), Seattle (7.5), Winnipeg (6.5), and Florida (6.0). All 16 non-playoff teams are eligible to move up.
Gavin McKenna is projected to go No. 1 if the Canucks hold. The 18-year-old forward from Penn State put up 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games during his freshman year and is the top name on every board after committing to the Nittany Lions last summer. His Penn State highlight video is below.
Washington shares the longest odds at 0.5 percent. The Capitals hold just five combinations out of 1,000 and need every one of them to move up to the sixth pick. St. Louis, owning Detroit’s pick via trade, sits in the same spot.
Toronto has a subplot worth tracking. If the Maple Leafs fall outside the top five, their first-round pick ships to Boston as part of the 2025 Brandon Carlo deal.
The draft itself runs June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. It will be decentralized again, with teams making selections from their home bases. Full lottery details are available on NHL.com.
