Montreal Canadiens fans may have been shielding their eyes when they read the title of this article. The Canadiens thought they were destined for a trip to the NHL Playoffs, but a recent losing streak has put that dream into question. It's unfortunate, but nothing that the fans aren't accustomed to after the past few years. It's time to take a look at the draft lottery, as it's possible the Canadiens will be in it again this season. They currently have just a 25% chance of making the postseason.
The draft lottery will happen on either May 5 or 6, likely before the start of one of the Eastern Conference playoff matchups.
There will be two lottery drawings, one for the first overall selection and one for the second pick. The top 11 teams in the lottery are eligible to win the first overall pick with varying odds. The Canadiens have a great chance of finishing outside the bottom 11, so it might not be very likely that the draft lottery means too much to Canadiens fans.
Daily Faceoff explains the draft lottery odds system as follows: As a result of Draft Lottery rule changes made effective in 2021, a team may only move up a maximum of 10 spots from their finishing position. That means only the bottom 11 teams have a shot at the No. 1 overall pick. Therefore, instead of the published odds, which indicate the 32nd-place team has an 18.5 percent chance – which was accurate when all 16 non-playoff teams had a crack at the No. 1 pick – the additional percentages from those five clubs are effectively applied to the 32nd place finisher.
The Canadiens won the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery, which many believed gave them the Shane Wright sweepstakes, but as we know, it led to Juraj Slafkovsky.