---
title: "St. Louis Blues Draft Lottery 2026: Odds and Three First-Round Picks"
description: "The Blues hold three first-round picks and a 3 percent chance to land the top overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery."
url: https://sportopod.com/en-US/cluster/blues-nhl-draft-lottery-primer-first-round-pick-rules-rec-morcwug3
published: 2026-05-16T03:08:29.344902+00:00
updated: 2026-05-16T14:03:16.481087+00:00
author: "Kostadin Stamboliev"
publisher: "Pineido"
site: "Sportopod"
language: en
topics: ["hockey"]
---

# St. Louis Blues Draft Lottery 2026: Odds and Three First-Round Picks

> The Blues hold three first-round picks and a 3 percent chance to land the top overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.

The St.

Louis Blues enter the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery with one of the league's most intriguing combinations of draft capital and winning chances.

Armed with three first-round selections—including their own pick at No. 11—the Blues have a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery and moving all the way to the top spot.

According to The Athletic, this multi-pick arsenal gives St.

Louis unprecedented flexibility to address pressing roster needs across forward, defense, and goaltending heading toward draft day.

For a franchise in transition, the lottery represents both a low-probability jackpot and a high-probability opportunity to add meaningful depth through the first round.

The NHL Draft Lottery takes place annually among the 16 teams that missed the playoffs that season.

Unlike the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where teams are seeded by performance, the draft lottery deliberately gives struggling franchises more opportunities to land elite talent.

Each non-playoff team receives a certain number of ping pong balls in the drawing based on their regular season placement; the team with the worst record receives the most balls, while the 16th-worst—the highest-placed non-playoff team—receives the fewest.

The lottery determines the top three picks of the draft.

Any team can win any of the top three spots, though the probability skews toward teams that finished lower in the standings.

This system creates hope for rebuilding clubs while preventing outright tanking by ensuring no team can guarantee a specific pick through poor performance.

For St.

Louis, holding the 11th pick is significantly higher than teams in contention for the lottery drawing.

However, the 3 percent chance of jumping to No. 1 represents a small but non-zero possibility that could transform the franchise's draft haul in a single draw.

The other 97 percent of scenarios see the Blues keep their 11th pick while potentially adding talent elsewhere in the first two rounds via trades or their other selections.

Three first-round picks is an unusual luxury; most teams carry only one or two picks at this stage of the draft.

This abundance stems from prior trades and organizational maneuvering—the kind of multi-year strategy that accumulates assets in anticipation of a critical draft year.

For St.

Louis, 2026 represents a pivotal moment to convert those assets into foundational prospects.

The lottery format includes a protection mechanism that prevents teams from falling outside the top 10, a rule designed to ensure no playoff-caliber team gets severely disadvantaged by the randomness of the draw.

For St.

Louis, the mechanics mean their floor is guaranteed—they'll have at least the 11th pick, no worse.

Their ceiling, though remote at 3 percent odds, reaches the summit.

Between those extremes lies the entire universe of scenarios where the Blues keep their 11th pick and potentially add value elsewhere.

St.

Louis can use its three first-round picks strategically across a draft class that features several tiers of prospect quality.

Whether they're targeting a center to shore up depth scoring, a defenseman to bolster the back end, or a goaltending prospect for the pipeline, the Blues have the ammunition to act decisively.

The lottery also reflects a broader philosophy in modern hockey: accumulating picks and prospects as currency for team building.

Teams that trade away present-day talent for future picks build depth and optionality—the kind of flexibility that allows general managers to pivot quickly when opportunities arise.

St.

Louis' three first-round selections represent a commitment to this long-term vision, even if the immediate on-ice performance hasn't yet reflected the future upside.

The 2026 draft class is widely viewed as deep and competitive, meaning even picks outside the top five hold meaningful value and realistic professional trajectory potential.

A team with three first-round selections can afford to think creatively—using one pick as primary position focus, another as value hunting, and a third as a potential trade chip if a deal-making opportunity emerges.

The implications of holding three first-round picks extend beyond the 2026 draft itself.

Each selection represents a prospect who may develop over multiple seasons before reaching an impact-ready state.

A smart, patient front office can use these picks to layer prospect depth, creating a pipeline where young talent develops in concert with the team's cap management timeline.

For the Blues, this could mean adding a future franchise center, a top-four defenseman, and a goaltending prospect all in the same weekend.

The cumulative effect compounds organizational capability and raises the ceiling for sustainable contention.

Key facts: - St.

Louis Blues hold three first-round selections in the 2026 NHL Draft - Blues own pick No. 11 and have a 3% chance of moving to No. 1 via lottery - NHL Draft Lottery involves 16 non-playoff teams competing for the top three picks - Lottery odds are weighted toward teams with the worst regular season records - Three first-round picks give St.

Louis maximum flexibility to address multiple roster voids Understanding the lottery mechanics helps fans contextualize the Blues' draft positioning with clear-eyed realism.

The 3 percent chance to land No. 1 shouldn't be dismissed outright—stranger things have happened in the history of the lottery, and a franchise-altering talent at the top would reshape timelines.

But it also shouldn't overshadow the reality that St.

Louis is statistically far more likely to keep pick 11 and execute a well-rounded first-round haul.

The real opportunity lies in deploying three premium picks across a deep draft class.

Whether the Blues use all three on prospects, bundle some in trades for a higher-ranked selection, or wheel and deal on draft day remains to be seen.

What's certain is that the organization enters the 2026 draft with rare optionality and multiple paths to strengthen the prospect pool and accelerate the rebuild trajectory.

The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery drawing is expected in the spring, with the draft itself scheduled for June.

Once the lottery is conducted and the top three picks are determined, the Blues will finalize their draft positioning and shift focus to scouting and preparation.

For a franchise with three first-round picks and a small lottery lifeline, the next few months represent a critical window for organizational planning and strategic decision-making.

Whether fortune smiles on St.

Louis with that 3 percent long shot or the team executes with the 11th pick and beyond, the Blues have constructed a draft weekend that could reshape their competitive future.

Multiple first-round selections rarely come together like this, and the team's front office must capitalize on the opportunity.

The lottery drawing will be the opening act, but the main event arrives when the Blues are finally on the clock—three times—in the first round.

## Why this matters

The Blues' three first-round picks represent rare draft capital in a league where most teams operate with limited selections at the premium levels. Understanding how the lottery system works—and where St. Louis stands within it—helps fans assess the team's path forward. The 3 percent shot at the No. 1 overall pick is a long bet, but even if it doesn't hit, St. Louis retains its No. 11 selection plus two additional first-rounders. This flexibility allows the organization to address multiple needs in a single draft, whether targeting forwards, defensemen, or goaltending prospects. For fans tracking the franchise's rebuild trajectory, the lottery outcome and subsequent draft execution will directly influence whether the Blues can accelerate their return to contention. Multiple first-round picks also provide trade flexibility—St. Louis could bundle selections to move up in the draft or trade down for added depth.

## Frequently asked

### How does the NHL Draft Lottery work?

The NHL Draft Lottery involves the 16 non-playoff teams competing for the top three draft picks. Each team receives a number of ping pong balls based on their regular season finish—the worst team gets the most balls, the 16th-worst gets the fewest. During the drawing, four balls are drawn randomly to determine which team picks where. This process happens three times for the top three selections. The remaining 13 teams' draft order is determined by playoff seeding and regular season record.

### What are St. Louis Blues' exact odds in the 2026 draft lottery?

The Blues hold pick No. 11 and have a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery and moving to the No. 1 overall selection. This means there's a 97 percent probability they keep their 11th pick. The specific 3 percent reflects their current draft position—teams with worse records receive better lottery odds because they're ranked higher among non-playoff teams. St. Louis' odds demonstrate they had a relatively stronger regular season compared to other non-playoff teams.

### Why does having three first-round picks matter for the Blues?

Most NHL teams have only one or two first-round selections in any given year. Three first-rounders is exceptional draft capital, providing the Blues with multiple opportunities to address roster needs simultaneously. They can target a center, defenseman, and goaltending prospect in the same draft, or use two picks to move up for a higher-ranked player. This abundance creates flexibility for general manager decision-making and increases the probability of landing impact prospects who can contribute to long-term team building.

### When will the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery take place?

The draft lottery typically occurs in spring, several weeks before the actual NHL Draft in June. The exact date for the 2026 lottery hasn't been confirmed in available reporting, but it will precede the draft day announcement. Once the lottery is held and the top three picks are determined, the remaining draft order is finalized. The Blues will learn their final draft position(s) before draft day, allowing the front office to prepare and potentially make trade-related decisions.

## Sources & Citations

- [Blues NHL Draft lottery primer: First-round pick, rules, recent history and projections](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7250075/2026/05/04/blues-nhl-draft-lottery-picks-odds/) — The Athletic (2026-05-04)

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Cite: St. Louis Blues Draft Lottery 2026: Odds and Three First-Round Picks. Sportopod, 2026-05-16. https://sportopod.com/en-US/cluster/blues-nhl-draft-lottery-primer-first-round-pick-rules-rec-morcwug3