All eyes in Toronto and Boston were on the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night in New Jersey. Both teams and fanbases had a huge interest in how the balls were going to end up falling. It could have been franchise-altering for one or, really, both teams.
If the pick was in the Top 5, the Maple Leafs were keeping it. However, if it fell outside the Top 5, the pick was the Bruins as part of the return for the trade in March of 2024 that sent defenseman Brandon Carlo to Toronto. The fact that everyone was in the position they were in going into the Draft Lottery was surprising, given the fact that Boston made the playoffs in 2025-26 and Toronto missed them.
Getting a second first-round draft pick in June's draft would have been huge for the Black and Gold. Instead, disaster struck in the worst possible way.
Former Bruins player and coach drops interesting quote on Maple Leafs winning the NHL Draft Lottery
Former Boston Bruins defenseman and assistant coach John Gurden is the head coach of the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. After the ping-pong balls went the way of the Leafs, who won the Draft Lottery, he had a quote that many outside of Toronto would agree with.
"I think it's best for the league that Toronto has the number-one pick,'' said Gruden. "It's just a better situation."
Says who? Well, outside of Toronto, not many people would feel that way. Certainly not in Boston. However, after what looked like savage fleecing of their Atlantic Division rivals, it is now turning into a nightmare for Don Sweeney and the Bruins.
Not only don't they get the pick, but they also watch the Maple Leafs likely land Gavin McKenna and delay what could be a possible rebuild. Calling it a rebuild might be a stretch, as Toronto likely would have gone the retool route like Boston did, rather than blowing it up. Now, the Bruins are left to reassess the future after having the worst possible outcome on Tuesday night.
Add us as a preferred source on Google