- The first phase of the NHL Draft Lottery takes place Friday night, with the Detroit Red Wings (+250) and Ottawa Senators (+350) leading all odds to get the first overall pick.
- Teams are fighting for the chance to draft Canadian prospect Alexis Lafreniere, who has -500 odds to be the first overall pick at the 2020 NHL Draft.
SECAUCUS, N.J. – The National Hockey League announced this week that Phase 1 of the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery will take place this Friday night from the NHL Network’s studio in New Jersey.
The NHL Draft Lottery is a process used to determine the top three picks in each year’s draft and can be a bit of a challenge to understand.
Phase 1 will see three teams drawn, with varying results depending on the teams.
There are 15 teams that will be eligible for the lottery and have a chance at the top three picks, but only seven have currently qualified by not making the cut for the unique 2020 NHL Playoffs.
The remaining eight teams will be filled by the losing teams in the Qualifying Round of the playoffs.
If all of the three picks are awarded to the bottom seven teams, then the draft lottery will conclude there, with the remaining picks assigned on points position. However, if one of the top three picks is awarded to one of the undetermined eight teams, the draft lottery will hold a Phase 2 on a date after the Qualifying Round of the playoffs.
All teams are ranked by points percentage they earned during the season, with the worst teams receiving the best odds.
While hockey bettors are focused on the return to play that is soon approaching, odds are available for which team will receive the first selection in the lottery.
NHL Draft Lottery – Team To Get The First Pick In The 2020 Draft
- Detriot Red Wings +250
- Ottawa Senators +350
- San Jose Sharks +400
- Los Angeles Kings +500
- Anaheim Ducks +550
- New Jersey Devils +600
- Buffalo Sabres +650
The Detroit Red Wings have by far the best chance to get the top selection, earning an 18.5% chance thanks to their last-place finish.
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The next team is an entire five percentage points less, with the Ottawa Senators getting a 13.5% chance at the first pick. However, Ottawa also owns the third-highest chance in the draft via a trade from the San Jose Sharks, which has an 11.5% chance.
This means that although the Red Wings possess the best individual odds, Ottawa has a combined 25% chance to receive the top overall selection.
At +350, online sports bettors should strongly consider the Senators for this prop.
Elsewhere on the NHL betting sheet sits odds for the player who will be selected first overall.
First Pick Of The 2020 NHL Draft
- Alexis Lafreniere -500
- Quinton Byfield +500
- Tim Stutzle +600
- Lucas Raymond +800
- Jamie Drysdale +1000
Dominating the board at -500 is Canadian sensation, Alexis Lafreniere.
Lafreniere is the consensus No. 1 pick in this draft this year after a stellar junior hockey season that saw him lead Canada to a gold medal in the world junior tournament.
Although betting on the first NHL Draft pick is expensive, don’t waste money on anyone but Lafreniere here.
Jimmy Reinman honed his skills across various mediums including print, radio, and broadcast before bringing his arsenal of knowledge to the team here at USAOnlineSportsbooks in 2020. When he’s not writing, you can find him in a state of focused stress on any College Football Saturday, or maniacally constructing NBA parlays on a cool spring evening.
