By now, it’s no secret to Boston Bruins fans that the team got ever so slightly shafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs landing the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Leafs were hoping to get at least a top-five selection in order to retain this year’s first-rounder. However, the hockey gods smiled down on the Leafs and bestowed the first-overall pick.
Conspiracy theories notwithstanding, those are the facts.
The situation, as I’ve discussed in the past, means that the Bruins miss out on the 2026 pick. So, per the conditions of that pick, Boston should get the Leafs 2027 unprotected first-rounder, right?
Well, not so fast. According to Philadelphia Flyers insider Kevin Kurz, the Flyers are in line to get the Leafs’ 2027 first-rounder, leaving Boston to get Toronto’s 2028 pick.
Huh?
Per a league source, the NHL has informed the Flyers that while they own the Maple Leafs' 2027 first round pick (Laughton trade), the Leafs still have the option to transfer it to Boston if it's in the top 10. In that event, the Flyers would receive Toronto's 2028 first rounder.
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) June 10, 2026
So, even if the Leafs don’t make the playoffs next season, but as long as their pick doesn’t fall into the top 10 next season, it will transfer to the Flyers. That scenario would leave the Bruins with the Leafs’ 2028 first-rounder, unprotected.
Should the Leafs’ pick fall into the top 10, they won’t be able to weasel out of it. The catch is that the pick would be up to Toronto to decide who gets it. And that’s where the Leafs could decide to pit the Flyers and Bruins against one another.
NHL could stop Maple Leafs from gouging Bruins
On the surface, the Maple Leafs could essentially extort the Bruins and Flyers to pay up for the pick. While the Bruins and Flyers already paid, the Leafs could come back and ask for a little extra something to get that 2027 first-rounder.
The move would make even more sense if it were a top-five selection.
But that’s where the NHL could step in. The league could prevent the Leafs from asking Boston or Philadelphia to cough up something else for the pick.
Of course, we could sidestep this entire discussion by getting the Leafs to finish outside the top 10. At that point, there would be clarity as to who gets which pick.
But if the Leafs were to crash and burn this upcoming season, and there’s a pretty good chance that could be the case, that pick could become a highly coveted one.
In the meantime, there shouldn’t be any more talk of this pick until next spring. By the time the 2027 NHL Draft rolls around, there could be plenty of speculation as to what will happen with one of the most controversial first-round picks in draft history.
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