SUNRISE, Fla. -- It’s time to grab your lucky charms.
Even after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, hopefully there’s still a little magic left in them.
Trading their usual trip to the playoffs for ping-pong balls, the Florida Panthers will try to pull off another upset at the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday.
By virtue of their 25th-place finish, the Panthers, who had their quest for a threepeat derailed by injuries, have a 6% chance to land the top pick.
Per recent mock drafts, either Penn State forward Gavin McKenna or Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg is projected to be selected first.
The Panthers also have a 6.7% chance of landing the second pick and a 54.4% chance of staying put with the eighth pick.
Unable to move back more than two spots, they also have a 30% chance of falling to the ninth pick and a 3.2% chance of sliding to the 10th pick.
In their history, the Panthers have won the lottery three times.
In 2002, they moved up from third to first. The following season, they moved up from fourth to first in 2004. If you don’t recall who the Panthers picked first overall in those drafts, that’s understandable. Both times, they ended up trading the top pick and moving down in the draft.
Last winning the lottery in 2014, the Panthers moved up from second to first and selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
A cornerstone on the blue line, Ekblad, a two-time Staney Cup champion, ranks first among D-men in franchise history in goals (122), assists (284) and games played (804).
Per the NHL, the lottery will be conducted in two phases: the first to determine the first pick, and the second to determine the second pick.
After those two picks, the remaining teams will be ordered by where they finished in in the standings.
With teams only able to move up a maximum of 10 spots, only 11 of the 16 teams in the lottery are eligible to receive the first overall pick.
As each lottery ball is drawn, the odds change and teams are eliminated.
The Vancouver Canucks (18.5%), Chicago Blackhawks (13.5%) and New York Rangers (11.5%) have the best odds of winning the lottery.
Giving the Panthers some hope, the New York Islanders moved all the way up from 10th to first to win last year’s draft lottery.
With the drawing taking place at NHL Network’s studio in New Jersey, fans can tune in to the lottery at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Keep your fingers crossed!
For a full history of the lottery, click HERE.
