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Wednesday night, the NHL announced that the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery will be held Tuesday, April 9, in Toronto. This is earlier than it has been in the past as the league has decided to hold the lottery the day before the playoffs start.
The results of the Draft Lottery will be revealed live on NBCSN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports during a one-hour show beginning at 8 p.m., ET.
The Ottawa Senators currently sit in deal last in the NHL so they are likely to have the best odds to win the lottery. Thanks to Ottawa’s decision to hang on to their 2018 first round pick - a pick they used on Brady Tkachuk - their 2019 first rounder was sent to the Colorado Avalanche to complete the (first) Matt Duchene trade. Thanks to the deal that went down back in November 2017, this draft lottery is going to be of great interest to the Colorado Avalanche and their fans.
As the Avalanche make a push for one of the two Western Conference Wild Card playoff spots, their fans are still able to look towards the lottery with excitement. If Colorado is to miss out on the playoff their own pick will be in the lottery as well - giving the Avs two chances at winning the first overall selection in the draft this June.
As well as the date and time, the league also confirmed that the odds for the lottery will be the same as last year:
2019 Draft Lottery Odds
| Non-Playoff Team (Fewest Points to Most) | 2019 Odds |
|---|---|
| Non-Playoff Team (Fewest Points to Most) | 2019 Odds |
| 1 | 18.50% |
| 2 | 13.50% |
| 3 | 11.50% |
| 4 | 9.50% |
| 5 | 8.50% |
| 6 | 7.50% |
| 7 | 6.50% |
| 8 | 6.00% |
| 9 | 5.00% |
| 10 | 3.50% |
| 11 | 3.00% |
| 12 | 2.50% |
| 13 | 2.00% |
| 14 | 1.50% |
| 15 | 1.00% |
Even if the Senators finish the season in last place, the odds are still greatest that their pick ends lower than first overall. Colorado would have the best odds of winning the first pick and the right to draft blue chip phenom Jack Hughes, but regardless of the outcome, the Avs will be able to add a high-end talent to their depth chart.
A reminder of how the lottery works:
The 2019 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.
The 15 clubs that do not qualify for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs – or the clubs that have acquired the first-round picks of those non-playoff clubs – will participate in the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery.
The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery Draw, based on which club wins the 1st Lottery Draw, and again for the 3rd Lottery Draw, based on which club wins the 2nd Lottery Draw.
The 12 clubs not selected in the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery will be assigned 2019 NHL Draft selections 4 through 15, in inverse order of regular-season points.
More details about the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery will be announced at a later date.
The 2019 NHL Draft will take place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The first round will be held Friday, June 21. Rounds 2-7 will take place Saturday, June 22. It should be a big weekend for the Colorado Avalanche as they currently hold four of the top-63 picks.