The NHL is nearly ready to share more details about the upcoming draft lottery. According to a report from Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, the event is going to be held on May 10 and will take place remotely, with NHL general managers and executives calling in from their home arenas.
The NHL draft lottery will consist of all of the NHL teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs this season. The draft itself is slated to take place between July 7 and 8 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The NHL Draft was scheduled to be in Montreal in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event to be postponed and then it was held completely remotely.
The Buffalo Sabres won last year’s draft lottery and ended up selecting defenseman Owen Power, who made his NHL debut earlier in April.
The Arizona Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken are among the teams with the league’s worst records currently. Entering Wednesday, the Canadiens have the worst mark at 20-46-11 (51 points) — despite reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021.
Whoever wins the honor of the No. 1 pick will likely be selecting the consensus top pick, center Shane Wright. Wright, a Canadian, has recorded 94 points (32 goals and 62 assists) throughout the 2021-22 campaign as a member of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs.
