DRAFT LOTTERY PRIMER

Ready... Draw!

The 2023 NHL Draft Lottery will be held on Monday, May 8, and will determine the official order of selection for the first 16 picks in the first round of the upcoming NHL Draft.

The draw will take place at the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey, at 6 p.m. MT. You can watch it live on Sportsnet.

Every team that did not qualify for the playoffs (or the teams that have acquired the first-round drafting positions of those non-playoff teams) will participate. This year, there will be TWO draws - one for the first pick and a chance to select budding superstar Connor Bedard, and another to award the second-overall choice.

Teams can only advance their draft position by 10 spots in the order, meaning that the Vancouver Canucks (11th - 3.0% odds) are the lowest team eligible to win the No. 1 selection. As the best non-playoff team and with a 0.5% chance of winning the lottery, the Flames can only move as high as sixth if they happen to win. This is different from the last number of years, when anyone had a chance at landing the top pick.

PARTICIPANTS & FIRST LOTTERY ODDS:

Anaheim Ducks - 18.5%
Columbus Blue Jackets - 13.5%
Chicago Blackhawks - 11.5%
San Jose Sharks - 9.5%
Montreal Canadiens - 8.5%
Arizona Coyotes - 7.5%
Philadelphia Flyers - 6.5%
Washington Capitals - 6.0%
Detroit Red Wings - 5.0%
St. Louis Blues - 3.5%
Vancouver Canucks - 3.0%
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Ottawa Senators* - 2.5%
Buffalo Sabres - 2.0%
Pittsburgh Penguins - 1.5%
Nashville Predators - 0.5%
Calgary Flames - 0.5%

Key points courtesy of the NHL:

\ Under the terms of a March 1, 2023 trade, Ottawa will transfer its first-round pick in the 2023 Draft to Arizona if it is not a Top 5 pick. If it becomes a Top 5 pick as a result of the Draft Lottery, Ottawa will retain the pick and instead transfer to Arizona its first-round pick in the 2024 Draft.*

The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery Draw, based on which team wins the 1st Lottery Draw.

The 14 teams not selected in the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery will be assigned the remaining 2023 NHL Draft selections (among 1 through 16 in the first round), in inverse order of regular-season points.

The 2023 NHL Draft will take place at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, over two days. Round 1 will be held on Wednesday, June 28, followed by Rounds 2-7 on Thursday, June 29.