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The Toronto Maple Leafs have run out of things to play for in a positive sense in the 2025-26 NHL season.
But as far as the 2026 NHL Draft is concerned, the Maple Leafs still have a first-round pick on the line, and the Boston Bruins are very interested.
It's the pick that moved in the Brandon Carlo trade during the 2024-25 season. The Leafs sent a first-rounder and Fraser Minten to Boston in exchange for the defenseman Carlo.
That first-round pick for 2026 had a protection on it: If it ends up being a top-five selection, the Maple Leafs keep the pick.
If if ends up anywhere from No. 6 and beyond, the Bruins get to make the pick.
Given the rough season in Toronto, losing a first-round pick in a quality draft class would add insult to injury.
Below, we'll keep track of relevant happenings as the Maple Leafs try to finish in the bottom-five to give themselves the best draft lottery odds of keeping their own pick.
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Maple Leafs draft pick live odds
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- April 10: The Maple Leafs remain in sixth position after losing to the Islanders. It's still 7.5% for first, 7.7% for second, 0.2% for third and 84.6 chance to the Bruins.
- April 9: The Maple Leafs are in the sixth position after their loss to the Capitals. It's 7.5% for first, 7.7% for second, 0.2% for third and 84.6 chance to the Bruins.
- April 8: The odds for the Maple Leafs remain the same before they play the Capitals on Wednesday, April 8. They sit seventh in the tank rankings. They have a 6.5% opportunity for the first pick, 6.7% for the second, 0.2% for third -- and 86.6% of it going to the Bruins.
- April 6: Before action on this date, the Leafs have fallen to seventh in the chances. They have a 6.5% opportunity for the first pick, 6.7% for the second, 0.2% for third -- and 86.6% of it going to the Bruins.
- April 4: After results on this day, the Maple Leafs are down to sixth in the order. It's 7.5% for first, 7.7% for second, 0.2% for third and 84.6 chance to the Bruins.
- April 3: An example of how slim these margins are: A win by the Blues put the Maple Leafs back into the top-five -- 8.5% for first, 8.6% for second, 0.3% for third and 24.5% for fifth. That leaves it at 56.2% of conveying their pick to the Bruins.
- April 2: By the end of this night, the Leafs had moved back into the sixth spot in the running in the lottery order. That's a 7.5% chance at first, 7.7% at second, 0.2% at third and 84.6% chance of the pick going to Boston.
- April 1: The Maple Leafs are up to seventh in the draft pick running. Their odds are 6.5% for first, 6.7% for second, 0.2% for third. That makes it 86.6% chance of the pick going to Boston.
- March 31: The Maple Leafs are back down to eighth in the draft pick running. They've got a 6.0% chance of first pick, 6.3% chance of second pick, 0.2% chance of third pick -- and an 87.5% chance of their pick ending up with the Bruins.
- March 29: The Maple Leafs are now sixth-worst points rate as the Panthers' loss has moved them into the fifth spot. That makes the odds 7.5% for No. 1, 7.7% for No. 2, 0.2% for No. 3 and 84.6% chance to convey the pick to the Bruins.
- March 28: The Blues beating the Leafs, paired with a Jets win as well, as vaulted Toronto up to the fifth-best odds. They've now got 8.5% chance of the first pick, 8.6% of the second pick, 0.3% of the third pick, 24.2% of the fifth pick and lowered to 58.4% chance of the pick conveying to Boston at either six or seven.
- March 27: Before action on March 27, the Maple Leafs remain eighth in the lottery odds. They retain a 6.0% chance of getting the first pick, a 6.2% chance of the second pick, a 0.2% chance of the third pick, and that means an 87.6% chance of the pick going to the Bruins. Just one game with relevance tonight: Blackhawks-Rangers, with both teams also playing out the string on losing campaigns.
- March 26: Before action on March 26, the Maple Leafs rank eighth in the lottery odds. They have a 6.0% chance of getting the first pick, a 6.2% chance of the second pick, a 0.2% chance of the third pick -- and an 87.6% chance of conveying the pick to Boston.
Maple Leafs draft pick live updates
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- April 9: The Maple Leafs lost on back to back nights, falling 5-3 to the Islanders.
- April 8: The Maple Leafs did what they could by losing 4-0 to the Capitals on Wednesday night.
- April 4: Toronto got a point by losing to the Kings in overtime by a wild 7-6 score.
- April 3: The Blues won over the Ducks, which knocked St. Louis down a notch and helped Toronto.
- April 2: The Leafs lost 4-1 to the Sharks to help their own draft pick cause.
- April 1: Overnight, the Leafs were helped by the Jets winning. That pushed Winnipeg behind the Leafs in the race for a top draft pick.
- March 31: Late Monday night, the Maple Leafs beat the Ducks in overtime, 5-4. That's going to really hurt the cause, with the odds updated above.
- March 30: Before the Leafs play the Ducks, the Flames play the Avalanche. A loss by Calgary would be helpful for Toronto. That game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET, with the Maple Leafs in action at 10 p.m. ET (same time as the Blues, a team Toronto should want to win).
- March 29: A result that hurt the Leafs on an off day: The Panthers lost to the Rangers to move into a worse record than Toronto.
- March 28: A huge night here. Maple Leafs lose 5-1 to the Blues, while the Jets also win.
- March 27: The Rangers beat the Blackhawks, 6-1. The Maple Leafs odds remain the same.
- March 26: The Maple Leafs didn't play. Of teams with worse records than the Leafs, losses came for the Canucks, Flames, Jets, Sharks and Blackhawks. The Blues did win.
- March 25: The Maple Leafs made things worse by beating the New York Rangers, 4-3, on Tuesday night.
- March 24: The Maple Leafs hurt their cause directly on Tuesday, helping Boston's cause in the process. They played the Bruins and won, 4-2. That made it tougher for the Leafs to end up in the top-five, and easier for Boston to get the pick.
Maple Leafs' next game
The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action at home on Saturday, April 11 against the Florida Panthers.
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