After what has felt like months of waiting, the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery is officially here. Heading into the lottery, the Vancouver Canucks have the best odds of landing first overall for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. It is safe to say that there is plenty of excitement in the market as the Canucks have never selected first overall.
While Vancouver finished 32nd overall, that does not guarantee they will win first overall. In fact, they have a better statistical chance of falling to third rather than winning the draft lottery. Below is a quick explanation of how the lottery works and what needs to happen for the Canucks to win.
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Only the bottom 11 teams are eligible to win the first overall slot. This is because teams can only move up a total of 10 spots. Below are the 11 teams and their odds of winning the first overall pick.
The draft lottery consists of two drawings. As per the NHL, “The first draw locks in the No. 1 pick (and potentially another pick). The second draw determines the rest of the order. If the winner of the first draw wins the second draw, there is a redraw.”
As for the draw itself, there are 1,000 eligible combinations. Vancouver has been assigned 185 combinations. Below is a list of the Canucks winning combinations.
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The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery is scheduled for May 5, 2026 at 4:00 pm PT. The event will be broadcast on Sportsnet. After the event is complete, the NHL will be posting a video of the draw on YouTube.
Photo Credit: @Canucks on “X”
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