2023 NHL Draft Lottery Preview: Sabres have 13th-best odds to win

The NHL Draft Lottery is tonight, and while the Sabres cannot obtain the No. 1 overall pick, the potential exists for a jump into the top three.

The Sabres possess the 13th-best odds to win the first lottery draw at 2.0 percent. Because of a rule change that was instituted last year, they can jump a maximum of 10 spots - meaning they would win the No. 3 overall pick with the lottery win.

The bottom line? The Sabres are overwhelmingly likely to pick 13th, but can also pick third, 14th, or 15th depending on how the lottery balls draw.

So, let's not rule anything out. The lottery begins at 8 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.

In the meantime, let's try and answer some of your questions.

How does the lottery work?

The NHL Draft Lottery determines the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the NHL Draft. The 16 teams that did not qualify for the playoffs are placed in inverse order based on their finish in the standings and assigned descending odds to win the first of two lottery drawings.

The odds this year are as follows:

1. Anaheim - 18.5 percent
   2. Columbus - 13.5 percent
   3. Chicago - 11.5 percent
   4. San Jose - 9.5 percent
   5. Montreal - 8.5 percent
   6. Arizona - 7.5 percent
   7. Philadelphia - 6.5 percent
   8. Washington - 6.0 percent
   9. Detroit - 5.0 percent
   10. St. Louis - 3.5 percent
   11. Vancouver - 3.0 percent
   12. Ottawa - 2.5 percent
   13. Buffalo - 2.0 percent
   14. Pittsburgh - 1.5 percent
   15. Nashville - 0.5 percent
   16. Calgary - 0.5 percent

Once the first drawing concludes, a second drawing will be held among the remaining 15 teams with odds increasing on a proportionate basis.

The lottery lookup tables and combinations can be found here.

What are the Sabres' potential outcomes?

Who is available?

Regina center Connor Bedard and University of Michigan center Adam Fantilli are the top-ranked North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting Services and are projected by most media mock drafts to be the top two selections, respectively.

USNTDP center William Smith checks in at No. 3 on NHL CSS's list of North American skaters. Smith tallied 20 points (9+11) in seven games for Team USA at the U-18 World Championship last month and earned tournament MVP honors.

Swedish center Leo Carlsson tops NHL CSS's list of European skaters. He spent last season playing amongst men in the SHL and scored 25 points (10+15) in 44 games, earning recognition as the league's junior player of the year. He's followed by Russian winger Matvei Michkov, who had 20 points (9+11) in 30 games at the KHL level.