MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Wings player development assistant regarding the NHL Draft Lottery, which will take place this Saturday, and Khan reveals that the draft lottery is going to be painfully slowly revealed to the public:
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland will be on stage for the event, when NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly reveals the selections live on NBC before and during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series between the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks (8 p.m.). The teams selecting fourth through 15th will be revealed in reverse order at 7:30 p.m. The teams selecting first through third will be revealed during the second intermission.
Daniel Cleary, the former Red Wings forward and current player development assistant, will represent the team backstage when the drawing takes place. He and the 14 other club reps will be sequestered, their cell phones taken away, so they will not be able to communicate the results with anyone.
“I’m excited. I think everyone should be excited,” Cleary said. “It would be a huge moment to win. There’s a lot of talented players. I’m going to try to bring some Irish luck.”
Cleary said he’s bringing his rosary beads blessed by Pope John Paul II.
Khan continues, and again, the Red Wings will have an 8.5% chance of earning the #1 overall pick and a 26.5% chance of drafting in the top three.
The Buffalo News’s John Vogl confirms:
The NHL Draft Lottery is undergoing another change. It’s meant to draw out the suspense, but it could also end it early for the Buffalo Sabres.
Sportsnet announced Thursday that it will unveil Saturday night’s lottery results throughout the course of the evening rather than all at once. Picks 15 through 4 will be revealed during “Hockey Central Saturday,” which goes on the air at 7:30 p.m. on NBC, CBC and Sportsnet. The top three picks, conducted via the lottery, will be announced during the second intermission of San Jose- Vegas playoff game that starts at 8 p.m.
So the No. 1 pick won’t be revealed until the 9:30 p.m. range.
By virtue of its last-place finish, the Sabres hold the best odds (18.5 percent) of landing the first overall pick. They could also drop to second, third or fourth if teams below them win the lotteries.
If three lower-seeded teams win, the Sabres will pick fourth and will know their fate before the Sharks and Golden Knights face off. If Buffalo makes the top three, it will have to wait through the opening two periods.
Anything to make people watch Gary’s California teams…