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How does the NHL Draft lottery work? (Video)

By Patrick Schmidt

Apr 9, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston University forward Jack Eichel (9) gets past North Dakota forward Drake Caggiula (9) during the third period of a semifinal game in the men
Apr 9, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston University forward Jack Eichel (9) gets past North Dakota forward Drake Caggiula (9) during the third period of a semifinal game in the men /
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This year’s NHL draft lottery holds more weight with generational talents Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel waiting for the teams who come in first and second. So here’s how the lottery works.

This year’s winner of the NHL draft lottery will have their biggest win of the season. That’s not up for debate with Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel the consensus top two draft prospects in this year’s class.

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McDavid has been touted as the best prospect since Sidney Crosby and Eichel just led the NCAA in scoring and led his team to the national championship game, so he’s not chopped liver either.

Both players are being counted on as being franchise-altering players, so that’s why the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes were trying to lose as much as possible this season to get in position to draft one of these two uber-prospects.

Buffalo finished with the worst record and guaranteed themselves of a top-two pick and have a 20 percent chance at winning the lottery and the right to take McDavid. The Coyotes have a 13.5 percent chance of winning the lottery after finishing with the second-worst record after trading Antoine Vermette and Keith Yandle to signal their tanking efforts.

If you’ve ever wondered how the draft lottery works, you’re in luck because Blue Creative created this helpful video to break it down so we all understand how the process works.

Unlike the NBA Draft lottery that has become a televised event before one of the playoff games and has players, coaches, front office personnel and family members of team owners representing their franchise, the NHL doesn’t make a big deal out of the lottery.

And I think they’re missing out on a tremendous opportunity to attract more attention to the draft and how the process works. Plus, it’s an opportunity to sell ad space for a 30-minute TV show they can play before one of their playoff games.

But the biggest mistake the league is making is they are missing a golden opportunity to showcase McDavid and Eichel before they enter the league. You have to be a die-hard hockey junkie to know the backgrounds of these two prospects who have the potential to be All-Stars for the next decade and be the face of the franchise they’re drafted to later this year.

The winner of the lottery will be announced before the Rangers and Penguins game on Saturday and it would have been an ideal time to have a pregame show unveiling where the non-playoff teams will pick in the draft and drum as much as excitement as possible for a sport in dire need of that.

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