Draft Lottery Winners. What Would Be The Biggest Story?

[Mcnotloilersfan]

Yeah, I would probably say McDavid doesn't deserve his money. Edmonton is a classic example of a junk organization that got excited with a new toy and went out and pulled off a historic and inflationary deal they didn't need to make last summer.

Let's see the contracts signed by Tavares, Karlsson and Matthews this summer. Then we can look at this one again...

 

[Not So Mighty]

I'm rooting for Calgary's pick.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Red Wings getting #2 pick would be great - Svechnikov brothers in the same team.

Yevgeni needs to step it up because at the moment he's looking like a dud.

 

[GordieHowsUrBreath]

detroit, new york, or chicago

the others aren't relevant outside of canada

 

[Orthodox Caveman]

Detroit of course. If not, then Vancouver.

 

[b in vancouver]

Not the biggest story but I'd like it if St. Louis, Vancouver, New York (R) or if Anaheim or Philadelphia miss the playoffs to win it - and another to get second overall. All those teams at least try to remain competitive every year. I guess Detroit also but they had their run for awhile.

Don't want any of The Isle, Arizona, Edmonton, Buffalo, Carolina, Florida, Columbus or Colorado getting first or second overall. Maybe it would force these teams to stop just sucking, selling their fans a 'the future will be better' promise and this bill of goods.

 

[Gnashville]

Anybody but Chicago or Edmonton. Chicago needs 2 decades of mediocrity and Edmonton has already had enough 1st overall picks.

 

[TheAngryHank]

How is that exactly?

Because they were a great team forever and finally aren’t anymore?

Precisely

 

[Jumptheshark]

Most oiler fans want the flames to win the lotto

Just because we want to see how Burke spins it

 

[Finnflash]

Read the thread and went to tankathon. Did the simulation and the isles got picks 1 and 2.

That would be something.

 

[TheRexman]

I'd like to see Carolina or St. Louis get him. I'd rather not see any of the "Big Story" teams get him at all but if it has to be one of them, then Detroit.

 

[boredmale]

 

[Legionnaire]

I'm rooting for Vancouver, honestly.

 

[Bobcat110]

Don't want any of The Isle, Arizona, Edmonton, Buffalo, Carolina, Florida, Columbus or Colorado getting first or second overall. Maybe it would force these teams to stop just sucking, selling their fans a 'the future will be better' promise and this bill of goods.

The NHL draft lottery's been a joke for Columbus anyway, so no reason to worry about them winning it. Since their inaugural season, they've only had one #2 pick and two #3 overall picks "awarded" to them by the NHL Draft lottery.

• In Columbus's first 12 seasons, they only had one top 3 overall pick. In 2002, they traded their 3rd overall pick to Florida for Florida's first overall to select Rick Nash. Nash was traded to Columbus and Florida received rights to swap picks with Columbus in 2003. The one franchise player CBJ had was traded for, not awarded by NHL draft.
• In 2012, they lost the draft lottery to Oilers and moved down to #2 overall to pick often injured D Ryan Murray.
• In 2016, they had #3 overall pick and took Pierre-Luc Dubois who most thought was a stretch.
• Unlike Vegas, the NHL did not give expansion teams in that era anything to work with, the expansion draft was scraps off other teams that Wild and CBJ had to share after Atlanta and Nashville got theirs. That and only one Top 3 overall pick in 12 years makes it hard not to suck. Jets/Thrashers and CBJ still haven't won a playoff series and Vegas may beat them at doing so. Wild made one run to conference finals, but mostly mediocre. Preds have finally got a quality team after many losing seasons, and struggles with ownership and threats of moving.
• Meanwhile, in same time frame, teams like Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Tampa were picking up guys named Kane, Toews, Fleury, Malkin, Crosby, Hedman, & Stamkos.

I'd like to see Arizona win the draft. They've never picked better than #3 and lost out on the draft for their hometown product Auston Mathews.

However, I agree with you on the others. Florida, Edmonton, NYI, Buffalo all have their #1 and #2 picks recently. Carolina and Colorado inherited Stanley Cup teams from other cities, they're fine suffering another few years like the rest of us have.

 

[Mez]

Easily Edmonton. It would be the only team that would turn everyone against them if they won the lottery.

Pretty sure everyone already is against us.

 

[Voight]

If Edmonton wins I will never give the NHL or, any of its teams another dollar.

If I had a preference list, excluding the Blackhawks (don't want to be biased)

1. Vancouver
2. Islanders - if JT leaves, they could potentially already have another star in Dahlin, if he stays they will have a killer C/D combo for the next 5-10 years.

Would hate for the Yotes to win it (they've already failed to build around a franchise D and I don't like Chayka at all), Sens (they don't deserve to be compensated for alienating their franchise D and having a scum owner), Sabres (how many top picks before they actually win some games?), Rangers (in for a long rebuild - their time for #1 can wait), Detroit (their fans can go thru a long rebuild for once) and Habs (how long until they trade Dahlin?)

 

[Baxterman]

The biggest story would be the Oilers winning it.

With them already winning as many times as they have in the past and with them having McDavid it would generate the most stuff to talk about.

 

[b in vancouver]

The NHL draft lottery's been a joke for Columbus anyway, so no reason to worry about them winning it. Since their inaugural season, they've only had one #2 pick and two #3 overall picks "awarded" to them by the NHL Draft lottery.

• In Columbus's first 12 seasons, they only had one top 3 overall pick. In 2002, they traded their 3rd overall pick to Florida for Florida's first overall to select Rick Nash. Nash was traded to Columbus and Florida received rights to swap picks with Columbus in 2003. The one franchise player CBJ had was traded for, not awarded by NHL draft.
• In 2012, they lost the draft lottery to Oilers and moved down to #2 overall to pick often injured D Ryan Murray.
• In 2016, they had #3 overall pick and took Pierre-Luc Dubois who most thought was a stretch.
• Unlike Vegas, the NHL did not give expansion teams in that era anything to work with, the expansion draft was scraps off other teams that Wild and CBJ had to share after Atlanta and Nashville got theirs. That and only one Top 3 overall pick in 12 years makes it hard not to suck. Jets/Thrashers and CBJ still haven't won a playoff series and Vegas may beat them at doing so. Wild made one run to conference finals, but mostly mediocre. Preds have finally got a quality team after many losing seasons, and struggles with ownership and threats of moving.
• Meanwhile, in same time frame, teams like Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Tampa were picking up guys named Kane, Toews, Fleury, Malkin, Crosby, Hedman, & Stamkos.

I'd like to see Arizona win the draft. They've never picked better than #3 and lost out on the draft for their hometown product Auston Mathews.

However, I agree with you on the others. Florida, Edmonton, NYI, Buffalo all have their #1 and #2 picks recently. Carolina and Colorado inherited Stanley Cup teams from other cities, they're fine suffering another few years like the rest of us have.

I get that. And it definitely hasn't been fair. Not all these teams have had luck with the lottery and draft years, but there is more value in those top 10 picks.

I'm a Bruins fan and don't have a dog in this fight, and actually like a few of the teams I hope don't win it while not a fan of some of the teams I hope do win it. For me, it's just kinda hit a point that I'm disappointed and frustrated seeing the same teams down there - and that fans of a third of the league have started hoping that their teams lose. Takes a lot of fun out of the game. There was a Habs vs. Bruins game and month or so ago and half the Habs fans wanted them to lose, worried more about their draft standings than beating their classic rival. That's sad.

Toronto and Tampa have climbed out of the basement again but am hoping that neither wins the Cup soon or it'll just keep the circle going of tanking for high picks being the only way to be successful. I like the Blackhawks but the worst thing that happened is them winning three Cups after Bill Wirtz nearly destroyed the team in his last few years there as people have looked at that as the model of building a franchise.

I know I'm on a soap box and being all holier than thou but I want fans in a lot of these markets to simply demand better.

 

[RalphyDanger]

The Rangers deserve it. When was the last time they picked in the top 5?

I was looking at their picks on Wikipedia, and the most recent top 5 pick by them I could find was some dude named Brad Park in 1966. Did I miss something, or have the Rangers not picked top 5 in over 50 years..!? That seems wrong.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

"I want fans in a lot of these markets to simply demand better."

Better as in what? Be a middling team that has a lower chance to get the right players to build around and possibly put yourself into a consistent state of mediocrity? Tanking isn't nearly as much of an issue as people make it out, is still incredibly risky because you are purposefully reducing the value of your product for an unknown amount of time in the hope you get that franchise player, and still requires a ton of work in order to get out from the bottom and become a contending team.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

The Rangers deserve it. When was the last time they picked in the top 5?

I was looking at their picks on Wikipedia and the most recent top 5 pick by them I could find was some dude named Brad Park in 1966. Did I miss something, or have the Rangers not picked top 5 in over 50 years..!? That seems wrong.

Pavel Brendl, 1999. Fourth overall.

 

[Tweaky]

The Rangers deserve it. When was the last time they picked in the top 5?

I was looking at their picks on Wikipedia and the most recent top 5 pick by them I could find was some dude named Brad Park in 1966. Did I miss something, or have the Rangers not picked top 5 in over 50 years..!? That seems wrong.

Pavel Brendl was picked 4th in 1999. Plus some of this was due to trading away many 1st round picks over the years. Not necessarily that the picks would have been top 5 given the actual standings, but that in trading so many away, the team was better than they would have been had they kept the picks (possibly top5).

 

[RalphyDanger]

Pavel Brendl, 1999. Fourth overall.

Oh, good catch. Either way only two top 5 picks in 50 years is pretty crazy.

 

[Tak7]

Biggest story?

Without a doubt, Edmonton winning it - there would be a full blown meltdown everywhere, and it would probably lead to a lottery winner rule change to prevent it from happening again.

 

[mouz135]

It's Vancouver's turn to win a lottery. With their upcoming core of young players, Dahlin would fit right in, and the future would look real promising. Plus he's a Pettersson fanboy. C'mon, NHL!