Winnipeg Jets to select 8th after Toronto Maple Leafs win NHL Draft Lottery

The Winnipeg Jets did not get the luck of the draw.

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL’s Draft Lottery on Tuesday to get the first overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft, while the Jets fell to the eighth slot.

With the lottery unfolding live for the second straight year, the Maple Leafs’ balls came out to win the first overall pick, despite having just an 8.5 per cent chance of winning. They’ll select in the top slot for the first time since drafting Auston Matthews in 2016.

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The Jets selected Patrik Laine second overall that year and the Jets were hoping history would repeat itself in the second round of drawing to determine the rest of the draft order. But with just a 6.5 per cent chance of picking second, they weren’t so lucky this time.

The San Jose Sharks, who had the ninth best odds, won the second overall pick to push the Jets down one slot.

Entering the lottery with the seventh best odds, the Jets will pick with the eighth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. It’s Winnipeg’s third highest pick since returning to the city in 2011 after selecting Laine with the second selection in 2016 and Mark Scheifele with the seventh pick in 2011.

The Vancouver Canucks, who had the best chance to win the lottery, will select third, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Calgary Flames.

This year’s draft is set for June 26-27.

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