The first 16 picks were determined at the NHL Draft Lottery, which was held June 2. The Buffalo Sabres won the lottery and have the No. 1 pick, and the expansion Seattle Kraken, who begin play next season, won the No. 2 choice.
Picks 3-16 are in reverse order of regular-season standings points. The Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick (No. 11) for violating the NHL Combine Testing policy during the 2019-20 season.
The 12 teams that lost in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have picks 17-28. Teams that did not win their division were placed in inverse order of regular-season standings points, followed by the four division winners in inverse order.
The No. 29 and No. 30 picks belong to the teams that lost in the Stanley Cup Semifinals (New York Islanders, Vegas Golden Knights), in inverse order.
The Montreal Canadiens, who lost the Stanley Cup Final, have pick No. 31.
The No. 32 selection goes to the Stanley Cup champion, but the Tampa Bay Lightning traded their first-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of the deal to acquire defenseman David Savard on April 10.
The first round will be held July 23, and rounds 2-7 are July 24.
The Blue Jackets have three first-round picks: theirs at No. 5, the No. 25 selection, which was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the trade for forward Nick Foligno on April 11, and the No. 32 choice.
The New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild each have two picks in the first round.
The Devils have the No. 4 pick and the No. 29 selection, acquired from the Islanders as part of the trade for forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac on April 7.
The Red Wings have the No. 6 pick and the No. 23 selection, acquired from the Washington Capitals in the trade for forward Anthony Mantha on April 12.
The Wild have the No. 22 pick and the No. 26 selection, acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the trade for forward Jason Zucker on Feb. 10, 2020.
