On Tuesday evening, the NHL Draft Lottery took place in Toronto. After the dust settled, the Florida Panthers won the lottery and will pick first in June’s NHL Draft which will take place in Philadelphia.
While the New Jersey Devils did not qualify for the playoffs, they will be picking 30th in the first round of this year’s draft. This is due to the NHL giving New Jersey back their pick due to rescinding the Ilya Kovalchuk penalty the league levied against the Devils. The stipulation being that they were ineligible for the draft lottery. Had the Devils won, the draft would’ve been done over again.
The Buffalo Sabres had the greatest odds of winning the first overall pick in this upcoming draft at 25%, however they were unable to win the lottery and will be selecting second overall in June. The remaining teams held their positions according to how they finished the regular season
Here is the list of the first thirteen picks in this upcoming draft, in descending order. The remaining sixteen spots will be determined by who is eliminated from the playoffs.
13. Washington Capitals
12. Phoenix Coyotes
11. Nashville Predators
10. Anaheim Ducks
9. Winnipeg Jets
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
7. Carolina Hurricanes
6. Vancouver Canucks
5. New York Islanders
4. Calgary Flames
3. Edmonton Oilers
2. Buffalo Sabres
1. Florida Panthers
