Report: NHL would likely revert to old lottery system if draft moved to early June

The Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks all stand to benefit greatly if the NHL draft is held early next month, with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reporting it could be as early as June 5.

If the NHL does hold the entry draft in early June, the league has said that it would revert to the old lottery system that was last used in 2012, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN.

In the old lottery system, only the bottom five teams in the league would have a chance to get the first overall pick. Teams outside of that group could still win the lottery, but they could only move up a maximum of four slots in the draft order.

Here's a look at the current projected draft order based on points percentage among the bottom 15 teams that would be eligible for the lottery.

1. Detroit Red Wings

2. Ottawa Senators

3. Ottawa Senators (via SJ)

4. Los Angeles Kings

5. Anaheim Ducks

6. New Jersey Devils

7. Buffalo Sabres

8. Montreal Canadiens

9. Chicago Blackhawks

10. New Jersey Devils (via ARI)

11. Minnesota Wild

12. Winnipeg Jets

13. New York Rangers

14. Florida Panthers

15. Columbus Blue Jackets

In the old system, only the Red Wings, Senators, Kings, and Ducks would have a shot at picking first overall.

Additionally, as Sportsnet's Chris Johnston said, there would only be a draft lottery for the No. 1 pick, meaning Detroit could do no worse than the No. 2 selection, and the furthest Ottawa could slide back is to Nos. 3 and 4. In recent drafts, the top three selections have been lottery picks, which is why the Colorado Avalanche picked fourth in 2019 despite holding the best odds to land the first pick.

With only one lottery pick, the Red Wings' odds to "win" would remain at the 18.5% mark used in recent years instead of the 25% used in 2012, reports McKenzie. In actuality, though, the Red Wings' chances of drafting first overall get an even bigger boost, because if a team outside the top five was to "win" the lottery, Detroit would hold onto the top pick.

The draft lottery switched to the more random format in 2012 to discourage teams from tanking.

The reasoning for moving the draft to early June is an extremely difficult one. As Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday, the Stanley Cup would not be awarded until early or mid-September at the earliest if the season resumes this summer. This would leave little time for a lottery and draft to be held before the 2020-21 season begins, which could be as late as December.

The NHL is reportedly moving forward with the altered lottery odds partially in order to ensure a team cannot win the lottery and also win the Stanley Cup. "While the league considers that a total long shot, it is prepared to concede the point and prevent the occurrence," Friedman wrote.

The 2020 NHL Draft was originally scheduled for June 26-27, but was postponed on March 25.

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