HIGHLIGHTS
- Nylander and Knies found out about the Leafs lottery win at a Marlies game
- Nylander’s vlog caught their genuine reaction in real time
- See the video below
William Nylander thought someone was messing with him.
Nylander and Matthew Knies were at the Coca-Cola Coliseum on May 5 watching Will’s brother Alex play for the Marlies in their AHL playoff series. The two Leafs stars were just there to support the farm team when their phones started going off.
The Maple Leafs had just won the draft lottery, jumping from fifth overall to first.
Nylander captured the whole moment in his vlog this week. Check out their reaction below:
“We won the draft lottery. Are you f***ing kidding me?” Knies stares at his phone like he’s reading fake news.
Nylander asks what time it is, thinking the lottery already happened. Then it hits both of them at the same time.
“Oh my god. That’s crazy. That’s insane. That’s so cool,” Nylander says.
That’s exactly how every Leafs fan reacted that night. After enduring a 32-36-14 season that missed the playoffs and an offseason filled with Auston Matthews trade rumors, Leafs Nation desperately needed some good news.
They got it in a big way.
The scene itself makes this special. Two of the highest-paid players in the league standing on a minor league concourse, finding out their team just won the lottery while watching a Marlies playoff game.
There’s no PR team around them, no cameras set up for content. Just two guys getting hit with the best news this franchise has had in months.
The reward for winning the lottery is either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg with the first overall pick. Both are generational prospects who could step into Toronto’s lineup on opening night.
The pick also gives GM John Chayka a massive trade chip if he decides to flip it for immediate roster help on a team that suddenly has more holes than people expected.
This marks the Leafs’ third lottery win in franchise history. They selected Wendel Clark first overall in 1985 and Auston Matthews first overall in 2016.
The Clark pick revived a struggling franchise in the mid-80s. The Matthews selection brought hope back to Toronto but hasn’t resulted in a championship yet.
This third lottery win might be the piece that finally gets them over the hump.
Even Nylander, who’s making over $11 million per season, looked like a regular fan at a sports bar when the news came through his phone. The genuine shock and excitement from both players shows just how unexpected this lottery win was.
Now Chayka has the first overall pick and some major decisions to make this summer.
