When is the NHL Draft lottery?

Save the date for the NHL Draft lottery taking place on June 2.

The 2021 NHL Draft Lottery is coming up soon. For fans of the now 15 (hi Seattle Kraken!) teams who did not qualify for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the draft lottery is one of the most important dates of the offseason, trailing only the draft itself and the start of free agency.

Though the 2021 draft doesn’t have a consensus number one pick, getting the first overall pick still means you get whoever you want in the draft, whether that player be Owen Power, Luke Hughes, Matthew Beniers, or someone else.

Power, Hughes, and Beniers figure to be the top three picks. At worst, they’ll likely be three of the first five picks. Simon Edvinsson and William Eklund will most likely fill out the top five.

When is the NHL Draft lottery?

The 2021 draft lottery will be held on June 2. There will be two drawings held. The first one will determine who will have the first overall pick. Since the Buffalo Sabres finished with the worst record in the NHL, they’ll have the best odds to get the first overall pick. The Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, New Jersey Devils, and Columbus Blue Jackets round out the top five best odds.

Since the Arizona Coyotes, who have the 11th-best odds to get the first overall pick, forfeited their 2021 first round pick as a part of sanctions, should they be drawn for the first draw, there will be a re-draw.

After the first draw, the team that won the first draw will be removed for the second draw. The second draw will determine who has the second overall pick. Odds will be adjusted accordingly depending on who wins the first draw.

Following the second draw, the rest of the lottery picks will be set. After the first two picks, teams will be sorted from worst record to the best record, with the remaining team with the worst record having the third overall pick and the remaining team with the best record receiving the 16th overall pick.