The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will prove to be one of the most anticipated events for teams out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The teams that did not qualify for the 2026 NHL playoffs will have a chance to improve their positioning in the first round, with some clubs vying for the top overall pick.
So, let’s get down to the business of discussing what teams and fans can expect from this exciting event.
2026 NHL Draft Lottery: Date and Venue
The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will take place on Tuesday, May 5, at the NHL Network Studios. Unlike the actual 2026 NHL Draft, the lottery goes down in a television studio with cameras honing in on the process.
The lottery will be live this year, with teams, fans, and the media learning the results in real time. This will prove to be an exciting feature. In previous years, the NHL Draft Lottery was recorded and broadcast at a given time.
Some criticisms hit that system. So, the league decided to hold the event live. It will certainly add to the excitement level and the perceived transparency of the entire process involving the NHL Draft Lottery.
Lottery Odds and First-Round Placement
It’s worth pointing out that teams end the regular season in a specific order based on their records. However, that is not the final order in which teams pick in the first round. The order for the 16 teams that did not make the playoffs begins with their placement in the standings.
This year, the Vancouver Canucks finished last overall. However, they do not get the first-overall pick automatically. Instead, they get the best odds of winning the top selection. The weighted odds are 25.5%. That means that the Canucks pretty much have a 1 in 4 chance of winning the NHL Draft Lottery.
The second-worst team this season, the Chicago Blackhawks, will have a 13.5% chance of landing the top pick. Meanwhile, the NY Rangers, who finished third-last in the NHL, have an 11.5% of taking the top pick.
The odds scale down until the 11th overall team, the St. Louis Blues, top out at 3.0%. The reason for that is that the rules state that teams can move up 10 spots. As such, the last team with a shot at the top pick is the 11th team. They can move up 1st by climbing 10 spots. That was the case of the New York Islanders in the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery.
Teams 12 through 16 can still move up 10 spots, but cannot win the top pick. Last year, the Utah Mammoth moved up from 14th to 4th. Check out the full odds here.
It’s worth pointing out that two draws take place. The first draw determines who lands the top overall pick. The second draw determines who lands the second-overall pick and the final seedings for the top 16 spots in the first round.
Spots 17 to 32 will depend on the order in which teams are eliminated in the postseason and not the NHL Draft Lottery. The Ottawa Senators, who were the first team eliminated, should get the 17th pick. However, they had originally forfeited the pick. The league showed some clemency, allowing them to recover their pick. However, it will be the 32nd pick.
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As such, the 31st pick will go to the Stanley Cup winner and the 30th to the other finalist. The next two picks go to the losers of the respective Conference Finals, and so on.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans, in particular, will have to wait about a week to learn if the club will keep its first-round pick or lose it entirely.
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