Vancouver Canucks current draft lottery odds and their shot at No. 1 pick
The Vancouver Canucks ended nearly all hope of a playoff appearance with an embarrassing 5-0 loss Wednesday night.
With their postseason odds at 1.9 per cent, per MoneyPuck, the focus now turns to their position in the draft lottery. While they’re not strong contenders to get the first pick, there’s still time for the Canucks to drop further in the standings and improve their draft position.
With games against the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars coming up in the next week, the Canucks have a tough schedule, which should help them sink even further down.
As of today, the Canucks are 15th in the draft lottery odds, with just under a 98 per cent chance of staying in that 15th slot. Since NHL teams can move up no more than 10 spots, the highest they could pick would be fifth overall.
With seven games remaining, there’s still time for other teams to pass the Canucks. There are four clubs within four points, and three of those ā Montreal, the Rangers, and Columbus ā still have legitimate playoff aspirations.
NHL
One of those Eastern Conference teams will make the playoffs, taking them out of the lottery. However, the Canucks could still easily drop three spots before the season is over.
If all four of those teams within four points, Utah being the other, pass the Canucks, that would put them in the 12th spot for the draft lottery. The 12th slot has nearly a 95 per cent chance of picking either 12th or 13th in the draft.
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To get any chance at picking first overall, the Canucks need to drop to 11th in the lottery. That would mean being passed by Detroit, who are six points back with a game in hand. That’s unlikely but far from impossible. If the Canucks reach the 11th position, they’ll have a 6.2 per cent chance of picking in the first two slots.
After trading their first-round draft pick last season as part of a package for Elias Lindholm, the Canucks could use all the lottery luck possible to add another big name to their prospect pool.