NHL Changes Lottery Odds AGAIN!
In what has become an annual event, the NHLPA has yet again approved changes to the NHL Draft lottery odds. It marks the third season in a row that the odds have been modified. I didn’t realize Mr. Cortina had as much influence with the board of governors as he does with the Franchise Boys owners. That explains his frequent trips to Florida! 🙂
The percentage chance that a team is selected to pick first, second, or third, as expressed by the number of ping pong balls present in the lottery draw, is dependent on where they finish in the overall league standings. Changes to the odds first agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement began when the Edmonton Oilers had won yet another lottery in 2015 and would move up in the draft order to select their fourth first overall pick in a six year span. In response, the league significantly boosted the odds in 2016 toward the teams finishing last winning the lottery and the worst team in the NHL retained the top pick that year (Toronto Maple Leafs). Then the league and NHLPA again agreed to lessen the odds and insert more chance and excitement into the lottery which resulted in three teams outside the bottom four winning the lottery and moved into the top three draft slots, the biggest shift being the Philadelphia Flyers, who almost made the playoffs, picking second. Thus, the odds have yet again been increased for those toward the bottom. This yearly change in draft lottery odds is very responsive to the results of each prior lottery, but the changes have the best interests of competitive balance in mind. I’m betting on Edmonton to get the first overall pick and the Habs to get second!
The 2018 NHL Draft Lottery will be held Saturday April 28th in Toronto and will consist of three drawings: the 1st Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting first overall, the 2nd Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting second overall and the 3rd Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting third overall. The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery Draw, based on which club wins the 1st Lottery Draw, and again for the 3rd Lottery Draw, based on which club wins the 2nd Lottery Draw. The 12 clubs not selected in the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery will be assigned 2018 NHL Draft selections 4 through 15, in inverse order of regular-season points. The 2018 NHL Draft will take place at American Airlines Center in Dallas with the first round on Friday June 22nd and rounds 2-7 on Saturday June 23rd.
Comments
Comment from Claudio Masella
Time April 4, 2018 at 8:18 PM
Did we not decide to go back to that!!!!! We agreed that only the for the first round we would use the lottery…….right!
Comment from Nick
Time April 5, 2018 at 1:20 PM
You are correct Claudio! Round 2 onward is reverse order of standings.
Comment from Steve
Time April 17, 2018 at 10:56 AM
not to beat a dead horse BUT if we accept that 11 rounds of reverse order is appropriate, then what is the justification for introducing the potential…aww forget it! Majority rules.
Comment from Nick
Time April 17, 2018 at 3:41 PM
I’ll be more than happy to explain it to you and anyone else. In a nutshell, if you have a mediocre team and continually finish in the middle of the pack then there really is no avenue for you to improve your team enough such that you will climb to the top. The bottom dwellers would always get the first picks and they would end up in the middle of the pack while the middle of the pack fall to the bottom and the cycle repeats itself year after year. In order to break that cycle and give a chance to the middle dwellers a shot at those much coveted first picks, we all voted and agreed on this format. Does it make sense? That’s how both Joe’s finished in the top 4 this year, albeit trading helps too but, thanks to a great draft, they were competitive enough to be fighting for a top spot. Cheers!
Comment from Steve
Time April 2, 2018 at 4:52 PM
Hi boys…before we have another ‘anomalous result” with the draft..could we please return to the tried and true principle of ‘the lower you finish, the higher you draft. period? There has never been even a hint of tanking in this pool and the way we watch each other’s moves, it’s unlike to happen. Please? Steve