Explained, the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery rules involving the odds, restrictions for landing the No. 1 pick and more
The NHL will find out Monday night, due to the draft lottery, what order the first 16 picks in the 2023 NHL Draught will be in.
In contrast to the NFL, the NHL does not always provide the first pick to the team that finished last.
Similar to the NBA and MLB, the league chooses the order of picks through a lottery system.
The NHL recently set some restrictions and rules to ensure that the weakest clubs receive the higher lottery picks.
NHL Draft Lottery rules, date, results, odds, format and meaning in 2023 explained
The probability percentages for the 16 clubs that miss out on the playoffs are determined by how they performed in the standings.
A club’s chances of getting picked first rise as their ranking drops. Although it’s not a guarantee, the team that finishes last has the highest chance of receiving the top choice.
At the draft lottery, there will be two draws: one for the first pick and one for the second. For the top three picks, this is different from the previous three lotteries.
NHL Draft Lottery rules
The NHL has made many changes to the lottery rules that limit how far up some teams can go. In 2023, these new restrictions were put in place for the second straight draft.
One of the two new rules that will be in place for the 2022 draft is the prohibition on teams moving up more than 10 spots if they win one of the lottery draws.
The teams ranked No. 12 through No. 16 are therefore disqualified from receiving the first overall choice. If they truly win the No. 1 or No. 2 drawing, they will only advance 10 slots in the sequence.
The second regulation change is a limit of two lottery victories per team every five years. The beginning of any team’s five-year tenure is 2022; any lottery wins made prior to 2022 will not be included towards this total.
The Canadiens, for instance, would not be able to win the top pick again until 2027 if they were to win the draft lottery once more this year because they had won it in 2022 and 2023.
After the first two picks have been made, the remaining field will be arranged in the order in which they appeared in the rankings. This regulation prevents the team with the worst record from placing lower than third.
Here are the results of the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery. The Blackhawks won the lottery and will pick first in the 2023 NHL Draft and the remaining 16 slots (Nos. 17-32) will be determined by the results of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.
| Pick | Team |
| No. 1 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| No. 2 | Anaheim Ducks |
| No. 3 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| No. 4 | San Jose Sharks |
| No. 5 | Montreal Canadiens |
| No. 6 | Arizona Coyotes |
| No. 7 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| No. 8 | Washington Capitals |
| No. 9 | Detroit Red Wings |
| No. 10 | St. Louis Blues |
| No. 11 | Vancouver Canucks |
| No. 12 | Arizona Coyotes (from Ottawa Senators) |
| No. 13 | Buffalo Sabres |
| No. 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| No. 15 | Nashville Predators |
| No. 16 | Calgary Flames |
NHL Draft Lottery odds 2023
The NHL lottery odds are broken down in the table below.
Since the rankings are established by moving backward in the standings, the team with the worst performance is placed first.
| Team | Chance at No. 1 pick |
|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | 25.5% |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 13.5% |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 11.5% |
| San Jose Sharks | 9.5% |
| Montreal Canadiens | 8.5% |
| Arizona Coyotes | 7.5% |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 6.5% |
| Washington Capitals | 6.0% |
| Detroit Red Wings | 5.0% |
| St. Louis Blues | 3.5% |
| Vancouver Canucks | 3.0% |
What time is the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery?
- Date: Monday, May 8
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET
The NHL draft for 2023 will have its first overall pick announced on Monday, May 8. The evening draft lottery started at eight o’clock.
The 2023 NHL Draft will take place on June 28 and 29.
NHL Draft Lottery 2023: Where to watch?
ESPN will air the NHL Draft lottery for American fans in 2023. Streamers can access the ESPN app and ESPN+ to watch the event.
Additionally, fans can view the event live on Fubo. Since Fubo carries the ESPN family of networks, hockey fans who are watching the main broadcast can use the streaming service.
Canadian audiences can watch the draft lottery on Sportsnet or, for a French-speaking audience, on TVA Sports. The occasion will be broadcast on SN NOW.