The lottery aspect of the NHL Entry Draft has been around since 1995, but this year sees one of the most significant changes in the system. In August of 2014, the NHL decided to slowly transition the format from the old system where one lottery was held for the first overall pick, and the last place team was guaranteed, at worst, the second overall pick.
In 2015 the first change was made to try a keep teams from tanking just so they could keep their hopes for the #1 pick alive. The 30th place team’s chance to win the lottery dropped from 25% to 20%, and places 29-27 also saw reduction in the percentage to win.