Maple Leafs Winning 2026 NHL Draft Lottery Stuns Fans: “This Was Rigged”

The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs had the No.1 overall pick was in 2016 when they drafted Auston Matthews.

Maple Leafs Winning 2026 NHL Draft Lottery Stuns Fans: “This Was Rigged”

Mats Sundin, Keith Pelley and John Chayka (Image via Toronto Sun)

It seems Lady Luck is finally in favor of the Toronto Maple Leafs. On Tuesday, the Canadian outfit won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery and will have the No.1 overall pick this year. This development comes just 2 days after they made some big changes.

On Sunday, the Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) announced the hiring of Mats Sundin and John Chayka. Sundin was announced as the new senior executive advisor, while Chayka was named the 19th General Manager in the history of the Toronto-based franchise.

During the introductory press conference on Monday, Chayka found his name trending for unwanted reasons as reporter Steve Simmons went off at Keith Pelly for his hiring. The NHL insider expressed that he spoke with 20 prominent names from the NHL, with only 1 supporting the decision of Chayka’s hiring.

A day after this heated welcome, Chayka and Sundin hit the jackpot. Before the NHL Draft Lottery show, the team had a mere 8.5 percent chance of winning the lottery and getting the chance at the No.1 overall pick.

The shock has happened. Despite the odds heavily against them, the Maple Leafs have won the NHL Draft Lottery and will have the first pick this year at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo on June 26-27.

Surprisingly, the last time the NHL Draft took place in Buffalo was in 2016. That time, the Maple Leafs had the No.1 draft pick. They went on to choose Auston Matthews, who is the current captain of the team.

The only other time the team had the top pick was in 1985. That year, they picked Wendel Clark, who was later traded to the Quebec Nordiques in 1994 for Sundin.

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Social media accuses Maple Leafs of “rigging” NHL Draft Lottery after team earns No.1 pick for 2026

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be the team that will pick the first player in the NHL Draft this year. After they won the NHL Draft Lottery, fans took to social media and accused the franchise of “rigging” the lottery and earning the No.1 pick.

Mats Sundin and John Chayka
Mats Sundin and John Chayka (Image via Sportsnet)

Many users on X threw in cheating accusations at the team. One user wrote, “This was rigged,” while making their feelings known.

Check out some of the reactions below:

A reason for these strong reactions from fans could be due to the reports regarding Auston Matthews. Some reports suggested that the American International was not sure whether he would return to the team next season. His 2025-26 season came to an end in March after he suffered a Grade 3 torn MCL injury following a hit from Radko Gudas.

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Will the Maple Leafs go for Gavin McKenna as the No.1 draft pick?

This year, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have the chance to pick the first player in the draft as they won the lottery on Tuesday. Following their win, many are wondering whether they will go for Gavin McKenna as the No.1 pick.

Gavin McKenna
Gavin McKenna (Image via TSN)

McKenna is one of the highlight names for the draft this year. The 18-year-old had an impressive season in the NCAA, having 51 points (15 goals and 36 assists) in 35 games.

When asked about the team potentially going for him, John Chayka expressed that he is an “exciting player” and has a good package.

Exciting player. I’ve tracked him for a number of years now, and the skill level, the creativity, his puck ability, and then his shot release is all pretty special. It’s a good package, so it will be good to get with the scouts and talk through it all.

John Chayka said regarding Gavin McKenna as per Mark Masters

The 2025-26 season was one that the Maple Leafs would like to forget. They finished 28th in the NHL standings with a 32-36-14 record. It will be interesting to see what the team does with the first pick opportunity this year.

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