The irony couldn't be more fitting for the Detroit Red Wings. After years of being pushed back in the NHL draft lottery despite having the league's worst record, the one time they might actually get lucky—it won't matter at all.
Let's rewind to 2020. The Red Wings finished dead last, a staggering 23 points behind the 30th-place team when the pandemic paused the season. Yet when the lottery balls bounced, they slid to fourth overall. It was a cruel twist that ultimately led the NHL to change the rules so teams can't drop more than two spots anymore.
Fast forward to Tuesday, May 5 (7 p.m. ET on ESPN), when the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery takes place at the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The event will set the top 16 picks for the first round on June 26 in Buffalo. And for the first time in recent memory, the Wings aren't sweating the outcome.
Why? Because general manager Steve Yzerman traded this year's first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues at the deadline for veteran defenseman Justin Faulk. That means whatever number pops up for Detroit, it's going straight to the Gateway City. Faulk, 34, has been a stabilizing force on the blue line, slotting into the second pairing and providing the kind of experience the Wings desperately needed alongside young prospects like Axel Sandin Pellikka.
So while the Vancouver Canucks enter the lottery as the favorites (25.5% chance at the No. 1 pick, likely forward Gavin McKenna from Penn State), the Red Wings are simply watching from the sidelines. It's a strange feeling for a franchise that's been a lottery regular—and not always a lucky one.
The system has evolved since 1995, now featuring two draws: one for the first overall pick, and another for second. Teams can only jump up 10 spots, so only the top 11 seeds can win the top selection. Meanwhile, teams seeded 12th through 16th can rise as high as second through sixth.
For Red Wings fans, there's a bittersweet layer to all this. The 2020 lottery heartbreak feels like ancient history now, and the team's rebuild has taken shape. But if the ping-pong balls finally bounce Detroit's way this year—well, they'll just have to watch the Blues celebrate instead.
Sometimes in sports, timing is everything. And for the Red Wings, this year's lottery luck is about as ironic as it gets.