2026 NHL Draft Lottery results: Maple Leafs land No. 1 overall pick ahead of critical offseason

1. Toronto Maple Leafs
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. New York Rangers
6. Calgary Flames
7. Seattle Kraken
8. Winnipeg Jets
9. Florida Panthers
10. Nashville Predators
11. St. Louis Blues
12. New Jersey Devils
13. New York Islanders
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
15. St. Louis Blues (via DET)
16. Washington Capitals

Miracle for the Maple Leafs

How quickly things can change. Just one day ago, new Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka was accused of being a "con artist" at his introductory press conference. Now, Chayka holds the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft as he rolls into what will be a pivotal summer for the franchise.

Following a 32-36-14 campaign in 2025-26, Toronto hasn't felt further away from the Stanley Cup at any point in the Auston Matthews era. That's bad news for a team in the midst of a 59-year championship drought and front office shake-up.

Entering Tuesday night, there were very real questions about Matthews' future with Toronto. He has just two years left on his contract, and The Athletic recently reported that there is uncertainty about whether the Olympic gold medalist will be in a Maple Leafs sweater this fall.

Winning the draft lottery should help Chayka convince Matthews to stick around while he retools the roster. If the Maple Leafs select McKenna or Stenberg, they'll get an instant impact top-six winger capable of playing alongside Matthews on a dirt cheap entry-level contract. If the Leafs decide to look at a defenseman like Reid, it will inject offensive skill and youth into a blue line that desperately needs a heavy dose of both.

The No. 1 overall pick alone may not be enough to sell Matthews on a vision for the future, but it sure doesn't hurt. In the event Matthews wants a change of scenery anyway, it will be an easier pill for Toronto to swallow knowing that the rebuild has already been supercharged before factoring in the possible return on a Matthews trade.

Bad luck Canucks

Not only did the Canucks miss out on the No. 1 overall pick, but they also tumbled one more spot to No. 3 overall. Considering the roster demolition that Jim Rutherford and Patrick Allvin oversaw last year, that's a devastating blow.

Vancouver is still guaranteed an elite player at No. 3 overall, but two possible game-changers will already be off the board by the time the team makes its selection. In December, the Canucks traded away Quinn Hughes, one of the two best defensemen in the world who was still in his prime. Talent like that doesn't grow on trees, and even finding it at No. 3 overall takes some luck.

The plan was to fill the superstar void that Hughes left with the No. 1 overall pick, but the ping pong balls had other ideas. The next general manager will still get one of McKenna, Stenberg or Reid, and that will be a nice first step in the rebuild. However, the whole point of taking a sledgehammer to the roster was getting that highly-coveted top pick.

The silver lining for the Canucks is that they should be in contention for the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, but as they found out on Tuesday, nothing is guaranteed in the lottery.