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?
The NHL officially announced that the Draft Lottery will take place on Monday, May 5. The event will take place inside NHL Network studios in Secaucus, N.J.
The lottery will air on ESPN in the United States, and Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada at a time to be determined.
2025 NHL Draft lottery odds for all eligible teams
As for which team is considered the favorite, that would be the San Jose Sharks, who have an 18 percent chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick. The Sharks have the higher odds of winning the lottery due to them finishing in last place in the entire league with just 52 points (20-50-12 record).
The team with the second-best odds are the Chicago Blackhawks, who have a 13.5 percent chance of winning the lottery after earning just 61 points on the season (25-46-11).
Below are the odds for every NHL Draft Lottery-eligible team:
Team | % odds to win the NHL Draft Lottery |
|---|---|
San Jose Sharks | 18.5 |
Chicago Blackhawks | 13.5 |
Nashville Predators | 11.5 |
Philadelphia Flyers | 9.5 |
Boston Bruins | 8.5 |
Seattle Kraken | 7.5 |
Buffalo Sabres | 6.5 |
Anaheim Ducks | 6.0 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 5.0 |
New York Islanders | 3.5 |
New York Rangers | 3.0 |
Detroit Red Wings | 2.5 |
Columbus Blue Jackets | 2.0 |
Utah Hockey Club | 1.5 |
Vancouver Canucks | 0.5 |
Calgary Flames | 0.5 |
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.