Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft, has decided against playing for Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in order to better prepare for the NHL Draft Combine and a critical summer of training. The World Championship will take place in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland, from May 15-31.

Ten years ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs entered the NHL Draft Lottery with the best chance to get the No. 1 pick after finishing with the worst record during the 2015-16 season. The Leafs got lucky that night, which ultimately led to them drafting Auston Matthews, the current captain of the team.

After losing the draft lottery, the Calgary Flames fell two spots in the draft order. They will now select sixth overall this summer. Luckily for Calgary, this year’s draft is considered to be stacked at the top.

For the second straight year, the drama of the NHL Draft Lottery will play out in real time for all to see. Like the lottery in 2025, instead of watching a countdown from 16 to 1 after the lottery balls have been drawn behind the scenes,

Pessimist’s case: Bjorck may struggle to hang onto an NHL roster spot, as 5-9 forwards who don’t produce tend not to last long in the league. He grinds and moves well, but at that size, you have to score a lot at even strength and help a power play to earn regular minutes.

The New York Rangers are going to be very busy for the next couple of months while the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on.  Following an extremely disappointing c

Sharks, Macklin Celebrini, Michael Misa get big news in NHL Draft lottery originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. All the NHL Draft lottery headlines will be about the Toronto Maple Leafs.