Five years ago, the NHL tried to screw over the worst teams. They not only failed, but they’ve arguably set the development of the first-overall pick back a few years.
I’m a fan of the Ottawa Senators. I’m fully aware that they currently employ the two most talented players from the 2020 NHL Draft in Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson.
It’s for that reason that this impending roast will hopefully come through from an objective point of view.
On a surface level, the lottery odds look similar to years past. In 2019, the last-place team had a 18.5% chance of getting the first-overall pick, while teams 8-15 had a combined 24.5% chance. This remained consistent going into the expanded lottery, which gave every play-in series loser an equal chance of getting the first-overall pick.
Personally, I think giving teams that would normally be out of the race a chance at a Stanley Cup, should’ve excluded them from the draft lottery. You can’t have your cup and drink from it, too.
What brings it from merely questionable to cataclysmic, is the potential introduction of talented teams into the mix, as well as the increased chaos brought through a best-of-five playoff series. There’s already many an upset in a best-of-seven, and given how probability works, there will statistically be even more of them in a best-of-five.
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