With just a short time left in the 2015-16 NHL regular season, eight teams have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. Two others have a 0 percent chance of getting to the dance, according to Sports Club Stats.
Fans of those non-playoff teams are turning their attentions to the draft lottery, where a new format will this year determine the order of selection at the draft in June.
The NHL has adjusted each non-playoff team's odds of choosing first overall. As you can see on this chart from NHL.com, the team that finishes last overall will still have the greatest likelihood of winning the lottery. But the odds have been spread out more evenly; finishing at the bottom of the standings isn't as much of an advantage as it once was.
This year's last-place club will have just a 20 percent chance of claiming the first pick, meaning there's plenty of room for a different team to swoop in and most likely grab top prospect Auston Matthews.
In addition, the second and third overall selections will also be determined by lottery, further increasing the randomness of the draft order.
Each team's odds in the secon ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Carol Schram
Ranking Teams’ Chances of Winning the 2016 NHL Draft Lottery
March 28th, 2016 by Carol Schram Leave a reply »
Advertisement