In surpring news, the Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery which gifts them the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
After having their worst season since winning the NHL Draft Lottery 10 years prior, the Leafs hit the jackpot. Instead of giving away a potential sixth-overall pick to the Boston Bruins, the team will now be able to draft whoever they desire.
Gavin McKenna is the project first overall pick, but is it possible that management trades this pick instead?
Don't get me wrong, McKenna is a stud. He scored 121 points in his last year of junior hockey and followed that up by leading his Penn State team in scoring, despite being the youngest player on the team. He definitely looks like a future NHL superstar, but his size is a factor.
Auston Matthews could use a winger beside him, but McKenna is only 5-foot-11, 170 pounds and doesn't possess a ton of toughness. He's a pure scoring winger who will put up points, but don't the Leafs already have that player?
There's probably a five percent chance that the Leafs would ever trade the pick, but let's talk it through. By holding that first-overall draft slot, there are 31 other teams who would love to get their shot at McKenna.
Let's look at San Jose with the No. 2 overall pick for example. Would the Sharks potentially trade something like Michael Misa, a future first-round pick, another player/prospect and the second-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft for William Nylander and the Leafs number-one pick?
Toronto could gain an extra first-rounder, still draft an unreal player like Ivar Stenberg and then gain a young centreman. All at the same time, Toronto could finally offload Nylander's contract, so they're re-tooling while staying relevant at the same time.
Leafs lottery win sets up their future so well
That's obviously a crazy scenario, so let's assume they keep the pick and draft McKenna. By doing that, they've all of a sudden added a first-line winger who's making league minimum for the next three years. Instead of putting that first-overall picks in trade rumours,, someone like Nylander and Matthew Knies could all of a sudden be on the chopping block.
Would someone like the St. Louis Blues be willing to trade away Colton Parayko and their No. 11 or No. 15 overall pick for Matthew Knies? The money makes sense and it could seriously help both team's.
Or what about the Sharks again? Would San Jose consider trading their No. 20 overall first-rounder and a first-round pick next year for Nylander? Or maybe they're willing to part ways with defenseman Sam Dickinson, who's an up and coming star.
The Sharks will still be able to draft a young defenseman this year to replace Dickenson, while gaining an all-star in Nylander, so there could be a hockey trade there?
Either way, winning the lottery sets this team up so much better than gifting their pick to Boston. Let's hope the duo of Mats Sundin and John Chayka don't screw it up.
Add us as a preferred source on Google