2013 NHL Draft Lottery Odds
By Pat McGrath
Apr. 18, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Florida Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen reacts behind the bench against the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Rangers won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
With the regular season wrapping up this week, teams with no shot at the playoffs (I’m looking at you, Panthers) have the NHL Draft Lottery to look forward to. The Draft Lottery which takes place on Monday April 29th features a new rule where all fourteen of the non-playoff teams will have a chance to win the number one pick. Previously, a team could only move up four spots by winning the draft lottery so only a top five team could receive the first pick by winning the Lottery.
Each non-playoff team is has a weighted chance to win the number one pick and the odds are based on where they finished in the regular season. Only one team is picked in the lottery and if the winner is not the regular seasons’ last place them, that 30th ranked team is displaced one spot and picks second rather than first.
All of this is relevant to Florida Panther fans because there is a very good chance the Panthers will finish last in the NHL. With 32 points and three games remaining, Florida is all but guaranteed to finish behind the 29th place Colorado Avalanche who currently have 37 points. If Florida loses tonight against the Rangers, in regulation or overtime, they will clinch 30th place. Florida would have to win its last three games and have the Avalanche lose their final three in order for the Panthers to finish ahead of Colorado. (The Avalanche hold the tiebreaker in the event that both teams finish even in points.)
Here are the Lottery odds for each position in the standings and the teams that currently occupy each position:
30th Place 25.0% (Florida 32 pts)
29th Place 18.8% (Colorado 37 pts)
28th Place 14.2% (Tampa Bay 38 pts)
27th Place 10.7% (Nashville 39 pts)
26th Place 8.1% (Carolina 39 pts)
25th Place 6.2% (Edmonton 41 pts)
24th Place 4.7% (Calgary 42 pts)
23rd Place 3.6% (Philadelphia 43 pts)
22nd Place 2.7% (Buffalo 44 pts)
21st Place 2.1% (New Jersey 44 pts)
20th Place 1.5% (Phoenix 46 pts)
19th Place 1.1% (Dallas 48 pts)
18th Place 0.8% (Detroit 50 pts)
17th Place 0.5% (Winnipeg 51 pts)