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NHL announces odds for this year’s draft lottery

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, from left, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and team president Trevor Linden pose for photographs with a jersey after announcing that the 2019 NHL draft will be held there. This year’s draft is in Dallas.
(Darryl Dyck / Associated Press)
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The worst team in the NHL this season will have an 18.5% chance of getting the first pick in the annual draft, the league announced on Wednesday in releasing the draft lottery odds. The draft lottery will take place on April 28. The draft, which is expected to feature Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin as the top pick, will be held June 22-23 in Dallas.

This year’s draft lottery will consist of three drawings: The first draw will determine the club selecting first overall, the second draw will determine the club selecting second overall, and the third draw will determine the club selecting third overall.

The 15 clubs that do not qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs — or the clubs that have acquired the first-round picks of those nonplayoff clubs — will participate in the 2018 NHL draft lottery.

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Here are the probabilities of nonplayoff teams getting the No. 1 pick, ranked from fewest points to most:

1—18.5%

2—13.5%

3—11.5%

4—9.5%

5—8.5%

6—7.5%

7—6.5%

8—6.0%

9—5.0%

10—3.5%

11—3.0%

12—2.5%

13—2.0%

14—1.5%

15—1.0%

The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the second lottery draw, based on which club wins the first lottery draw, and again for the third lottery draw, based on which club wins the 2nd lottery draw.

The 12 clubs not selected in the 2018 draft lottery will be assigned 2018 draft selections 4 through 15, in inverse order of regular-season points.

More details will be announced at a later date.

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