The 2016 NHL Draft Lottery, which determines the first 14 picks in the first round of this year’s draft, will be announced at 7 p.m. CT Saturday in Toronto on NBC.
For the first time, the draft lottery will assign the top three picks of the draft. Toronto, who finished in last place, is not guaranteed, at worst, the second overall selection. The Maple Leafs could fall as low as fourth.
There are three drawings to award the first three picks, the rest of the picks from four through 14 are then awarded in descending order to the remaining teams.
The Edmonton Oilers have won the lottery four out of the last six years, including last year when they selected Connor McDavid. Edmonton has a 13.5 percent of winning again; last year it was 11.5 percent.
Whoever lands the top pick will likely select Arizona-born Auston Matthews, an 18-year-old center who scored 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games with Zurich in Switzerland this season. Other top forwards include: Finland’s Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi, OHL London’s Matthew Tkachuck and OHL Mississauga’s Alexander Nylander. The two top defenseman are OHL London’s Olli Juolevi and OHL Sarnia’s Jakob Chychurn, while Sweden’s Filip Gustavsson is regarded as the top goaltender.
What: The NHL Draft Lottery
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBCSN Live Extra
Who are you hoping for? I’m good with any team but Edmonton, Montreal, Winnipeg and Colorado.
Here are the odds each team has of drawing the first overall pick:
| Team | Regular season finish | Odds |
| Toronto | 30 | 20% |
| Edmonton | 29 | 13.5% |
| Vancouver | 28 | 11.5% |
| Columbus | 27 | 9.5% |
| Calgary | 26 | 8.5% |
| Winnipeg | 25 | 7.5% |
| Arizona | 24 | 6.5% |
| Buffalo | 23 | 6% |
| Montreal | 22 | 5% |
| Colorado | 21 | 3.5% |
| New Jersey | 20 | 3% |
| Ottawa | 19 | 2.5% |
| Carolina | 18 | 2% |
| Boston | 17 | 1% |
If the lottery does not interest you, there are also playoff rounds continuing:
| Away Team | Home Team | Series | Time | Network |
| NY Islanders | Tampa | Isles lead 1-0 | 2 p.m. CT | NBC |
| Pittsburgh | Washington | Washington leads 1-0 | 7 p.m. CT | NBC |