4 NHL Teams Most Likely to Land 1st Overall Pick in 2027

The 2027 NHL Draft is still months away, but the race for the first overall pick won’t take long to get going once the regular season gets underway. A couple of teams are clearly vying for a high pick next summer as they enter rebuilds. But not every team that jumps into the race for first overall wants to be there.

Let’s look at four teams that will likely have the best odds to draft first overall next June and some wild cards that could be in the mix if they underachieve.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks need to take a step forward in their rebuild at some point, but I’m not sure this is the season. Connor Bedard will miss the first month or two of 2026-27 recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered during offseason training. But even then, I don’t love where this Blackhawks team is.

Their forward group has talent, even without Bedard, but it’s young and inexperienced for the most part. Frank Nazar could take a step forward, while top prospects like Roman Kantserov and Anton Frondell have plenty of potential, but there will be some growing pains.

The biggest question with the Blackhawks is their defense. They’ve thrown a bunch of young defensemen to the wolves, but it hasn’t worked out. Artyom Levshunov was the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, but he has struggled mightily in the NHL.

Kevin Korchinski was another top pick of the Blackhawks, but he’s also struggled to put it together in the NHL. At this point, he’s leaning more toward being a draft bust than a legit NHLer.

The Blackhawks have tried to remedy the situation by acquiring Bowen Byram and signing him to a lucrative contract extension. But it remains to be seen if he can handle being a No. 1 defenseman.

Even though the Blackhawks’ over/under is 79.5, I could see them finishing below that. They may not secure the best odds for the first overall pick, but with a little lottery luck, they could draft first overall in June. Their roster has too many flaws.

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken aren’t trying to tank for high picks, but it’d be a surprise if they weren’t in the mix for at least a top-five pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. They finished with 79 points last season and have an over/under of 81.5 for 2026-27.

The Kraken’s biggest issue is that they don’t have any game-breaking talent. Matty Beniers is an underrated defensive forward, but he hasn’t broken out offensively. Berkly Catton has potential, but he’s still a developing prospect. It may take another season or two for him to become a top-six forward.

Overall, the Kraken’s top nine contains too many middle-six forwards, except for Jared McCann and maybe Jordan Eberle. That’s why they’ve made big plays for Artemi Panarin and Jason Robertson in recent months, but their best odds at adding a game-breaking talent like Panarin or Robertson will come through the draft.

That’s why even though the Kraken aren’t actively trying to tank, they may be in luck. Their roster isn’t good enough to compete for a playoff spot on paper, and they should be in the running for a top-five or even top-three pick in the 2027 draft.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames overachieved during the 2024-25 season, but they took a step back last season and look to be in rebuild mode for the foreseeable future. Not to dull any optimism Flames fans may have, but the 2026-27 campaign could be rough.

It starts with the Flames’ forwards, which may be the worst unit in the NHL. No disrespect to Morgan Frost, who’s coming off a 22-goal, 43-point season, but he’s not a first-line center. Matvei Gridin looks like a promising prospect, but he’s not a top-line caliber player just yet. Matt Coronato has upside as well, but it’s slim pickings up front otherwise.

The Flames’ defense has a bit more promise than their group of forwards, mostly because of Šimon Nemec and Zayne Parekh. But those two are likely in for some growing pains as they try to establish themselves as top-four defenders in the NHL.

If there’s one reason the Flames could overachieve, it’s Dustin Wolf. He’s coming off a down season, but we know he can be a top goaltender in this league. He was one of the best in 2024-25, posting a .910 save percentage in 53 starts. He kept the Flames in the playoff race that season.

Still, the Flames are more likely to be in the race for the first overall pick rather than a playoff spot, even if Wolf excels. This roster doesn’t have enough firepower up front, and while their defense has a bit more upside, it’s still a work in progress. They could finish with the first- or second-best odds in the draft lottery.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks were a tire fire last season. After having an over/under of 90.5 to begin the year, they finished with 58 points, dead last in the NHL. They traded Quinn Hughes before the calendar even flipped to 2026, and Adam Foote was one-and-done as head coach.

It’s a new era in Vancouver, though. Ryan Johnson has taken over as GM, and the Canucks have promoted Manny Malhotra to replace Foote as head coach. I don’t see the Canucks being 58 points bad again, but they will still likely be in the running for the first overall pick in the 2027 draft.

Even though Malhotra should be a significant upgrade over Foote, the Canucks don’t have the roster to compete for a playoff spot. If Malhotra can help develop players like Zeev Buium and Marco Rossi, that would be a plus. Even getting Elias Pettersson to turn his career around would go a long way. But no matter what, the Canucks will likely be the frontrunner to land the best odds for the first overall pick in the draft lottery.

Potential Wild Cards

You may have noticed that all these teams are in the Western Conference. There’s no beating around the bush, but the worst teams in the NHL are in the West. The clubs with the lowest over/unders in the East are the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers, who are at 86.5.

Even though some teams in the East have to finish at the bottom of the standings, it’s hard to say if any will be bad enough to have the best odds at the first overall pick or even be in the top three. Will the Rangers, Red Wings, Boston Bruins, or even the New York Islanders finish with 70-75 points or worse? I don’t see it as of now.

And there’s another Western team to mention, too. The Winnipeg Jets will likely trade Connor Hellebuyck in the next few weeks. It depends on what the Jets receive for him, but they could be another Western team in the conversation for the first pick once they part ways with their star goaltender. They’re not worse than the four teams mentioned above, but that could change once Hellebuyck departs.

The race for the first overall pick won’t take long to get going. Some teams have their sights set on a high pick, while others will quickly realize that they won’t be playoff teams in 2026-27. We’ll see who wins the sweepstakes to have a shot at Landon DuPont next summer.