Eight teams remain in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but 16 clubs have their eyes on a different prize: the chance to leap up the draft order in two lotteries conducted for the 2024 NHL Draft. At stake is the first overall pick that is expected to be used on Macklin Celebrini, a player who could kickstart a return to competitive form for whichever team selects him.
Two years ago, the Montreal Canadiens went into the lottery with the best odds, landed one of their combinations, and selected Juraj Slafkovský. A year ago, it was the Chicago Blackhawks winning with the third-best odds to pick Connor Bedard. Which team will end up in the top spot tonight?
How to watch
Start time: 6:30 PM EDT / 3:30 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the USA: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
Two lotteries will be conducted today, one for the top pick, and a subsequent one to determine second overall. Teams have been assigned combinations for a 14-ball lottery machine, and the winner will be determined by drawing balls one at a time.
Winning a lottery doesn’t jump a team right to the top, but instead moves it 10 places up the order. That means only 11 clubs have a shot at winning the first pick; if one of the teams with the 12th- to 16th-best odds wins the 1st Draft Lottery, it moves up 10 spots, but the first pick goes to the worst team, which is the San Jose Sharks. So while the Sharks have an 18.5% chance of being the winner of the lottery, their chances of getting the first overall pick are actually 25.5% (their assigned 18.5% plus the total of 7.0% held by the five teams with the lowest odds).
| Team | Odds of winning lottery | Odds of claiming 1st overall pick |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose Sharks | 18.5% | 25.5% |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 13.5% | 13.5% |
| Anaheim Ducks | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| Columbu s Blue Jackets | 9.5% | 9.5% |
| Montreal Canadiens | 8.5% | 8.5% |
| Arizona Coyotes | 7.5% | 7.5% |
| Ottawa Senators | 6.5% | 6.5% |
| Seattle Kraken | 6.0% | 6.0% |
| Calgary Flames | 5.0% | 5.0% |
| New Jersey Devils | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Buffalo Sabres | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 2.5% | 0.0% |
| Minnesota Wild | 2.0% | 0.0% |
| San Jose Sharks (via PIT) | 1.5% | 0.0% |
| Detroit Red Wings | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| St. Louis Blues | 0.5% | 0.0% |
