As has become the custom in 2020 in the wider world, in the NHL Draft Lottery chaos reigned. The winner of the first overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft was… nobody. Well, not yet.
A placeholder team won the lottery for Alexis Lafreniere, and the first overall pick will be drawn from among the Qualifying Round losers sometime in mid-August.
Wait, what?
A placeholder team, technically Team E, won the draft lottery. They had a 2.5% chance at winning the top spot, though the eight placeholder teams collectively combined for a 24.5% shot – only Ottawa’s combined 25% chance was better.