At the conclusion of the 2024-25 NHL regular season, there will be 16 teams that cannot participate in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Those squads will begin preparations for next season and the most important aspect of those will be determined by the NHL Draft order.
Rather than the worst team in the league selecting first overall like in the NFL, the NHL runs similar to the NBA by conducting a lottery for the No. 1 pick. Based on the standings, the team with the worst record will be given the best odds to land the first pick. The odds decrease in reverse order from there upwards.
Once the odds are set, the NHL will broadcast the actual lottery process for transparency, revealing a team-by-team placement into the first-round draft order.
When is the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery?
According to TSN's Chris Johnston, the NHL Draft Lottery will occur on either May 5 or 6. That would be towards the conclusion of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs if there's at least one series that goes a full seven games. Other second round series may start around that time if those series are completed in a shorter amount of time.
As of Saturday, the San Jose Sharks sit in last place with 50 standings points and would be given the best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick. But as many fans remember in 2023, the Chicago Blackhawks had the third-best chance and made the stunning jump over two teams to draft Connor Bedard.
This year, Chicago is still creeping in the league's basement with 52 standings points with four regular season games to play. If the season ended today, they would have the second-best odds behind San Jose.
Fans shouldn't expect to see the ping pong balls with team logos come out of the machine like in previous years. Instead, the league has been just been revealing the draft order in a drawn out television broadcast with the selection process happening behind closed doors.