The Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL draft lottery Tuesday, handing newly hired general manager John Chayka and incoming senior executive adviser of hockey operations Mats Sundin immediate control of the No. 1 pick less than a day after their introduction.
The result drops a franchise-altering decision onto a front office already under scrutiny, with Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg emerging as the two leading options at the top of the draft.
Toronto entered the week at a crossroads after missing the playoffs and now turns to a new leadership group tasked with charting its direction — starting with the first overall selection.
The future of captain Auston Matthews remains the biggest question after the club missed the playoffs for the first time in his career. It marks the first time the Maple Leafs have won the lottery since selecting Matthews No. 1 in 2016.
The Leafs also had the top pick in 1985, when they took Wendel Clark, who was traded to the Quebec Nordiques for Sundin in 1994.
“I’m extremely happy for the Toronto Maple Leafs fan base, of course,” Sundin said during Tuesday’s draft lottery broadcast. “It’s great to get the first pick. Great night, great lottery.”
Asked if he’d had a chance to discuss the draft yet, Sundin said: “Not really. We’re just starting … a lot of evaluation going on. Certainly this is really going to help when you’re looking into the future.”
The 2026 draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center, with Penn State Nittany Lions men’s ice hockey forward McKenna and Swedish winger Stenberg rated as the top North American and European prospects by NHL Central Scouting.
McKenna has been considered the prospective top choice for quite some time.
“I’ve kept track of him for a number of years now, and the skill level, the creativity, obviously the puck ability and then his shot and release is all pretty special,” Chayka said. “A good package, and it’ll be good to get with the scouts and talk through it all, but I know there’s a lot of passion for a lot of players, including Gavin.”
The Leafs had the fifth-highest odds of winning it at 8.5 per cent. Vancouver, which finished last in the NHL with a 25-49-8 record, had the highest at 18.5 per cent and has never had the first pick in the draft.
The San Jose Sharks won the lottery for the second pick, while the Canucks fell to third.
Toronto would have had to transfer its pick to Boston to complete a trade last year for Brandon Carlo had it not been in the top five. The Bruins and Philadelphia, as a result, will get the Leafs’ first-rounders in 2027 and ’28.
McKenna, from Whitehorse, Yukon, tied for fifth in NCAA scoring with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games this season. He was named Big Ten freshman of the year.
Stenberg, 18, had 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games with Frölunda HC in Sweden’s top pro league, the SHL, the most by an 18-year-old there since Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 1998-99. He also helped Sweden win world junior gold with 10 points in seven games.
With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2026.
