Report: 2026 NHL Draft Lottery scheduled for May 5

The fate of many of the NHL’s lower echelon will be determined in less than two months.

According to insider Frank Seravalli, the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will be held on May 5.

This will be the second consecutive year where the lottery will be performed live on-air, rather than the olden days when the balls were drawn ahead of time, with the reveal taking place on television.

With the live lottery, the odds of teams will be calculated in real time, adding an extra sense of cinematic drama for fans around the globe.

Last year, the New York Islanders entered the lottery with a 3.5 percent chance of picking first overall. However, the balls fell in place for the franchise, as they won the lottery for the third time in the team’s history. They took advantage of the opportunity, picking Erie Otters standout Matthew Schaefer. The lottery has led to an immediate turnaround for the Long Island organization. Not only has Schaefer had a record-breaking season, becoming the youngest player to score an NHL overtime goal as well as setting a new record for most goals by an 18-year-old defender, but the Isles are back in playoff contention, with some projecting the team to make it to the Metropolitan Division Final.

Right now, the Vancouver Canucks have the best odds to win the lottery, with a 25.5 percent chance, thanks to the team stumbling to the worst record in the NHL. They’re followed closely by the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks, the only other teams that would have a better-than-10-percent chance of picking first overall if the lottery were held today.

There are a number of talented players who are part of this year’s draft class. While players like Ivar Stenberg and Carson Carels are likely to be picked in the top five, everyone’s eye has been on Gavin McKenna, who has been having an excellent freshman season at Penn State, and is a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.