Pivotal NHL Draft Lottery Awaits Boston Bruins
Tuesday evening’s draft lottery will shape the Boston Bruins’ offseason as the draft order is set in stone for next month’s NHL Entry Draft. Despite the draft picks originally belonging to the 16 playoff teams not being part of the lottery, a trade at the 2025 deadline gave the Bruins the rights to a Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick in the next three years, depending on where it falls after the lottery.
Importance of NHL Draft Lottery for Boston
The Boston Bruins currently hold the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first round pick, but Toronto retain the pick if it falls in the top-five. Currently, the pick would stay with Toronto, as the Maple Leafs finished with the fifth-worst record in the league but if they are jumped by at least one team in the lottery and do not win either drawing, the sixth or seventh pick would head to Boston. Entering the lottery, the Bruins have a 52% chance of recieving the pick and Toronto hold a 48% to retain the pick.
If the pick does not convey this draft, the outcome is further complicated by the Maple Leafs trading a top-ten protected 2027 first round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Scott Laughton. If Toronto keeps their pick this year, the Maple Leafs will be forced to give up both their 2027 and 2028 picks regardless of where they finish. Should the 2027 pick fall outside of the top-ten, Philadelphia receives the 2027 pick, and the Bruins receive Toronto’s 2028 first round pick unprotected. If it lands in the top ten, Toronto will choose one team to receive the 2027 pick and the other to receive the 2028 pick.
How the Bruins Acquired Toronto’s Pick
As the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline approached, Boston Bruins’ General Manager Don Sweeny opted to kick start a rebuild by dealing off key pieces from an aging roster as Boston’s playoff hopes seemed dim and their championship window closed. Included in the fire sale was Brandon Carlo being shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a package that included Fraser Minten and the Maple Leaf’s 2026 first round pick, with a top-five protection.
NHL Draft Lottery Format
The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery consists of two draws of four lottery pong balls each, with the lottery pong balls being numbered one to fourteen. 1,000 of the 1,001 combinations are divided amongst the 16 teams that missed the playoffs, with the final combination being designated as a redraw. The number of combinations for teams ranges from 185 for the Vancouver Canucks, who finished with the fewest points in the regular season, and five each for the St. Louis Blues (pick via Detroit) and the Washington Capitals.
The team who owns the winning combination after the first draw moves up the draft order by a maximum of ten spots, meaning any of the teams with the eleven best odds are eligible to win the number one pick. If one of the teams with the five lowest odds win the lottery, they move up ten picks and the team that entered the lottery with the best odds, the Canucks, would be slotted in as the top pick. After the first drawing is concluded, a second drawing takes place with the same rules to determine the next highest available pick, with a redraw taking place if the winner from the first drawing wins a second time.
How to Watch: NHL Draft Lottery
When: Tuesday, May 5 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: NHL Network studio in Secaucus, N.J.
TV:ESPN (US), Sportsnet (Canada), and TVA Sports (Canada)
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