The Florida Panthers will have a top-10 NHL draft pick. Details and lottery odds
The Florida Panthers will have their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Panthers had traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks along with goaltender Spencer Knight for defenseman Seth Jones last year. However, that pick has a top-10 protection clause, meaning Florida retains the pick if it ends up being in the top 10 of the draft order following the draft lottery.
Following wins by the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks on Thursday, the Panthers (40-38-4, 84 points) finished the regular season with the eighth-worst record in the NHL.
Since only two teams win the lottery, Florida is guaranteed to have no worse than the No. 10 pick in the first round after the lottery, which would happen if both of the lottery winners are from teams ranked in the Nos. 9-16 range entering the lottery.
As such, the pick stays with Florida.
How does the NHL draft lottery work?
A set of 14 ping-pong balls are placed in a lottery machine, which allows for 1,001 combinations (although one combination is deleted to make it an even 1,000 possibilities). The 16 teams that do not make the Stanley Cup playoffs are assigned a set of random four-number combinations. Teams with worse records get assigned a greater number of combinations. The team with the worst record gets 185 total combinations for an 18.5% chance of winning the first lottery draw.
There are two total drawings in the lottery to determine the Nos. 1 and 2 overall picks. However, teams can move up no more than 10 spots via the lottery. So if a team ranked Nos. 12-16 wins the first draw, then that team will move up 10 places from its initial spot and the team with the worst record will stay at No. 1. The same applies for teams ranked Nos. 13-16 with the second draw. Teams are also not allowed to win the lottery more than twice in a five-year span.
When does the draft lottery take place?
The draft lottery is set to take place on May 5.
When is the 2026 NHL Draft?
The 2026 NHL Draft is June 26-27 in Buffalo. Round 1 will be held on June 26, while Rounds 2-7 will take place on June 27.
So where exactly will the Panthers pick in the first round?
Florida can either have the first, second, eighth, ninth or 10th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
What are the Panthers’ chances of winning the lottery?
The team in the No. 8 spot of the draft lottery has a 6% chance of winning the lottery.
How does this impact future Panthers draft picks?
With Florida retaining its first-round pick for the 2026 draft, the Blackhawks will now receive the Panthers’ 2027 first-round pick.
That, in turn, also means the Boston Bruins (who were tentatively given Florida’s 2027 first-round pick in the Brad Marchand deal) will now get the Panthers’ 2028 first-round pick.
The Panthers’ next first-round draft pick is in 2029.
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