Your guide to Phase 2 of unprecedented NHL Draft Lottery
2020 NHL Draft Lottery, Phase 2
When: Monday, Aug. 10, 6 p.m. ET
How to watch: NHL Network, NBSCN, Sportsnet, TVAS
Phase 1 of the draft lottery in June marked the first NHL event since play was suspended March 12. With the hockey world watching with anticipation to find out which team would land the top pick at the 2020 draft, the evening ended without an answer.
Against the odds, one of the eight losing teams from the play-in round won, leading us to a second and unprecedented phase in the draft lottery process.
Teams involved
For the first time in history, a team without one of the league's worst seven records will nab the first overall pick at the draft, per Sportsnet stats. That means a playoff-caliber club - and possibly even a Stanley Cup contender - could end up adding consensus No. 1 prospect and QMJHL sensation Alexis Lafreniere to its roster.
The Nashville Predators, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, and Winnipeg Jets represent the Western Conference clubs with a shot at the first overall selection, while the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs round out the Eastern Conference hopefuls. Each of these clubs owns a 12.5% chance of winning the lottery.
The seven teams that don't win the top pick will be assigned 2020 NHL Draft picks 9-15 in inverse order of their points percentages when the regular season was suspended.
In June, we broke down what it would mean for each play-in team in the East and West to earn the first overall selection.
How we got here
When the season hit pause, every component of the NHL's calendar - including the draft lottery - became uncertain. The lottery order is typically established based on the final standings after the 82-game season, but with the halted campaign, teams had played an unequal amount of games with just under one month remaining on the schedule.
As a solution, the seven clubs that did not qualify for the 24-team play-in round, along with the eight losing teams in the qualifying round, were entered into Phase 1 of the draft lottery using traditional lottery odds. The unknown teams were enlisted as "Placeholder teams A-through-H."
Despite the Ottawa Senators owning a 25% chance of landing the top pick, and the last-place Detroit Red Wings owning a 18.5% chance, "Placeholder team E" miraculously prevailed with just a 2% chance of winning the lottery.
So, who exactly is that placeholder team? That's what we'll find out Monday night.
Draft order so far
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Placeholder team |
| 2 | Los Angeles Kings |
| 3 | Ottawa Senators |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 5 | Ottawa Senators |
| 6 | Anaheim Ducks |
| 7 | New Jersey Devils |
| 8 | Buffalo Sabres |
Although they missed out on the top selection, the Red Wings will make their highest pick of the draft since 1990.
The Kings will select second for the first time since 2008, when they drafted blue-chip defenseman Drew Doughty.
The Senators own three first-round selections, highlighted by picks No. 3 and No. 5, while the Devils also own a trio of picks in the opening round.