The 2020 NHL Draft Lottery was held Friday night with some shocking results.
The first overall pick went to a team that is playing in the 16-team qualifying round. That team will have to be determined -- the pick will go to one of the eight teams that is knocked out of the qualifying round.
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The Red Wings finished in last place this season and had an 18.5 percent chance at grabbing the top pick, but fell to 4th overall in the Draft Lottery.
Here’s how the lottery went:
- The Buffalo Sabres moved down to the No. 8 spot, making it clear there would be a team from the qualifying round picking in a top three spot. Not a fun start for the seven teams that showed up (virtually) to participate in this draft.
- The New Jersey Devils grabbed the 7th spot.
- The Anaheim Ducks will select at 6th overall.
- One of the Ottawa Senators’ picks dropped to 5th overall.
- The Detroit Red Wings were knocked down to the No. 4 pick.
- Ottawa then got the 3rd pick with their second drawing.
- Los Angeles won the 2nd pick.
- A team in the qualifying round of the 2020 playoffs has won the No. 1 pick.
Now what?
The NHL’s rules for the draft state that if a team not in the bottom seven wins any of the first three drawings, a Second Phase will be conducted among the eight teams eliminated in the qualifiers. That would take place between the end of the qualifiers and the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Now we have to wait for the qualifying round to be played -- possibly as early as late July -- then we will learn who has the 1st overall pick in the draft.
The draft itself does not have a confirmed date. It will be held after the playoffs, at least.
Here were the first lottery drawing odds:
- Detroit Red Wings (.275) -- 18.5 percent chance for No. 1 pick
- Ottawa Senators (.437) -- 13.5 percent
- Ottawa Senators (from San Jose Sharks, .450) -- 11.5 percent
- Los Angeles Kings (.457) -- 9.5 percent
- Anaheim Ducks (.472) -- 8.5 percent
- New Jersey Devils (.493) -- 7.5 percent
- Buffalo Sabres (.493) -- 6.5 percent
- Qualifier Team A -- 6.0 percent
- Qualifier Team B -- 5.0 percent
- Qualifier Team C -- 3.5 percent
- Qualifier Team D -- 3.0 percent
- Qualifier Team E -- 2.5 percent
- Qualifier Team F -- 2.0 percent
- Qualifier Team G -- 1.5 percent
- Qualifier Team H -- 1.0 percent
Top prospects
Winger Alexis Lafreniere, out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), is expected to go first overall. Here’s his EliteProspects page.
Forward Tim Stützle, out of Germany, also is expected to be selected in the top three. The Red Wings selected D Moritz Seider out of Germany at 6th overall last year. Stützle and Seider are friends.