Your guide to the NHL Draft Lottery and the top 3 projected picks
2018 NHL Draft Lottery
When: Saturday, April 28th, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Toronto
TV: Sportsnet, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
It's time for the draft lottery, folks, and we have all you need to know.
All the non-playoff teams and their legions of loyal fans will have their eyeballs glued to the television Saturday evening to see which organization wins the right to the No. 1 pick of the 2018 draft.
While the format remains the same, with three lottery spots up for grabs, this year offers one interesting caveat, as picks No. 15 through No. 4 will be announced prior to Game 2 between the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks, while the top three picks won't be revealed until the second intermission.
Odds
Once again, the Buffalo Sabres have a chance at the top selection, and they'll be hoping to have some better luck than in years past.
| Team | Odds at 1st pick |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Sabres | 18.5% |
| Ottawa Senators | 13.5% |
| Arizona Coyotes | 11.5% |
| Montreal Canadiens | 9.5% |
| Detroit Red Wings | 8.5% |
| Vancouver Canucks | 7.5% |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 6.5% |
| New York Rangers | 6.0% |
| Edmonton Oilers | 5.0% |
| New York Islanders | 3.5% |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 3.0% |
| Calgary Flames | 2.5% |
| Dallas Stars | 2.0% |
| St. Louis Blues | 1.5% |
| Florida Panthers | 1.0% |
There are a few conditions involved regarding the Senators, Flames, and Blues. Ottawa has said its 99.9 percent sure they'll be holding on to their pick, giving next year's first-rounder to the Colorado Avalanche, owed as a part of the Matt Duchene deal.
The Flames pick, meanwhile, is owed to the Islanders due to last offseason's Travis Hamonic trade, and the Blues can give the Flyers next year's pick if this year's is in the top 10, a condition manifested in the Brayden Schenn swap.
In the last two years, there has been a significant shakeup in the top three, and the Sabres, Senators, and Coyotes are surely hoping that's not the case this time around.
#NHLDraftLottery results for the two years with three drawings:
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 27, 2018
2017
Draw 1: @NJDevils (5th to 1st)
Draw 2: @NHLFlyers (13th to 2nd)
Draw 3: @DallasStars (8th to 3rd)
2016
Draw 1: @MapleLeafs (retained 1st)
Draw 2: @NHLJets (6th to 2nd)
Draw 3: @BlueJacketsNHL (4th to 3rd) pic.twitter.com/RbIW95FF5U
The prizes
For just the second time in 10 years, a defenseman is the consensus No. 1 pick. Here's some info on the projected top three prospects.
Rasmus Dahlin
The Swedish defenseman has been atop the draft rankings all year long, drawing comparisons to fellow countrymen Erik Karlsson and Nicklas Lidstrom. Not bad.
Dahlin is a generational talent and is expected to make an immediate impact in any organization lucky enough to land him.
View Dahlin's complete draft profile.
Andrei Svechnikov
The top forward in the class, Svechnikov is a gifted offensive talent that spent his draft year with the Barrie Colts of the OHL, recording 40 goals and 32 assists in just 44 games in his rookie year.
View Svechnikov's complete draft profile.
Filip Zadina
Zadina, a native of the Czech Republic, comes in as the third-ranked North American skater, and boosted his stock with a strong showing at the world juniors, burying seven goals in seven games.
The 18-year-old found the scoresheet consistently in the QMJHL, notching 82 points in 57 games for the Halifax Mooseheads.
View Zadina's complete draft profile.
The rest
Forward Brady Tkachuk, and blue liners Adam Boqvist, Quinn Hughes, and Evan Bouchard are among the other prospects projected to be drafted in the top 10. The complete list of rankings can be seen here.
If you'd like to run your own lottery, visit the NHL Lottery Simulator.