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Maple Leafs
The fate of two traded first-round picks for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been determined following the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.
The Maple Leafs defied the odds and won the draft lottery with just an 8.5% chance of earning the No. 1 overall pick. With the ping-pong balls bouncing the Leafs’ way, the team won the top pick in this year’s draft, and they will now have the chance to select consensus top pick Gavin McKenna.
On top of that, the Maple Leafs do not have to worry about giving their first-round pick to the rival Boston Bruins. As part of the ill-fated trade for Brandon Carlo at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, the Leafs gave up a protected top-five pick in 2026. With the Leafs staying in the top five, the Bruins will now get a future first-round pick instead, as will the Philadelphia Flyers, who were also owed a future first from the controversial Scott Laughton trade.
At the 2025 NHL Trade deadline, former Leafs GM Brad Treliving traded two future first-round picks. One of them was sent to the Flyers in the Laughton trade, but this pick was conditional depending on whether or not the Bruins would receive the Leafs’ first-round pick in 2026.
Since the Maple Leafs did not give the Bruins their first-round pick this year after winning the lottery, the conditions of the trade have now been met, determining the fate of the team’s first-round picks in the next two drafts.
According to Flyers reporter, Jackie Spiegel, the Flyers will get the Leafs’ 2027 first-round pick, and the pick will be unprotected. Meaning, if the Leafs have another bad year and get another lottery pick next season, the Flyers would get that pick, regardless of where it ends up.
From everything I’ve heard, with the Maple Leafs getting a pick in the top five this year — they just won the lottery FYI — the first-rounder they sent to the Bruins for Carlo will slide to 2028, and the first-round pick the #Flyers got for Laughton in 2027 is now unprotected.
“From everything I’ve heard, with the Maple Leafs getting a pick in the top five this year — they just won the lottery FYI — the first-rounder they sent to the Bruins for Carlo will slide to 2028, and the first-round pick the #Flyers got for Laughton in 2027 is now unprotected,” the scribe wrote.
The NHL still has to make an official ruling, but it appears the Flyers will get the unprotected first from the Leafs in 2027, since they made the Laughton trade with the Leafs before the Leafs traded for Carlo.
With the Flyers getting the Maple Leafs’ unprotected first-round pick in 2027, the Bruins will get Toronto’s unprotected first-round pick in 2028.
The Bruins made out like bandits when they traded their longtime defenseman Carlo with retained salary to the Maple Leafs at last year’s deadline for this pick and prospect Fraser Minten. Not only do they get the pick, but Minten had a terrific season for the B’s and looks like a keeper going forward.
Of course, Bruins fans were praying the Maple Leafs slid out of the top five in yesterday’s lottery, as even the Leafs moving to sixth would have given the Bruins that pick. Ultimately, though, they’ll get an unprotected pick in 2028, which is a nice consolation prize.
Overall, while it hurts for the Maple Leafs to give up two unprotected picks in the next two drafts, it’s ultimately worth it for them as they won the lottery this year and get to pick No. 1 overall.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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