Rangers get No. 5 pick in first round after Toronto wins NHL Draft Lottery
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images The New York Rangers were one number away from winning the NHL Draft Lottery and taking home the No. 1 pick. Not only didn’t they win the top choice, they dropped back to No.
5 — the lowest possible outcome for the team that finished 30th in the overall standings. Ping-pong balls with 7, 2, and 11 were the first three numbers called — and Rangers fans might have thought the hockey gods were smiling on them because those numbers were worn by Blueshirts immortals Rod Gilbert, Brian Leetch and Mark Messier. Nos.
9 (Hall of Famer Andy Bathgate) or 14 on the final ball would have given the Rangers the first pick. Instead, No. 12 came up, giving the No.
1 selection to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were 28th in the standings, two spots ahead of the Rangers. It’s the third time the Leafs will pick first; they selected Wendel Clark in 1985 and Auston Matthews in 2026. The 2026 #NHLDraft Lottery results are IN!
🤩 Now, who will be the first overall pick? Find out June 26 at the 2026 #NHLDraft ! pic.