Devils Stay Put Amid Surprise Jumps At NHL Draft Lottery

The New Jersey Devils will pick 12th overall at the 2026 NHL Draft. Tuesday’s lottery delivered no movement for New Jersey, which entered with the 12th-worst record among non-playoff teams. Their low odds of climbing into the top ten never hit.

Instead, chaos ruled the top of the board. The Toronto Maple Leafs, with just 8. 5% odds and coming off a fifth-worst record, rocketed from outside the top tier to first overall.

The San Jose Sharks, holding roughly 5% odds from a mid-lottery position (ninth-worst), leaped to second. Both jumps were highly improbable and reshuffled expectations for the 2026 NHL Draft Class. For the Devils, it marks another year of lottery neutrality.

Like 2024, they held steady in a spot that reflects their season: competitive enough to miss the playoffs but not lottery-favored. They landed hulking Russian defenseman, Anton Silayev that year. The top-end talent—headlined by prospects like Gavin McKenna—now looks to Toronto and San Jose, teams that capitalized on long-shot luck.