The Montreal Canadiens may be crowned the winners of the NHL Draft Lottery — for the second year in a row.
According to odds calculated by tankathon.com the Habs currently have the second-highest chance of picking first overall at the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
At the moment Montreal finds itself at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with a record of 15-19-3. It currently sits in 27th place in the league’s overall standings with only five other teams boasting worse records: Arizona, San Jose, Columbus, Anaheim, and Chicago.
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Due to their ongoing poor play, the Canadiens currently have a 7.5% chance of getting the first overall pick and a 7.9% chance of picking second. Meanwhile, Montreal also has the Florida Panthers’ first-round selection, an asset they collected in the Ben Chiarot trade back in March.
Florida has also been performing well below expectations this season, with Tankathon giving them a 6% and 6.5% chance of selecting first and second overall respectively. With that taken into account, Montreal currently holds a collective 13.5% chance of winning the draft lottery. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks currently hold a 25.5% chance.
Unlike the last few years, the 2023 Entry Draft has been centered around one generational talent in particular — 17-year-old Connor Bedard. The North Vancouver native is currently representing Canada at the World Juniors in Halifax.
As of now, the young forward has already broken three Canadian World Junior records, including most career goals (15), most career points (32), and most points in a single tournament (19).
While we’re still a few months away from from the Draft Lottery, one thing is certain: whoever wins the “Bedard sweepstakes” will have struck gold.
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