When the Toronto Maple Leafs traded for Boston Bruins’ Brandon Carlo, they sent Fraser Minten, a fourth-round pick in 2025, and a conditional first-rounder in 2026. That pick was top five protected. As the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery determined it, Toronto will select first overall in the upcoming Draft.
Moreover, the Maple Leafs traded a conditional first-round pick in 2027 to the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade involving Scott Laughton. “The first-rounder [the Leafs] sent to the Bruins for Carlo will slide to 2028, and the first-round pick the Flyers got for Laughton in 2027 is now unprotected,” as stated by reporter Jackie Spiegel.
Though giving up two first-rounders is far from an ideal scenario for the Maple Leafs, selecting first overall in 2026 may make up for it all. With reports suggesting the hiring of Mats Sunding and John Chayka pushes Auston Matthews further away, the news of the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft could change everything.
Maple Leafs couldn’t have asked for better outcome
Still, that’s all talk about the future. All Maple Leafs fans care about is that their team just won the Draft Lottery. Although their odds dropped to 4.5% after the first two balls were drawn, the Buds pulled off an improbable comeback to secure the first overall pick.
Auston Matthews #34 of the Maple Leafs celebrates
The winning combination was 7-2-11-12. Now, the Leafs will select first overall for the first time since drafting Auston Matthews in 2016. Exactly a decade later, the Buds get another shot at revamping their squad. Perhaps it’s just what Toronto needed to convince its captain to stay and truly become a Stanley Cup contender.
Toronto’s luck in the NHL Draft Lottery must be studied. In the last 10 years, the Buds have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice and they’ve come away with the first overall selection both times.
When is the 2026 NHL Draft?
The 2026 NHL Upper Deck Draft will take place June 26–27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. In the home of their despised cross-border rivals, the Maple Leafs may change the course of their franchise forever. How fitting.
The Maple Leafs are officially on the clock as they make up their minds. Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg—that is the question. On their first day on the job, Sundin and Chayka already hold the future of the organization in their hands.
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