Just when the Boston Bruins and their fans thought they were sitting pretty with the Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick, disaster struck. In fact, it was the worst-case scenario that could have happened.
After making the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season as one of a few surprise teams in the first year of their retool, the Bruins had a big interest in the NHL Draft Lottery. If the Maple Leafs ' pick fell inside the Top 5, Toronto retains the pick. If it fell outside of the Top 5, it was the Bruins. The odds were in Boston's favor that the pick was going to be there.
Then, out of nowhere, disaster struck. Literally.
Toronto defied the odds and ended up winning the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night in New Jersey. So what does that mean for the Black and Gold? Disaster. Complete disaster.
The Maple Leafs winning the NHL Draft Lottery is a nightmare for the Boston Bruins
This couldn't have gone any worse. Toronto won the Draft Lottery and will be picking first in next month's draft at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo. They will likely select Gavin McKenna of Penn State.
Now, not only do the Bruins not get the pick, but it's likely they won't see a first-round pick from Toronto until 2028. By then, the Maple Leafs will likely be back in the postseason. What this also does is it makes a rebuild in Toronto very unlikely and adds another obstacle for the Bruins as early as next season to get to the playoffs and try to survive a loaded Atlantic Division.
This couldn't have gone any worse. Literally. Boston has their own pick with will be later in the first round after making the playoffs. Landing Toronto's pick would have opened the door for many ways Don Sweeney could have gone. Now, after fleecing the Maple Leafs in the Brandon Carlo trade, they get the last laugh by keeping their pick. Not only do they keep their pick, but they also get the No. 1 overall pick. Worst-case scenario.
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