The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 7, has fans eagerly anticipating which team will secure the coveted first overall pick. With the recent changes to the Draft Lottery format, only the top 11 seeds are eligible for the first selection in the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
The participants are teams that did not qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs or have acquired the first-round drafting positions of those non-playoff teams.
The upcoming Draft Lottery will decide the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft order by selecting the first 16 picks in the first round.
NHL Draft Lottery: Top 5 teams with best odds of landing #1 pick
1. San Jose Sharks (18.5%)

The San Jose Sharks finished last season with a dismal 19-54-9 record. They have the highest chance of winning the lottery and selecting first overall.
2. Chicago Blackhawks (13.5%)

The Chicago Blackhawks, who ended the season with a 23-53-5 record, have the second-best odds of securing the top pick.
3. Anaheim Ducks (11.5%)

With a 26-50-5 record, the Anaheim Ducks find themselves in the third spot, hoping to add a top prospect to their rebuilding roster.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (9.5%)

The Columbus Blue Jackets, who finished the season with a 27-43-12 record, have the fourth-best chance of winning the lottery.
5. Montreal Canadiens (8.5%)

Despite some improvement from the previous season, the Montreal Canadiens' 30-36-16 record places them fifth in the lottery odds.
As 14 teams are not selected in the lottery, they will be assigned draft positions 2 through 16 in the first round, in inverse order of their regular-season points.
NHL Central Scouting has released its final rankings for the 2024 NHL draft. Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini tops the list of North American skaters, and Nizhny Novgorod defenseman Anton Silayev leads the European skaters.
Celebrini was awarded the Hobey Baker Award for being the best player in college hockey.
The 2024 NHL Scouting Combine, showcasing the top draft-eligible prospects, will be held from June 2-8 in Buffalo, N.Y.
The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery will be at the NHL Network's studio, in Secaucus, New Jersey. The event can be seen on ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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