The 2016 NHL Draft is coming our way this June. That’s way off any playoff-bound team’s mind right now. But for the other clubs like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers who have no shot at all of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the entry draft is definitely a hot topic right now in their respective front offices.
Having said all of that, here’s a breakdown of how the lottery odds stack up on the ten worst NHL teams as of this writing. In the meantime, check out our most recent Stanley Cup odds update.
Last year, bad NHL teams were in a competitive race to the bottom of the standings for a bigger chance to snag either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in the 2015 NHL Draft. Edmonton finished last season with 62 points, which was just third worst in the league.
Buffalo had the least points in the NHL with 54 but the Sabres picked just second (Jack Eichel). That was the worst the Sabres could do as the format then guaranteed the last-place team at least a second overall pick.
A notable format change in the 2016 NHL Draft, however, will sour the bottom-three teams’ chances of getting the number one pick.
Under the new rules, three draws will be held, which will assign the clubs selecting first, second, and third. Suppose that Toronto does end the season as the last place team in the league, there’s a possibility that it’ll pick fourth overall should the lottery balls refuse to cooperate.
Once the three draws are done, the other 11 non-playoff teams will be selecting inverse according to their regular season points.
