After a front office change, the Maple Leafs won the draft lottery

Secaucus, NJ — The Toronto Maple Leafs Won the lottery for the first pick in the NHL draft

The win comes at an important time for Toronto after hiring John Chayka as general manager and bringing back franchise legend Mats Sundin to serve as hockey operations advisor.

The future of captain and best player Auston Matthews The biggest question after missing the playoffs for the first time in his career. This is the first time the Maple Leafs have won the lottery since selecting Matthews with the No. 1 pick in 2016.

“I’m definitely very happy for the Toronto Maple Leafs fan base,” senior executive advisor of hockey operations Mats Sundin said on ESPN during the lottery broadcast. “It’s a great night, a great lottery.”

They had the fifth-highest chance of winning at 8.5%. Vancouver had a high of 18.5% and was not the first pick in the draft. Toronto had to move its pick to Boston to complete a trade last year Brandon Carlo If not in the top five.

The Bruins and Philadelphia will consequently get the Leafs’ first rounders in 2027 and ’28. For this draft, Penn State’s Gavin McKenna and Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg are rated as the top North American and European prospects by NHL Central Scouting.

D San Jose Sharks Won the lottery for the second pick.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.