The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will be held May 5 at NHL Network\u2019s studio in Secaucus, N.J.<\/p>\n
The league said Saturday that the lottery will be broadcast live on ESPN, Sportsnet \u200band TVA Sports. The time has yet to be announced.<\/p>\n
The \u200clottery will begin with the determination of the No. 1 pick, followed by revealing the No. 2 selection. Lottery teams are defined as the 16 clubs that did not earn a berth in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs. For a team \u200cthat \u200btraded its first-round pick, the receiving team will \u2060get the lottery spot \u2014 even \u2060if that team is in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
The teams with the best odds to win the lottery are:<\/p>\n
1. Vancouver Canucks, 18.5%<\/p>\n
2. Chicago Blackhawks, 13.5%<\/p>\n
3. New York Rangers, 11.5%<\/p>\n
4. Calgary Flames, 9.5%<\/p>\n
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (conditional \u200btrade to Boston Bruins), 8.5%<\/p>\n
6. Seattle Kraken, 7.5%<\/p>\n
7. Winnipeg Jets, 6.5%<\/p>\n
8. Florida Panthers, 6.0%<\/p>\n
9. San Jose Sharks, 5.0%<\/p>\n
10. Nashville Predators, 3.5%<\/p>\n
11. St. Louis \u2060Blues, 3.0%<\/p>\n
12. New Jersey Devils, 2.5%<\/p>\n
13. New \u2060York Islanders, 2.0%<\/p>\n
14. Columbus Blue Jackets, 1.5%<\/p>\n
15. St. Louis \u200bBlues (from Detroit Red Wings), 0.5%<\/p>\n
16. Washington Capitals, 0.5%<\/p>\n
Under league rules that prevent \u200ba team from moving up more than 10 places in \u200cthe draft, only the first 11 teams listed are in the running for the No. 1 pick.<\/p>\n
The New York Islanders won the lottery in 2025, moving up from No. 10. They had just a 3.5% chance \u2060of winning. The Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League.<\/p>\n
The 2026 draft will begin June 26 at 7 p.m. \u2060ET with Round 1. \u200cRounds 2 through 7 follow on Saturday, beginning at \u206010 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n
Expected to be in contention for \u200bthe No. \u200c1 overall pick are Penn State left wing \u200bGavin McKenna and \u2060left wing Ivar Stenberg from Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League.<\/p>\n
Under the terms of a March 7, 2025, trade between the Maple Leafs and Bruins, Toronto will keep the pick if it falls in the top 5. Toronto then would send either its 2027 or 2028 first-round pick to \u200bBoston.<\/p>\n
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