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NHL draft lottery odds: Order determined for May 5 draft lottery originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2025-26 NHL regular season has officially ended, and with the Stanley Cup playoff bracket set, the draft lottery odds are, too.
The order for the 2026 NHL draft isn’t confirmed yet. That will be decided on May 5, when the league hosts the draft lottery, which will reveal which teams move up, fall, or remain put in the draft order.
With that, multiple teams in the lottery realm have been active regarding the GM role. Some have been fired, hired or signed contract extensions.
As of April 17, here is the final ranking of the NHL’s draft lottery odds going into the off-season.
1. Vancouver Canucks, 25.5 Percent
The Vancouver Canucks have been in this position for quite some time now. No team could come close to the Canucks, who finished with 58 points. That’s 14 fewer points than the team above them in the standings.
Also, Vancouver’s president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, announced on Friday that the organization has parted ways with GM Patrik Allvin. Assuming they find a new GM between now and the draft lottery, or at the very least the draft, the Canucks could have a new face handling their high draft choice.
MORE: Vancouver Canucks Fire GM Patrik Allvin
2. Chicago Blackhawks, 13.5 Percent
It’s been another season to forget for the Chicago Blackhawks. They finish in all too familiar territory, ending the campaign in 31st position, and will likely receive a top-10 pick for the fifth straight year. Or, they could receive a top-three choice for the fourth straight year.
Regarding their front office, GM Kyle Davidson signed a multi-year contract extension with the Blackhawks. He’s been Chicago’s GM since 2021-22, when he started his first season on an interim basis. With putting the young pieces in place over the past few years, Davidson has another choice to make at this upcoming draft.
3. New York Rangers, 11.5 Percent
If the NHL adopted the ‘Gold Plan,’ the New York Rangers would be the front-runner for the first-overall pick and would have the best lottery odds. Among the teams at the bottom of the league, the Rangers have been winning games at a higher rate than the organization may have expected.
Rangers GM Chris Drury doesn’t seem to be at risk of losing his job soon based on the lack of discussion around that possibility. With the letter to the fans earlier this year, and a jump in the team’s play to end the year, maybe Drury is right about the Blueshirts being able to retool and turn the ship around next season.
MORE: Mike Sullivan Believes He's Gotten A Large Enough Sample Size Of Rangers' Youth
4. Calgary Flames, 9.5 Percent
Of all the teams listed in this draft lottery odds ranking, the Calgary Flames’ campaign has been the least surprising. In fact, they may be right on schedule, attached with the hopes of climbing in this lottery.
However, given the lack of superstar talent in the pipeline for Calgary, considering the team’s status, GM Craig Conroy must get this year’s first-round pick exactly right. He also has the Vegas Golden Knights’ first-rounder to play with this year.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs, 8.5 Percent
The Toronto Maple Leafs are another team without a GM. Unlike the Canucks, who have a president of hockey operations, the Leafs don’t have one. MLSE will continue to find and hire the candidate they feel fits best, and that new face may have a first-round pick to make.
Toronto is dangerously close to losing this year’s first-round pick because the Boston Bruins will own it if the lottery drops the Leafs’ selection outside of the top five. But if they remain put, whoever comes in as the new front-office leader could already have a major decision to make.
MORE: 'I Can't Predict The Future': Auston Matthews Unsure What Comes Next With Maple Leafs
6. Seattle Kraken, 7.5 Percent
The Seattle Kraken were in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race not long ago, but a poor March and April dragged them out of the hunt. In the midst of their fallout, Ron Francis stepped down as the Kraken’s president of hockey operations.
Some found the timing of his decision interesting, given the available roles and opportunities on other teams. Still, Francis finding a new franchise to lead next season remains to be seen.
7. Winnipeg Jets, 6.5 Percent
The Winnipeg Jets are hoping that this is a one-off season, missing the playoffs by a healthy margin after taking home the Presidents’ Trophy last year. Although if the Jets put up another poor campaign in 2026-27, all eyes will be on GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.
The attention will be turned to him for a couple of reasons. He will either have to decide on head coach Scott Arniel and his role with the team, or Cheveldayoff, one of the longest-tenured GMs in the league, may be shown the door.
8. Florida Panthers, 6.0 Percent
This is a new position for Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito. Since joining the Panthers’ front office in September 2020, he’s never made a top-10 draft choice. He’s only ever made two first-round picks for Florida.
About a month after his hire, the 2020 draft was held in October due to the COVID-19-affected season. He selected Anton Lundell with the 12th overall pick, and that turned out to be a great decision.
One year later, Zito picked Mackie Samoskevich 24th overall, making him the last first-round pick that the Panthers GM ever made.
MORE: Panthers Get To Keep 2026 First-Round Pick Thanks To Finishing With Eighth-Worst Record In NHL
9. San Jose Sharks, 5.0 Percent
The San Jose Sharks are showing signs of growth, and that is exactly what GM Mike Grier was hoping to see. With a real push for the playoffs, and Macklin Celebrini being a Hart Trophy candidate this season, signs are looking up for the Sharks.
Grier has the Sharks’ right where he wants them and could honestly be considered one of the safest GMs in the league regarding his job security. With this draft and adding help around Celebrini, expect San Jose to make noise next year.
10. Nashville Predators, 3.5 Percent
The Nashville Predators were another team in the playoff hunt this season, but now that the campaign is over, they can focus on the organization’s future.
However, the person leading the draft likely won’t be GM Barry Trotz, as he has made it clear he plans to retire once a successor is found. Therefore, it’s likely that the Predators’ organization will be looking to hire that replacement before the draft comes around.
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