For the first time in quite a while, Washington Capitals fans will have intrigue surrounding the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery in the coming days. Here is all you need to know for the biggest night for non-postseason teams while the Stanley Cup Playoffs are going on:
When
- Monday 5/8, 8 PM ET
How To Watch
- ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN in United States
- Sportsnet, Sportsnet Now, TVA Sports (French) in Canada
Draft Lottery Odds
- Teams can
- only move up a maximum of 10 spots in the draft selection order
- down a maximum of just two from their current seed in the rankings above
How It Works
- 14 ping-pong balls loaded into lottery machine
- each of them labeled with number between 1-14
- 1,001 different four-digit number combinations between 1 and 14
- NHL needs 1,000 various possible numbers to execute lottery
- One possible combination chosen at random, removed from pool of possible numbers to leave process with 1,000 numbers
- each of them labeled with number between 1-14
- each NHL team in the lottery assigned series of randomly-selected four-digit numbers in accordance with their lottery odds
- Anaheim Ducks have an 18.5% chance based on their last-place finish, so 185 number combinations, but they also win if the 12th through 16th-place teams win and move up 10 spots
- five clubs combined have a 7% chance of winning (70 four-number combinations), which gives Anaheim 255 four-number combinations that would lead to first overall selection
- Columbus Blue Jackets next at 13.5% (135 four-number combinations), followed by Chicago Blackhawks at 11.5% (115), San Jose Sharks at 9.5% (95), Montreal Canadiens at 8.5% (85), and so on
- Anaheim Ducks have an 18.5% chance based on their last-place finish, so 185 number combinations, but they also win if the 12th through 16th-place teams win and move up 10 spots
- list of numbers and 1,001st number that was previously randomly selected and set aside is made public by NHL
- lottery draw, and there are actually two
- first to select the No. 1 pick
- second for the No. 2
- four-number combination that pops up from the lottery machine matched with list of numbers to see winner
- If it is any of the bottom 11 teams, that is the club that gets to pick No. 1
- If winner is a team in the No. 12-No. 16 range, Anaheim will get the No. 1 pick
- that “winning” team will slot up 10 spots from their pre-set lottery odds
- second draw then held to determine the next-highest available spot
- lottery draw, and there are actually two
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By Harrison Brown