Toronto Maple Leafs are surprise winner of NHL Draft Lottery

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered Tuesday's NHL Draft Lottery with just an 8.5 per cent chance of winning the first overall pick. 

And guess what, they did it. 

This will be the second time in the last decade that Toronto will have the top pick in the NHL Draft. In 2016, the team picked Auston Matthews first overall.

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

The news of the first overall pick comes on an exciting week for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On Monday, MLSE president Keith Pelley officially announced former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin as the team's senior executive adviser of hockey operations, while John Chayka was hired as the new general manager.

The moment the ball was pulled, the camera panned to Sundin in Toronto, smiling.

Leafs GM Chayka said securing the first overall pick is an extraordinary opportunity.

"When you get the chance to draft first overall, it’s an extraordinary opportunity," Chayka said to the media following the lottery. "I don’t think it changes our vision or strategy, but it can certainly alter the course and the timeline."

Sundin and Chayka also joked they aren't sure who they'll take first overall, given it’s only their second day on the job.

"We haven't had scouting meetings yet," said Chayka.

Lucky John Chayka: "I don't think it changes the vision or the strategy. But certainly when these things happen, it can change course and timelines." pic.twitter.com/XMKhsnMoMM

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) May 5, 2026

Toronto had the fifth-best odds to secure the first overall pick heading into Tuesday's lottery. There was also a 58.2 per cent chance the Maple Leafs wouldn't keep their pick if they were awarded pick six or seven.

When Toronto acquired defenceman Brandon Carlo last year from the Boston Bruins in exchange for prospect Fraser Minten, the Leafs also included a 2026 first-round pick to sweeten the deal. In hindsight, thank goodness it was top-five protected.

The Boston Bruins will now be awarded the Maple Leafs' first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028.

Canadian forward Gavin McKenna is projected to go first overall in this year's NHL Entry Draft.

This year, McKenna put up 51 points in 35 games playing for Penn State University in the NCAA. He previously played for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League, where he put up 244 points in 133 games.

McKenna is a crafty, elite-level NHL-ready winger who will certainly complement a loaded Maple Leafs top six, especially after the team lost Mitch Marner to free agency following the 2024-2025 season.

The San Jose Sharks, who had the eighth-best odds, were awarded the second-overall pick after selecting Macklin Celebrini first overall just two years ago.

The team that had the worst record in the NHL this season and the best odds to get the first overall pick, the Vancouver Canucks, were awarded third.

The Maple Leafs' front office could choose to draft McKenna or explore moving the pick to finally acquire the elite defenseman they’ve been missing. Whatever direction the front office chooses, the Maple Leafs are officially on the clock.

The 2026 NHL Draft is scheduled for June 26-27 in Buffalo, N.Y.