NHL announces final odds for 2023 Draft Lottery

The Washington Capitals might have missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years, but they’ll still participate in a big event held during the postseason.

The Capitals are in the NHL’s Draft Lottery after finishing the 2022-23 season as the eighth-worst team in the league. If luck comes their way, the Capitals could end up winning the first overall pick and having the opportunity to select Connor Bedard. The team has a 6 percent chance of moving up to first and a 6.4 percent chance of moving up to second. They could also end up drafting eighth, ninth, or tenth.

The Anaheim Ducks ended up as the worst team in the league this season and have the highest chance of getting first at 18.5 percent. The Columbus Blue Jackets (13.5 percent) and Chicago Blackhawks (11.5 percent) round out the top three. Teams can only move up as many as 10 spots so anyone after the Vancouver Canucks, the eleventh-worst team, cannot move up to first.

* Under the terms of a March 1, 2023 trade, Ottawa will transfer its 1st-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to Arizona if it is not a top 5 pick. If it becomes a top 5 pick as a result of the Draft Lottery, Ottawa will retain the pick and instead transfer to Arizona its 1st-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

The NHL Draft Lottery will be held at NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey and will air on Monday, May 8 on ESPN.

NHL Announces Odds for 2023 Draft Lottery Participants

NEW YORK (April 14, 2023) – The National Hockey League announced today the odds for clubs participating in the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery, set for Monday, May 8, at NHL Network’s Secaucus, N.J., studio. The event will be broadcast live beginning at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

The 2023 NHL Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Participants are all teams that did not qualify for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs (or the teams that have acquired the first-round drafting positions of those non-playoff teams).

REMINDER: The NHL announced changes to the Draft Lottery format on March 23, 2021. Among the changes instituted in 2022 is a limit on the total number of selections (10) a team participating in the Draft Lottery can “move up” in the event it wins one of the Lottery Draws. Thus, only the top 11 seeds will be eligible to receive the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery Draw, based on which team wins the 1st Lottery Draw.

The 14 teams not selected in the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery will be assigned the remaining 2023 NHL Draft selections (among 1 through 16 in the first round), in inverse order of regular-season points.

NHL Central Scouting will release its final rankings for the 2023 NHL Draft on Tuesday, April 18. Click here to view mid-season ranking information.

The 2023 NHL Scouting Combine, showcasing the top draft-eligible North American and international prospects, will be held from June 4-10 at KeyBank Center and LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y.

The 2023 NHL Draft will take place at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, over two days. Round 1 will be held on Wednesday, June 28, followed by Rounds 2-7 on Thursday, June 29.