Report: NHL proposes changes to draft lottery

The NHL is proposing at least three key changes to the draft lottery system, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

• Teams are limited to no more than two lottery wins in a five-year period
• Teams are allowed to jump only 10 spots with a lottery win
• A reduction in the number of picks decided by lottery from three to two

These changes are subject to approval by the NHL's board of governors. Only the third possible change would take effect before the 2022 draft, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Additionally, previous lottery victories reportedly won't count toward a team's total.

NHL general managers reportedly called on the league in October to increase lottery odds for teams in the bottom of the standings. This came over two months after the New York Rangers won the right to select Alexis Lafreniere first overall.

The Rangers won the lottery despite qualifying for last year's expanded postseason format and finishing 13 spots and 40 points ahead of the last-place Detroit Red Wings in the regular-season standings.

Detroit finished 23 points behind the second-worst team in the league but ended up picking fourth overall.

The NHL's last-place team has picked first overall just twice in the last nine years.

The Edmonton Oilers infamously picked first overall three years in a row from 2010 to 2012, and then again in 2015. They finished last in the league in only two of those seasons.

The NHL last altered the lottery format in 2016. Before that, only the top pick was in play for the lottery, so the league's last-place team was guaranteed at least second overall.