The Detroit Red Wings have a 7.6% chance of getting to make the first pick in the 2021 NHL draft.
A date for the draft lottery and odds for the 15 teams that didn’t advance to the playoffs and expansion Seattle were announced Wednesday, when the Vancouver Canucks finally wrapped up the final game of their regular season after postponements because of COVID-19.
The Wings (19-27-10) finished 27th, or fifth from the bottom, but the Kraken slot into the third spot, bumping the Wings to sixth.
The Buffalo Sabres, who picked first in 2018, have the best odds at 16.6%.
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The lottery will be held June 2. This year the league has reduced the number of draws from three to two, with the first draw determining which team picks first, and the second draw determining the second pick. The draft will be held virtually for a second consecutive year, with the first round July 23 and rounds 2-7 on July 24.
Michigan defenseman Owen Power is considered the prize pick this year, followed by USNTDP defenseman Luke Hughes (whose brother, Quinn, was the seventh pick in 2018, and other brother, Jack, went first overall in 2019).
The Wings have 7.8% odds to get the second pick, 30% odds to stay No. 6, 43.8% odds to fall to No. 7 and 10.9% odds to drop to No. 8.
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Here is the list of odds for the first draw:
1. Buffalo Sabres, 16.6%
2. Anaheim Ducks, 12.1%
3. Seattle Kraken, 10.3%
4. New Jersey Devils, 10.3%
5. Columbus Blue Jackets, 8.5%
6. Detroit Red Wings, 7.6%
7. San Jose Sharks, 6.7%
8. Los Angeles Kings, 5.8%
9. Vancouver Canucks, 5.4%
10. Ottawa Senators, 4.5%
11. Arizona Coyotes, 3.1%
12. Chicago Blackhawks, 2.7%
13. Calgary Flames, 2.2%
14. Philadelphia Flyers, 1.8%
15. Dallas Stars, 1.4%
16. New York Rangers, 1.0%
The Coyotes have to forfeit their first-round pick because of sanctions imposed after the club was busted for violating combine testing policy in 2019-20. If the Coyotes win either draw, there’ll be a redraw.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.