HABS WIN THE 2022 NHL DRAFT LOTTERY

NHL / HOCKEY

Written by Joel Lefevre

Lady luck smiled down on the winningest franchise in league history as the Montreal Canadiens won the 2022 NHL Draft lottery on Tuesday. The Habs, who have captured a total of 24 Stanley Cups, more than any other club, finished 2021-22 with a league-worst 55 points, just a season after making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Source (Background Photo/s): The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson

Montreal came into the lottery with the best odds of picking number one at 18.5%, with the league’s lowest-scoring team, the Arizona Coyotes next, at 13.5%. It will be the first time since 1980 that the Habs will receive the first overall selection. Over 40 years ago, Montreal chose Doug Wickenheiser from the Regina Pats as their top choice. The draft this summer will take place at the Bell Centre, marking the first time since 1985 that the host city will get to choose first overall. The last time that happened was way back in 1985 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, when the hometown Maple Leafs selected Wendel Clark at number one.

As it stands right now, four of the seven Canadian teams will get to draft in the top 16 in July. After Montreal, the next Canadian team with a selection will be the Ottawa Senators at number seven, followed by the Winnipeg Jets choosing 14th and then the Vancouver Canucks at #15. It will be the most selections for Canadian teams this early in the draft since 2020 when five different teams had six of the first 16 selections. The last time a Canadian franchise chose first overall was back in 2016 when the Leafs selected Auston Matthews.

The New Jersey Devils will choose second in this year’s draft, marking the fourth consecutive time that they have received a top 10 pick, while the Arizona Coyotes, Seattle Kraken, and Philadelphia Flyers round out the top five. Columbus will get two selections in the top 16 after making a previous trade with the Chicago Blackhawks to pick sixth overall. Here is a breakdown of the NHL draft order to this point.

1. Montreal Canadiens

2. New Jersey Devils

3. Arizona Coyotes

4. Seattle Kraken

5. Philadelphia Flyers

6. Columbus Blue Jackets (Via Chicago Blackhawks)

7. Ottawa Senators

8. Detroit Red Wings

9. Buffalo Sabres

10. Anaheim Ducks

11. San Jose Sharks

12. Columbus Blue Jackets

13. New York Islanders

14. Winnipeg Jets

15. Vancouver Canucks

16. Vegas Golden Knights

The odds in the draft lottery were based on the inverse order of the regular-season standings. Only the top two picks decided the lottery. This season, the top 11 teams in the lottery were eligible to receive the No.1 overall selection after the league announced that the teams could only move up 10 spots on March 23, 2021. The remaining teams were slotted in by order of their finish in the standings. We will know the clubs that will have the 17th-32nd overall picks based on the results of this season’s playoffs.

Experts anticipate that the Canadiens will select center Shane Wright at #1, from the Kingston Frontenacs. Last year the OHL captain was deemed to be the top prospect according to the NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters. The first round of the draft in Montreal will take place on July 7, with rounds 2-7 happening the following day.