A slim chance, but hope flickers for Nashville. Can the Predators defy the odds and snag the top NHL Draft prize?
So you're telling me there's a chance?
With the Nashville Predators missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs by three points, all eyes are on the NHL Draft Lottery, which will be held on May 5.
According to Tankathon.com, which runs mock drafts and tracks draft odds across all five major sporting leagues, the Predators have a 3.5% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick with the 10th-best odds.
Their highest odds are to land the 10th overall pick at 73.3%.
The Vancouver Canucks have the highest odds of getting the No. 1 pick at 25%. They finished dead-last in the NHL standings with a 25-49-8 record and 58 points.
It's a slim chance for the Predators to get the top pick, but it has happened before. The New York Islanders had the 10th-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft at 3.5%.
They'd end up winning the lottery and drafting defensman Matthew Schaefer. This season, Schaefer has recorded 59 points in 82 games and is the leading candidate to win the Calder Memorial Trophy.
This didn't favor the Predators last season, who had an 11.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and the highest odds of landing the No. 3 overall pick, yet fell to the No. 5 overall pick.
Nashville ended up selecting center Brady Martin from the Soo Greyhounds with the pick. It was selected three times in the first round of the 2025 Draft.
The New York Rangers notably had a 9.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and won the lottery, selecting forward Alexis Lafrenière.
This year's draft is all about Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, who lit the WHL on fire last season with 129 points (41 goals and 88 assists) in 56 games at 16/17 years old.
He made the move to the NCAA this season, recording 51 points (15 goals and 36 assists) in 35 games. While having a fall-off from the 2024-25 season, McKenna is still the top prospect in this draft class.
In the midst of a general manager search, the Predators will have 12 picks in this upcoming draft.
Nashville Predators 2026 NHL Draft picks by round
Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announces Brady Martin is selected as the fifth overall pick to the Nashville Predators in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesFirst round: One pick
Second round: Two picks (Acquired a pick from Minnesota Wild, trading C Michael McCarron)
Third round: Two picks (Acquired a pick from Seattle Kraken, trading F Michael Bunting to Dallas Stars for the pick, which was originally Seattle's.)
Fourth round: Two picks (Acquired a pick from Pittsburgh Penguins, trading D Luke Schenn and C Thomas Novak for Bunting and a 2026 4th round pick)
Fifth round: Three picks (Acquired two picks from the Edmonton Oilers, trading a 2025 fifth-round pick and from the Carolina Hurricanes, trading C Mark Jankowski.)
Sixth round: One pick (Acquired a pick from Utah Mammoth for 2025 sixth-round pick)
Seventh round: One pick