NHL Draft Lottery winner 2021: Buffalo Sabres win No. 1 overall pick, Seattle Kraken to pick second

Buffalo had the worst record in the NHL in 2021

Wednesday night, the 15 NHL teams that did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season were entered into the 2021 NHL Draft lottery. Despite the addition of an expansion team to the National Hockey League, the rights to the No. 1 overall pick in the draft now belong to the worst team in hockey in 2020-21.

The Buffalo Sabres earned the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, beating out the Seattle Kraken and the Anaheim Ducks for the top selection for the draft in late Julyy. The Seattle Kraken, which is entering the NHL as an expansion team in 2021-22, will hold the No. 2 overall pick, while the Anaheim Ducks hold the No. 3 overall pick.

The Sabres hold the No. 1-overall pick in the Draft for the second time in four years, as they previously held the top pick in the 2018 Draft, which they used on defenceman Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres finished the 2020-21 season with the worst record in the NHL, finishing a league-low 15 wins and just 37 points from 56 games.

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, the Top 15 in the 2021 NHL Draft order is now as follows:

1. Buffalo Sabres
2. Seattle Kraken
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. New Jersey Devils
5. Columbus Blue Jackets
6. Detroit Red Wings
7. San Jose Sharks
8. Los Angeles Kings
9. Vancouver Canucks
10. Ottawa Senators
11. Chicago Blackhawks
12. Calgary Flames
13. Philadelphia Flyers
14. Dallas Stars
15. New York Rangers

Absent from the results of the Draft Lottery are the Arizona Coyotes, who were forced to forfeit their first-round draft pick as part of sanctions levied against the team last summer for NHL Combine testing violations. The Coyotes loss was others' gain, as several teams -- beginning with the Philadelphia Flyers -- moved up a spot in the draft order in the absence of Arizona.

The NHL Draft is set to take place July 23-24, which is one month later than its usual date. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL finish will season later than it usually does, prompting the delay.

[Jun 2, 2021 at 7:30 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Here are the results of the 2021 Draft Lottery: The Buffalo Sabres have earned the No. 1-overall pick, followed by the Seattle Kraken and the Anaheim Ducks.

It should be noted that the Arizona Coyotes were forced to forfeit their first-round selection in this year's Draft, moving the Philadelphia Flyers up in the Draft order.

[Jun 2, 2021 at 7:25 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

The Buffalo Sabres have earned the No. 1-overall pick in the NHL Draft. The Sabres had the worst record in the league in 2020-21, finishing a lowly 15-34.

[Jun 2, 2021 at 7:23 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

The following teams have had their spots in the 2021 NHL Draft settled:
4 - New Jersey Devils 5 - Columbus Blue Jackets 6 - Detroit Red Wings 9 - Vancouver Canucks 10 - Ottawa Senators 11 - Chicago Blackhawks 12 - Calgary Flames 14 - Dallas Stars 15 - New York Rangers

[Jun 2, 2021 at 7:12 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

New to the Draft Lottery for 2021 is the Seattle Kraken, an expansion team in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. The 2021-22 season will be the first for the Kraken.

[Jun 2, 2021 at 7:04 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

The odds for the Draft Lottery are set, in part, based on which teams had the worst records in the NHL this past season. The following were the five worst teams in hockey:
- Buffalo Sabres (15-34) - Anaheim Ducks (17-30) - New Jersey Devils (19-30) - Columbus Blue Jackets (18-26) - Detroit Red Wings (19-27)