NHL Scripted: Who will win the draft lottery?

Sports fans love to believe the universe is out to get them, but only when their favourite team loses. Now I’m not saying I’m of the mind that the NHL is “rigged” or scripted. As much as Oilers and Leafs fans might like to believe the league hates them and that’s why they got called for a penalty in overtime, it’s just not a realistic outlook.

The NHL playoffs’ first round will come to a close by May 1st. But for fans whose teams are already golfing, there is another date circled on the calendar. May 8th is when the NHL Draft Lottery will take place in Nashville and for the 14 teams that didn’t qualify for spring’s annual chase for the cup, it’s the last glimmer of hope remaining this season. We can keep hitting “Sim Lottery” on the simulator website until we get the results we each want to see. Or, alternatively, let’s pretend for a few minutes that the NHL and its powers-that-be do have some grand scheme up their sleeve. If that were the case, what teams would be most likely to win the lottery and jump up to select teenage phenom Connor Bedard at number one overall?

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets possess the second best odds of winning the lottery after winning an overtime game on the final day of the regular season. The extra point from that win leapfrogged them over Anaheim and left their fan base groaning after what was an incredibly disappointing season. They have a formidable selection of young talent plus last summer’s top free agent prize Johnny Gaudreau. Why wouldn’t the NHL want the Blue Jackets to add to that and get them back competing. Oh yeah because lovable ‘Lumbus is actually Columbus, Ohio. One of the least marketable places in all of America.

4. Chicago Blackhawks

It might be easier to start with why the NHL would NOT want to reward the Blackhawks. We’re less than 18 months removed from the entire Chicago organization hanging a dark grey cloud over the entire sport of hockey when a scandal revolving around the sexual abuse of a young player became general public knowledge. Not to mention the team then covered the whole thing up with borderline systemic efficiency. Not exactly the type of behavior that merits a prize. HOWEVER, assuming the NHL values money above public perception (duh-doi) we can speculate that putting a new must-watch player in an Original Six market isn’t the most outlandish idea.

3. Anaheim Ducks

Our first of three consecutive entries that have never has the first overall pick*. Anaheim is one of the smallest market teams in the league, but we’ve seen them have success off the ice when their on-ice product is a perennial Stanley Cup contender. Maybe the NHL sees the embarrassment of riches they’ve already accumulated through the past several drafts and decides the Ducks are already set up well enough to get out of standings’ basement. Or maybe they decide that plopping Bedard in Orange County with the likes of Trevor Zegras and Bedard’s former Team Canada linemate Mason McTavish, will convince even east-coast hockey fans to stay up late and watch the spectacle.

2. Vancouver Canucks

This is the biggest stretch as the Canucks only have a three percent chance of winning the lottery and jumping up 10(!) spots to number one overall. A selection they have never before possessed. While Connor Bedard has called Regina, SK home for past couple years, North Vancouver is where he originally hails from and the hometown kid storyline never fails to make waves. The Canucks have flirted with looking like a playoff team during different stretches of the past two seasons. The reality is they’re a team that has committed a lot of money to a pretty small pool of players with a lot of roster turnover coming this offseason and next. This on the heels of trading their team captain this past deadline, needless to say they wouldn’t turn their nose up at adding a generational talent on an entry level contract.

1. Arizona Coyotes

You might have noticed an asterisk earlier when I said the top three teams on my list had never picked first overall. When the ‘Yotes were still the OG Winnipeg Jets they selected Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk at number one. So technically they have went to the podium before any other teams. But since relocating to the desert, this franchise has been depraved of a superstar. They’ve seen guys like Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, and franchise legend Shane Doan, who were all terrific in their own right. But in Bedard we’re talking about the first player ever granted exceptional status in the WHL. The Coyotes are currently playing out of Arizona State University’s arena which only seats roughly 5000 people. That is laughable for an NHL franchise. The league landing Bedard in Arizona should alleviate never-ending rumours about the team relocating again and hopefully give confidence to all the parties involved in getting them a new arena built. Work your magic Gary Bettman.

Header Image Credit: Brandon Douglas

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