Which NHL teams are racing to the bottom of the standings and top of the draft?
The fine folks over at Frozen Futures have been doing a weekly update on the race for the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Keep in mind that every NHL team is 100% committed to winning the Stanley Cup this season and no one could possibly be tanking their season… or so they say. So why this focus on last place? Connor McDavid – who has already been minted as “The Next Great One” in a long line of “Next Great Ones” that have followed Wayne Gretzky.
A little bit has changed since we last checked in a month ago – the Florida Panthers have started winning games and are currently in 20th with 24 points, so we can leave them out of this month’s update. The Edmonton Oilers remain in last place (currently tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets) and no, they have not learned how to play defense yet.
Speaking of the Blue Jackets, yesterday it was announced that Artem Anisimov would be out 2-3 months with a torn tricep and that wonderful news was followed today with the news that Marc Letestu underwent surgery to repair a tear in his groin and abdominal region. Letestu will miss a few weeks as well. You have to hand it to the Blue Jackets, instead of deliberately icing an AHL-level lineup like the Sabres or playing like an AHL-level team like the Edmonton Oilers, the CBJ are riding a decimating wave of injuries to Connor McDavid.
With that overview out of the way, let’s get an update on the race for last by looking at five teams that are currently in the best position to end up with the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.