For the NHL's 24 playoff qualifiers this year, the season won't find a conclusion until the league's postseason begins in early August. But for the seven others that failed to get into the playoff picture, their conclusion (and the first step of the offseason) came on Friday night when the 2020 Draft Lottery kicked off.
In a shocking turn of events, one of the placeholder teams -- which will come from the eight teams that are knocked out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs qualifying round -- won the lottery from the spot with the 12th-best odds. Here are the top eight selections in the 2020 NHL Draft:
No. 8 Buffalo Sabres
No. 7 New Jersey Devils
No. 6 Anaheim Ducks
No. 5 Ottawa Senators
No. 4 Detroit Red Wings
No. 3 Ottawa Senators
No. 2 Los Angeles Kings
No. 1 Placeholder team to be determined
After the qualifying round, the eight teams that are eliminated will have equally-weighted odds to win the top pick in Phase 2 of the NHL Draft Lottery.
The lottery format was a bit different this year, a bit more confusing and complicated than usual. Friday's lottery draw was the first stage of what became a two-stage lottery process, and here's how it breaks down:
Below you can find live updates for the draft lottery.
Important, if the Stanley Cup Playoffs cannot be completed, that the NHL has a mechanism in place to decide which teams will be in Phase 2 of the lottery.
If, for whatever reason, the play-in cannot be completed....the remaining bottom 8 teams will have a one-in-eight shot at the top selection
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 27, 2020
5 All-Star game selections, 2 Stanley Cups and a Norris Trophy...yeah, I'd say Drew Doughty worked out ok.
2020, man. Crazy.
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) June 27, 2020
Congrats to the
— x-Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) June 27, 2020
*checks notes*
(Fill in the blank) for receiving the first overall draft pick!#GoAvsGo
Devils interim GM on tonight's draft lottery.
“This is a deep first round. We’re excited about that. We’ll be ready for number 7 and start from there.”
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 27, 2020
Hear from Interim GM Tom Fitzgerald on his thoughts on the upcoming NHL Draft.
⁰#DevilsDraftLottery | @NJLottery pic.twitter.com/fLphIVNV4Z
Columbus expressing all the emotions every play-in team is experiencing right now
— x-Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) June 27, 2020
The draw for the first overall selection will be held during Phase 2 of the #NHLDraft Lottery among only the eight teams that fail to advance from the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. All participants will have the same odds (12.5%).
— NHL (@NHL) June 27, 2020
MORE: https://t.co/GDxzfsHGvz pic.twitter.com/svmEVD4NgD
Total chaos
HOLY! Mystery placeholder team gets the No. 1 pick in the draft. Kings pick 2nd
Senators pick 3rd
Placeholder team, Senators and Kings in top 3
No. 4 pick to the Red Wings (!!)
No. 5 pick goes to the Senators (first of two picks)
No. 6 pick to the Ducks
No. 7 pick to the Devils
No.8 pick goes to Buffalo
We have an in-play team in the top 3
Good vibes are appreciated. 👍
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) June 27, 2020
How’s everyone feeling???
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 26, 2020
🤞🤞🤞🤞
— LA Kings (@LAKings) June 26, 2020
It's time!
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) June 27, 2020
The #NHLDraft Lottery is right now.
📺: @NHLNetwork, @NBCSN and the NBC Sports app. pic.twitter.com/xuuNxo4F40
Who’s nervous?
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) June 27, 2020
The #NHLDraftLottery Starts Now! pic.twitter.com/FZId2txkFF
As always, we root for chaos.
Lottery time. Let's get crazy, people.
2020 NHL Draft Lottery Preview https://t.co/XHvpaQzOkI
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) June 26, 2020
It all happens at 5 p.m. PT on @NHLNetwork & @NBCSN. pic.twitter.com/tdaThgXPDI
— LA Kings (@LAKings) June 26, 2020
A closer look at the ODDS ahead of the 2020 #NHLDraft Lottery.
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) June 26, 2020
TONIGHT on NBCSN. pic.twitter.com/pPIZlBUrLJ
Which team will get the No. 1️⃣ pick at the 2020 #NHLDraft?
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 26, 2020
Find out TONIGHT as the NHL Draft Lottery gets underway at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on SN + SN NOW. https://t.co/vMsgyF5Mcz#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/mehTYElkr9
Get to know @NHLdotcom's top defensive prospect, Jamie Drysdale.
— NHL (@NHL) June 26, 2020
Watch the 2020 #NHLDraft Lottery at 8p ET on @NHLonNBCSports, @NHLNetwork and @Sportsnet.
(🎥 @OHLHockey) pic.twitter.com/Gz6BBiAULU
Hockey is a family affair
The Adams family ☺️
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 26, 2020
*snap, snap* pic.twitter.com/zk0NMXnrmM
We're getting closer!
How’s everyone feeling???
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 26, 2020
