The 2026 NHL draft lottery for the Detroit Red Wings is set for May 5, determining the top 16 picks. Despite their poor record in 2020, they were pushed back to the fourth pick, raising questions about their luck this year.
Key points
2026 NHL draft lottery is on May 5.
Detroit Red Wings were pushed back to fourth pick in 2020.
General manager Steve Yzerman traded the first-round pick.
First round of the draft will be in Buffalo, New York.
The Wings had the worst record in the league in 2020.
Detroit Red WingsSt. Louis BluesJustin Faulk
Remember the 2020 NHL draft lottery, when the Detroit Red Wings were pushed back to picking fourth, despite owning, by far, the worst record in the league?
They were in last place â 23 points behind the next-to-last team â when the NHL paused the 2019-20 season in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. But that's how it goes for the Wings in the lottery: If they're not picking where they finish, they're being pushed back.
Now the 2026 lottery is upon us, on Tuesday, May 5 (7 p.m., ESPN) at NHL Networkâs Secaucus, N.J., studio. The draw will determine the order of selection for the top 16 picks in the first round, which will take place June 26 in Buffalo, New York.
Of course, even good lottery luck for the Wings would be bad this year: General manager Steve Yzerman dealt the first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for defenseman Justin Faulk (who at least has one more season on his contract).
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk (72) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, on Monday, April 13, 2026.
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk (72) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, on Monday, April 13, 2026.
The draft lottery was introduced in 1995 and has undergone multiple changes, including a rule, after the Wings were pushed back from first to fourth in 2020, that teams can't fall back more than two spots.
Q&A
What date is the 2026 NHL draft lottery for the Detroit Red Wings?
The 2026 NHL draft lottery is scheduled for May 5, 2026.
How did the Detroit Red Wings perform in the 2020 NHL draft lottery?
In the 2020 NHL draft lottery, the Detroit Red Wings finished with the worst record but were pushed back to the fourth pick.
Who did the Detroit Red Wings trade their first-round pick to?
The Detroit Red Wings traded their first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for defenseman Justin Faulk.
Where will the first round of the NHL draft take place in 2026?
The first round of the NHL draft in 2026 will take place in Buffalo, New York.
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One drawing will determine the No. 1 pick, followed by a second drawing to determine the No. 2 pick.
Teams can't rise more than 10 spots, so only the top 11 seeds are eligible to receive the No. 1 pick. Teams in positions 12 through 16 can rise as high as Nos. 2 through 6.
The Vancouver Canucks have the best chance of winning the right to pick first, at 25.5%. Forward Gavin McKenna, coming off one season at Penn State, is expected to be the top pick.
Where are the Red Wings in 2026 NHL draft lottery?
Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman listens to a question from the media on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena for the Wings season-ending news conference after missing the NHL playoffs again.
Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman listens to a question from the media on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena for the Wings season-ending news conference after missing the NHL playoffs again.
They're sitting this lottery out. They dealt their 2026 first-round pick, as well as prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov and a 2026 third-round pick, to the Blues for Faulk at the trade deadline. Faulk, 34, was a much-needed upgrade for the defense, slotting onto the right side on the second pairing. The Wings needed someone more experienced than Axel Sandin-Pellikka in that spot, and found an option in Faulk, who is under contract through next season.
"We used a first-round pick and a good prospect to acquire a defenseman that helps us for the foreseeable future,â general manager Steve Yzerman said in his end-of-season comments.. "Free agency, with a 32-team league and the salary cap going up, teams in the past werenât able to re-sign their free agents. Theyâre all getting re-signed, so that free-agent market is thinner."
Per Tankathon, the pick has a 97.9 % chance of staying at No. 15 and a 1.1% chance of moving to fifth.
How the Wings have fared in NHL draft lottery
Carter Bear poses for a portrait after being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the 13th overall pick during the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at JW Marriott Los Angeles on Friday, June 27, 2025.
Carter Bear poses for a portrait after being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the 13th overall pick during the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at JW Marriott Los Angeles on Friday, June 27, 2025.
Since entering the draft lottery in 2017, the first of now 10 straight years the Wings have missed the playoffs, they've either stood pat or been pushed back. They dropped from seventh to ninth in 2017 (selecting forward Michael Rasmussen) from fifth to sixth in 2018 (forward Filip Zadina, forever painful as perennial Norris Trophy candidate Quinn Hughes went next), from fourth to sixth in 2019 (defenseman Moritz Seider). Yzerman at least made the most of the injustice of the 2020 lottery, selecting forward Lucas Raymond.
They've stayed in place the last four drafts, finishing sixth in 2021 (defenseman Simon Edvinsson), eighth in 2022 (forward Marco Kasper), ninth in 2023 (forward Nate Danielson) and 15th in 2024 (forward Michael Brandsegg-NygÄrd). In 2025 they were pushed back from 12 to 13 and chose forward Carter Bear.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 5; NHL Network Studio, Secaucus, New Jersey.
TV: ESPN.
Wings' spot: The Wings are 15th, next-to-last in the lottery, and can move up a maximum of 10 spots (with a 1.1% chance); their pick will transfer to the St. Louis Blues regardless of Tuesday's draw.
