Maple Leafs' newly introduced front office awaits NHL Draft lottery news

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May 4, 2026 - 18:43

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Maple Leafs' newly introduced front office awaits NHL Draft lottery news originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new front office.

They introduced GM John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin on Monday, and the first big order of business will soon be out of their control.

The NHL Draft lottery is on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, and the Leafs will be watching closely.

Toronto's first-round pick is top-five protected from last year's Brandon Carlo trade, but if it falls outside the first five picks in the lottery, it conveys to the Boston Bruins.

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So the spot that Toronto pops up in during the lottery will be pivotal.

The Maple Leafs ended the regular season with the fifth-best lottery odds, which could be key to their outcome.

Their odds of each slot:

1st: 8.5%
2nd: 8.6%
3rd: 0.3%
4th: 0
5th: 24.5%
6th: 44.0%
7th: 14.2%

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So for those doing the math at home: That's a 58.2% chance of conveying the pick to Boston as either No. 6 or No. 7.

The Leafs have a 41.8% chance of keeping the selection for themselves (although rounding really makes this a bit closer to 41.9% and 58.1% as you expand the decimals out further).

This is a strong draft, and coming off a brutal 2025-26 season, the Leafs sure would like to keep their pick and get one of the best players on the board.

Chayka and Sundin will be watching Tuesday night to see if their tenure starts with a good omen like that, or a bad omen of losing their pick to Boston.