The Toronto Maple Leafs need to win the NHL Draft Lottery tonight.
With a 12. 5 percent chance of the Toronto Maple Leafs actually winning the NHL Draft Lottery, it’s unlikely they will win, but in order to call this season a success they need to.
After losing a heartbreaking series to the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games, the Leafs have a small chance at making the loss worth it.
If the Leafs don’t win the NHL Draft Lottery, things get worse because they will have to give up their first round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes.
After trading Patrick Marleau to clear cap-space, the Leafs also gave the Hurricanes their first-round pick. However, it is top-10 protected, so if the Leafs were to finish with the first-overall pick, they would get to keep their selection.
If the Leafs don’t win the NHL Draft Lottery, they will most likely have the 14th or 15th overall draft pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft so as a result they would have to give up their pick to the Hurricanes.
NHL Draft Lottery (Phase 2) Happens Tonight
The NHL had their first Draft Lottery over a month ago and it was some of the funniest television I’ve ever seen.
“The number-one overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft belongs to a team yet to be determined, coming from the qualifying round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.”
The fact that an NHL Logo won the first-overall selection was insane. The Ottawa Senators were hoping for the first and second overall selections but instead fell to third and fifth overall and it was absolute chaos.
Either way, 2020 is weird and one of the following teams that you can read in Bob McKenzie’s tweet below will be getting the first-overall selection.
NHL Draft Lottery, Phase 2, goes tonight at 6 p.m. ET.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) August 10, 2020
The No. 1 spot in the draft is on the line.
Eight teams — MIN, WPG, NYR, NSH, FLA, TOR, EDM and PIT — each have an equal 12.5 per cent chance of getting No. 1.
I think everyone is thinking the exact same thing: “Anyone but Edmonton, please?”
Although the 2020 NHL Draft doesn’t have the next Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid, every team would love to add the projected first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière.
The left-winger from Saint-Eustache, Quebec dominated the QJMHL and was a force with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Scouts have compared his game to Jonathan Huberdeau, which is very good company to be in. Huberdeau has developed into a point-per-game player and was top-10 in the NHL in scoring this season.
If the Leafs were able to get the first overall selection and draft Lafrenière, it would make their offense a super-team. Adding to Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Nick Robertson, Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, Zach Hyman and Alex Kerfoot, the Leafs would have the best top-nine in the NHL and it wouldn’t even be close.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs end up having to give away their first-round pick after missing the playoffs, it’ll be very disappointing so let’s all pray to the Leafs Gods that the team wins the first-overall pick tonight.