The NHL draft lottery rule works to the advantage of the Montreal Canadiens

With the NHL draft fast approaching, there are certain terms of the game that teams in the midst of rebuilding should consider.

While the NHL rewards bad luck with high draft picks, it has established a rule not to award the first overall pick to a club within a certain time frame.

The rule is as follows.

Limit the teams that won the lottery

No team may advance in the draft for winning the lottery more than two (2) times in any five (5) year period. This restriction does not affect a Club's ability to retain its projected draft position in any draft lottery, nor does it preclude a Club's ability to move down in the draft order to the extent that other clubs advance due to winning the lottery. To be clear, the constraint is attached to the command, not the actual choice.

As an example, if a Club wins the first lottery prize as the 7th-worst finishing club in Year 1 (thus receiving the First Overall Pick in the next draft) and wins the second lottery prize as the 13th-worst finishing club. In Year 3 (and thus the Third overall pick in the next draft), that club can no longer benefit from winning the lottery in Year 4 or 5, and cannot benefit from winning the lottery again. Draft Lottery (or any sweepstakes) as early as 6th grade.

Montreal Canadiens corner

Although the Montreal Canadiens have the No. 1 overall pick in 2022, the rule was implemented after the draft, meaning they are the last team in the NHL to receive the first overall pick and not be affected. new rule.

Of course, the odds of the Habs winning the draft lottery this season are extremely low, as they will have the fifth-best odds going into Tuesday's event. It's worth noting that the history of the draft lottery is littered with teams moving up because statistically, the team that finishes first overall with the best draft prospects has the best chance of being drafted third overall.

It's also doubtful that the Habs will be in a similar situation after the 2024-25 season ends. But if they are, they're not worried about the NHL's new rule.