Good things can, in fact, happen to the Toronto Maple Leafs!
On Tuesday, the Maple Leafs won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery after having just an 8.5 percent chance to take home the top spot with the fifth-best odds. We’ve seen bigger jumps to the No. 1 spot, to be sure, but considering the circumstances surrounding Toronto at the moment, the win feels like an incredible spot of luck.
First, the Maple Leafs had an incredibly tense press conference with reporters on Monday introducing John Chayka as the team’s new general manager. Chayka’s hiring left many in Toronto feeling underwhelmed, as his previous gig with the former Arizona Coyotes was filled with controversy.
Then early on Tuesday before the draft lottery, reports circulated that captain Auston Matthews is unsure of his future in Toronto as the forward faces unrestricted free agency in a handful of years. The Maple Leafs had a poor 2025-26 season and with the controversial general manager hire, the uncertainty surrounding Matthews and the increasing possibility that Craig Berube could be coming back as head coach, the vibes could not have been worse in Toronto ahead of the draft lottery.
We also can’t forget the drama in this draft lottery for Toronto before they won it all. If the Maple Leafs had slid past the first five picks, their 2026 first rounder would have gone to the Boston Bruins as part of the Brandon Carlo trade from last year. With getting the first overall pick this year, the Maple Leafs will likely lose out on both of their 2027 and 2028 first rounders, but that cost is well worth it for No. 1 overall.
2026 NHL Mock Draft:Projecting the first 10 picks, including Gavin McKenna to the Maple Leafs.
So, with all of that swirling around Tuesday’s draft lottery, hockey fans couldn’t help themselves in making jokes about the absurdity of it all after the Maple Leafs officially won the draft lottery.
i never doubted toronto’s direction, vision, hirings, trades, or tank commitment for a single second
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) May 5, 2026
This lottery win puts the Leafs in a great position to win whatever trophy the NHL comes up with for everyone else to compete for while the Sharks are winning the next ten Stanley Cups.
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) May 5, 2026
Not only that, fans couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the Maple Leafs getting the No. 1 overall pick and the Dallas Mavericks getting the No. 1 overall pick after the Luka Dončić trade.
Mavericks trade Luka for spare parts – win the lottery
Leafs go full Leafs this season and risk trending towards being the worst team in the league – win the draft lottery
I’m done believing in coincidences
— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) May 5, 2026
How rigged is the draft lottery in the NBA & NHL? First Mavs trade Luka and get the first pick. Now Leafs win the lottery and get the #1 pick.
— Sandy Plashkes (@SandyPlashkes) May 5, 2026
Leafs getting first overall is right there with the Dallas Mavericks after the Luka trade
— Mike Martignago (@MikeMartignago) May 5, 2026
Considering we saw the lottery balls drawn live on TV, it’s pretty safe to say that the Maple Leafs just got lucky this time. But, fans will be fans!
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Maple Leafs win NHL draft lottery and fans all made the same joke
