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NHL Draft Lottery 2017 Guide: Who do you want to win it?
The 2017 NHL Draft Lottery is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night, as 15 teams bring all their lucky charms to Toronto, hoping for the chance to draft Brandon Wheat King center Nolan Patrick or Halifax Moosehead center Nico Hischier or someone else they really like in a draft that doesn’t necessarily feature a no-brainer No. 1 pick.
(And by “lucky charms,” we of course hopefully mean Vinny Viola’s son, again.)
The 2017 NHL Draft Lottery 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.
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The big twist this season is that in addition to the 14 non-playoff teams, the expansion Vegas Golden Knights are taking part in the draft. They will be afforded the exact same lottery odds as the team that finished the 2016-17 regular season in 28th place. They can pick no lower than sixth overall.
(They also royally screwed the Avalanche, who saw their overall chances to the top pick drop by two percent thanks to the Knights’ inclusion.)
Here’s a look at the lottery odds, and which teams do or do not deserve the first overall pick.
1 – Colorado Avalanche (18.0%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: How about a little something for the effort, right? The Avalanche had the lowest standings points percentage (.293) since the 2005 lockout and the fourth-lowest of the last 20 years.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Because it’s the wrong year to have the first overall pick and then trade it, which is what they should do, given the block of Swiss cheese that is their roster.
2 – Vancouver Canucks (12.1%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because Trevor Linden was apparently visited by three ghosts and finally learned the True Meaning of Rebuilding.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Because it’s really not fair to Nolan Patrick that he’ll have to get second-line minutes until the Sedins retire around 2025.
t-3 – Arizona Coyotes (10.3%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because it would be nice for their general manager to finally have someone around his age to hang out with. Also, because it’s only fair that a team in Arizona that last year missed out on drafting the best player to ever emerge from Arizona get something for that anguish.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Four words—Glendale City Council Meetings.
t-3 – Vegas Golden Knights* (10.3%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Oh, c’mon, like Bettman’s not going to fix the lottery so his beautiful baby expansion team gets the first overall pick. You think Bill Foley paid $500 million to pick sixth? And the NHL always fixes the lottery for the benefit of the League (glances at Connor McDavid) oh nevermind…
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Because the most “long suffering” that fan base has experienced were technical difficulties at the team mascot announcement party.
5 – New Jersey Devils (8.5%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: So Taylor Hall will stop listening to Lana Del Rey on Spotify and weeping silently at the lineup sheet.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: (I mean, I’m a Devils fan, so there’s really no reason for them not to win the lottery. Although in true New Jersey fashion, the year they win it is the draft without a franchise player. Hey, Cory Schneider: Where the hell was that .908 save percentage in the Auston Matthews draft?!)
6 – Buffalo Sabres (7.6%)
Why They Deserve To Win The Lottery: Because Buffalo is why.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Because no one wants to have to learn the names of a new coaching and managerial staff every three years, in perpetuity.
7 – Detroit Red Wings (6.7%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because this Original Six franchise needs a return to glory and the Little Caesar’s Arena could use some positive buzz on the ice as it opens.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Before this season, the last time the Red Wings missed the playoff was the year “Home Alone” was released. So, uh, get in line behind the franchises that don’t have four Cups in 20 years, buckaroos.
8 – Dallas Stars (5.8%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because maybe they can use the top pick to trick someone into giving them a bunch of NHL defenseman and a goalie.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Ken Hitchcock looks like Paul Bearer and buries young players like the Undertaker.
9 – Florida Panthers (5.4%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because the last successful guy named Nico in South Beach was likely taken down by the DEA.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: We don’t want to say this organization is dysfunctional, but getting drafted by the Panthers is pretty much like being adopted by the Bluths.
10 – Los Angeles Kings (4.5%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because the Kings fans who discovered the team in 2012 are no doubt flummoxed by this whole “lack of playoffs” thing.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Because we don’t have Dean Lombardi around anymore to explain how winning the lottery is like the great Roman general Cincinnatus refusing to fall pray to ego, fame and fortune when he departed the battlefield. And to eventually make problematic contracts disappear in curious drug busts at the Canadian border in order top open the necessary cap space after their rookie contract.
11 – Carolina Hurricanes (3.2%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because Nolan Patrick legit sounds like a NASCAR driver and/or NCAA coach.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: What if the Hurricanes draft the right player that brings their entire team to the next level, sparking a decade of playoff appearances and championship runs that results in a surge in fan interest and attendance? WON’T ANYONE THINK OF QUEBEC!?
12 – Winnipeg Jets (2.7%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: So they can give hockey god Patrik Laine some extra help.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Because we’d like to see either of these guys on American television at some point.
13 – Philadelphia Flyers (2.2%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because there isn’t a sports town in America with the passion, fervor and commitment of Philadelphia fans.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Because if the rookies don’t meet the hype, they will ground either of these guys into [expletive] scrapple like they were underwhelming goalies or Eagles quarterbacks.
14 – Tampa Bay Lightning (1.8%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: To add another exciting young offensive weapon to an impressive collection of players.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Could end up in Nikita Kucherov’s Burn Book.
15 – New York Islanders (0.9%)
Why They Should Win The Lottery: Because if we believe there’s even a one percent chance that they can win it, we have to take it as an absolute certainty that they could win it.
Why They Shouldn’t Win It: Joining the Islanders the year before John Tavares leaves for Toronto is like joining the cast of “The Daily Show” in Jon Stewart’s last season.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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