New general manager John Chayka will have an opportunity to put his stamp on the Toronto Maple Leafs quickly.
The Leafs will draft with the first-overall pick in next month’s NHL Draft after winning the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night. The Leafs had an 8.5 per-cent chance to win, the fifth-best odds of the 16-team lottery.
Gavin McKenna, 18, is expected by many to be selected with the first overall pick. The Whitehorse, Yukon native scored 15 goals and 36 assists over 35 games for Penn State this season. He had four goals and 10 assists over seven games at the 2026 World Juniors, helping Canada earn the bronze medal.
Here’s how the remainder of the lottery played out:
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 (from Detroit Red Wings)
16 - Washington Capitals
The lottery was a consequential one for the team. Former general manager Brad Treliving made a pair of trades at the 2025 deadline that included outgoing first-round picks. The Leafs acquired defenceman Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins for a top-five-protected first and forward Fraser Minten. Days earlier the team acquired forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers for a package that included a top-10-protected selection.
With the Leafs now selecting in the top five, a complicated scenario arises. The belief was that the Leafs’ 2027 first would go to the Flyers if it’s outside the top 10 and the selection owed to the Bruins would convert to an unprotected first in 2028. Should the 2027 pick fall in the top 10, the Leafs would be able choose to offer it to either of the Bruins or Flyers with the other team receiving an unprotected first in 2028. This is being disputed by the Flyers, however, according to multiple reports. The Flyers contend that they are entitled to an unprotected first in 2027 with the Bruins set to receive an unprotected selection in 2028. The league is expected to clarify this scenario in the coming days.
The Leafs will now select with the first-overall pick for the third time in franchise history and first time in a decade. In 1985, the team took former captain Wendel Clark with the top pick and then in 2016 selected current captain Auston Matthews with the first selection.
The 2026 NHL Draft is set to get underway on June 26 from the KeyBank Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres.
Something about having that No. 1 pick in Buffalo 😉 pic.twitter.com/jf4a5jvRzw
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 5, 2026
The lottery was held at the NHL Network's studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.