Credit Image: © Christopher Drost/SHIFT digital via ZUMA Press Wire
Fates in the NHL Draft Lottery Sealed
The Vancouver Canucks finished last in the NHL standings this season, which meant they had the highest odds (25.5%) for drafting first overall. They had not picked first at any time in franchise history, although they owned the first pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. That was the season where general manager Brian Burke pulled some strings to draft the Sedin Twins with the second and third overall picks. Those same Sedin Twins represented the Canucks at the NHL Draft Lottery this evening, as the general manager search is still ongoing. They will pick third in this year’s draft.
Post-lottery draft order:1) Toronto2) San Jose3) Vancouver4) Chicago5) Rangers6) Calgary7) Seattle8) Winnipeg9) Florida10) Nashville11) St. Louis12) New Jersey13) Islanders14) Columbus15) St. Louis (from Detroit)16) Washington
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 5, 2026
The Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers had the second and third highest odds to win the draft lottery. They will pick in __ and __ respectively.
Top Players to Watch For
What does this mean for these respective franchises? The prized player for this year’s draft is Penn State’s Gavin McKenna. He scored 129 points in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2024-25 season, which is a rate that surpassed the likes of Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard in the season prior to their draft year. Furthermore, McKenna projects to be every bit the franchise player that each of the aforementioned stars have developed into as players.
He has also had an impressive season at Penn State this season, with 51 points in 35 games. McKenna did not start the year off strong, but he has rediscovered his scoring touch in the second half of the season. Ivar Stenberg has also been in the mix to go high in the draft. He recorded 33 points in 43 games with Frolunda in the SHL this season, and led Sweden to a IIHF World Junior Gold Medal, scoring three points in the Go
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