Even if the Sharks don’t have a lottery-eligible pick, it’s been too long since any live NHL event has happened and that’s probably why we’re here. Tonight’s Draft Lottery is just Phase 1 — meaning some of the teams who are eligible haven’t yet been “eliminated” from the NHL’s Return to Play plan, which could potentially throw a wrench in the mix of this entire draft plan if the league doesn’t end up, well, returning to play.
Still, fourteen teams are in the running for those coveted top-three draft selections, even if some of them are simply placeholders for now.