LA Kings Statement on Conclusion of 2019-20 NHL Season

As part of the National Hockey League' s Return To Play Plan that was announced today by Commissioner Gary Bettman, the 2019-20 regular season has officially concluded, ending the season for the LA Kings. The Return to Play Plan was approved by the League's Board of Governors and the National Hockey League Players' Association.

"It's unfortunate that our season has concluded but we fully understand this was necessary and support the decision," Kings President Luc Robitaille said. "At the time of the pause, we had made considerable progress in the second half and were seeing positive results and encouraging signs for the future. We'll now turn our attention to the NHL Draft and player development so that we can continue building our organization for long term success. We thank our fans for their unwavering support and already look forward to the 2020-21 season."

The NHL also released information on Phase 1 of the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery, which will be conducted on June 26 and will determine the order for the first 15 selections of the 2020 NHL Draft.

The Kings will have the fourth-best opportunity (9.5%) of winning the first overall selection.

The lottery will include three draws: First Draw (first overall pick), Second Draw (second overall pick) and Third Draw (third overall pick) and is based on rankings in inverse order of points percentage at the time of the regular-season pause for the seven teams who did not advance and eight "place-holders" of the to-be-determined Qualifying Round teams that are eliminated, thus maintaining previously-established odds.

It was also announced that LA is in consideration to be one of the two "hub" cities that will be selected from among the following: Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Edmonton, AB; Las Vegas, NV; Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; Pittsburgh, PA; Toronto, ON and Vancouver, BC.

Timing and sites will be determined at a future date and will be dependent on COVID-19 conditions, testing ability and government regulations.

"We are honored to be included in consideration as an NHL hub city," Kings Chief Operating Officer Kelly Cheeseman said. "We know L.A. LIVE and STAPLES Center will be well prepared given our collective history of hosting showcase events, so we look forward to the outcome."