NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL will hold its draft lottery next Monday with the San Jose Sharks holding the best chance of getting the top pick for the second straight season.
The Sabres, who finished near the bottom of the Atlantic Division this season with a 36-39-7 record and 79 points, hold a 6.5% chance of winning the lottery. Only the Boston Bruins were worse in the divsion, finishing with 76 points.
Buffalo has selected first overall four times. The last time the Sabres held the top overall pick was 2021, when they selected defenseman Owen Power. Other former No. 1 selection include Gilbert Perreault, taken 1st overall in the 1970 NHL Entry Draft, Pierre Turgeon in 1987 and Rasmus Dahlin in 2018.
The lottery to determine the top 16 picks in the June draft will be held at the NHL Network’s studio in New Jersey and broadcast on ESPN.
The lottery is conducted in two phases with the first to determine the No. 1 pick and the second to determine the No. 2 pick. Teams can only move up 10 spots in the order, meaning only the bottom 11 teams have a chance at the first pick.
This draft is not considered to be one of the stronger ones in recent years at the top with defenseman Matthew Schaefer and center Michael Misa of the Ontario Hockey League ranked by the league’s central scouting bureau as the top two North American skaters available.
The Sharks won the lottery last year and picked Macklin Celebrini first overall. Celebrini had 25 goals and 38 assists in an impressive rookie season but San Jose still finished with the worst record in the NHL.
That gives the Sharks a 25.5% chance of getting the No. 1 pick again, either by winning the lottery or if the teams in the 12th through 16th spots win and can’t move up to No. 1.
Chicago has the second-best odds at 13.5%, followed by Nashville at 11.5%, Philadelphia at 9.5% and Boston at 8.5%. The Blackhawks won the lottery in 2023 and picked Connor Bedard with the first pick.
