The Toronto Maple Leafs won the lottery (jumping from 5th in odds with ~8.5% chance) and secured the 1st overall pick for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo. This is their first No. 1 pick since 1969 (and first lottery win in a while).
Why the lottery mattered to the Flyers
The Flyers acquired Toronto’s 2027 1st-round pick (top-10 protected) in the March 2025 Scott Laughton trade (along with Nikita Grebenkin).the Leafs landed No. 1 overall in 2026 (well inside the top 5), they keep their 2026 1st-rounder. This triggers the slide in their trade obligations:
- The Bruins (who hold a top-5 protected 2026 1st from Toronto) do not get the 2026 pick.
- This pushes Toronto’s obligations forward, making it very likely the Flyers will receive Toronto’s 2027 1st-round pick (unprotected or highly valuable, depending on exact lottery outcomes and Toronto’s 2026-27 performance).
There are layered protections involving both the Bruins and Flyers (2027/2028 picks), but the consensus post-lottery is that Philadelphia is in a strong position to land a good (potentially high) 2027 first from Toronto.
Bottom line:
Huge win for Leafs fans tonight, but it also clears the path for the Flyers to cash in on that future asset. The 2027 draft could get very interesting for Philly.
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