Maple Leafs Land No. 1 Pick in 2026 NHL Draft Lottery

Toronto Maple Leafs executives (left to right): Mats Sundin, Senior Executive Advisor; Keith Pelley, President & CEO; John Chayka, General Manager | GETTY IMAGES

After finishing with the Eastern Conference’s second-worst record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Toronto will likely select Penn State’s Gavin McKenna.

Toronto’s first overall selection comes after a 32-26-14 season that ended their eight-year playoff streak...

The Toronto Maple Leafs secured the first overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft after their lottery number was picked on Tuesday.

This marks only the third time in franchise history that Toronto will pick first, following 1985 when they chose Wendel Clark and 2016 when they drafted Auston Matthews. The Leafs ended the 2025-26 season with a 32-26-14 record, the second-worst in the Eastern Conference, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is projected as the likely No. 1 pick.

The rest of the NHL Draft order is as follows:

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 (from DET)

16. Washington Capitals

The rest of the order will be decided after the playoffs.

HEY @MAPLELEAFS FANS! 🍁

We want to see your reactions to this moment of your team winning the 2026 #NHLDraft Lottery and receiving the first overall pick!

Send your reactions to https://t.co/HzJGJEKEOi pic.twitter.com/c5ka01iFba

— NHL (@NHL) May 5, 2026