Placeholder team wins 2020 Draft Lottery, Sens will pick 3rd and 5th
The winner of the 2020 Draft Lottery has yet to be determined.
One of the placeholder teams participating in the best-of-five qualifying round of the expanded 24-team playoff format will make the first overall selection at the 2020 NHL Draft.
Here's a look at the complete draft order from picks one through eight:
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Placeholder team |
| 2 | Los Angeles Kings |
| 3 | Ottawa Senators |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 5 | Ottawa Senators |
| 6 | Anaheim Ducks |
| 7 | New Jersey Devils |
| 8 | Buffalo Sabres |
With a placeholder team winning the top selection, a second lottery will be conducted at some point between the end of the qualifiers and the first round of the 16-team playoffs to determine the final draft order. The eight teams eliminated from the play-in round will each get a 12.5% chance of securing the top pick in the second phase of the lottery.
"Team E" of the placeholder clubs won the top spot with odds of just 2.5%, which belongs to the 12-seed in lottery percentages, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
If the play-in round cannot be completed, the remaining bottom eight teams will get a one-in-eight shot at the top selection, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The Ottawa Senators, who owned a combined 25% chance of landing the first overall selection between their two picks, will pick third and fifth. The Detroit Red Wings fell to No. 4 after holding an 18.5% chance of nabbing the top selection.
The Los Angeles Kings will select second for the first time since 2008, when they drafted blue-chip defenseman Drew Doughty.
Alexis Lafreniere - an electrifying winger from the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL - is expected to be selected with the top pick. The 18-year-old tallied 35 goals while leading the league with 112 points in 52 games. His 2.15 point-per-game rate was the CHL's best since Connor McDavid scored at a 2.50 pace with the Erie Otters in 2014-15.