The NHL Draft Lottery is back, and all eyes are on Tuesday, May 5 at 7 p.m. ET. It’s happening live from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey—and once again, luck will play a huge role in shaping the future of several teams.
For struggling teams like the Vancouver Canucks, this moment feels especially big. They finished dead last in the league with just 58 points—14 points behind everyone else. And with top prospects like Gavin McKenna and Ivan Stenberg in the mix, fans are hoping the lottery finally swings their way this year instead of repeating last season’s heartbreak.
🔥 What makes this year extra interesting?
- The lottery will be broadcast live for the second straight year
- Two drawings decide the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks
- Teams can only jump up a maximum of 10 spots
- The last-place team is guaranteed to pick no lower than third overall
Last year proved just how unpredictable it can get. The San Jose Sharks missed out on the top pick despite terrible odds, while the New York Islanders shocked everyone by jumping up with just a 3.5% chance and landed Matthew Schaefer. Even Utah made a surprise leap into the top four.
📺 How to watch the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery
- Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: Fubo
🎯 Top NHL Draft Lottery Odds (2026)
Here’s how the odds stack up for the No. 1 pick:
- Vancouver Canucks — 18.5% (25.5% overall chance at top 2)
- Chicago Blackhawks — 13.5%
- New York Rangers — 11.5%
- Calgary Flames — 9.5%
- Toronto Maple Leafs — 8.5% (top-5 protected pick situation)
- Seattle Kraken — 7.5%
- Winnipeg Jets — 6.5%
- Florida Panthers — 6.0%
- San Jose Sharks — 5.0%
- Nashville Predators — 3.5%
- St. Louis Blues — 3.0%
- New Jersey Devils — 2.5%
- New York Islanders — 2.0%
- Columbus Blue Jackets — 1.5%
- Detroit Red Wings — 1.0% (pick traded)
- Washington Capitals — 0.5%
⭐ Top NHL Draft Prospects to Watch
🇺🇸 North American skaters
- LW Gavin McKenna (Penn State)
- D Reid Chase (Sault Ste. Marie)
- D Carson Carels (Prince George)
- D Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota)
- D Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert)
🌍 International standouts
- LW Ivan Stenberg (Sweden)
- D Alberts Smits (Latvia)
- C Oliver Suvanto (Finland)
- C Viggo Bjorck (Sweden)
- RW Elton Hermansson (Sweden)
🎲 How the NHL Draft Lottery actually works
It’s simple—but intense:
- There are two separate drawings (No. 1 and No. 2 picks)
- Each team gets a set of numbered ping-pong ball combinations
- Worse teams get more combinations (so better odds)
- A team can move up a maximum of 10 spots
- No team can win the lottery more than twice in a five-year span
At the end of the day, it all comes down to luck. One bounce of a ball can completely reshape a franchise’s future—and that’s exactly what makes the NHL Draft Lottery so unpredictable and exciting every year.
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