By the end of the night on Monday, NHL fans will know Connor Bedard's next destination.
The 2023 NHL Draft Lottery is tonight, and not only will the first two picks of the upcoming draft be determined, but the order of the first 16 selections will be finalized.
Bedard is the consensus No. 1 pick out of the 2023 draft class. The Regina Pats star is coming off a sensational draft year where he solidified himself as the top pick, and whichever team wins the lottery has the opportunity to draft what many are dubbing a generational talent.
However, there are plenty of solid options for those that fall just outside of the top pick. Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson and Matvei Michkov are all exceptional talents that will be taken after Bedard.
LIVE: Sporting News tracks the results of the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery
The Sporting News has fans covered on the time and channel for the draft lottery.
What time is the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery?
- Date: Monday, May 8
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft will be determined on Monday, May 8. The draft lottery is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m.
The 2023 NHL Draft will take place June 28 and 29.
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How to watch the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery
- TV Channel: ESPN (U.S.) | Sportsnet, TVA Sports (Canada)
- Live stream: ESPN+, Fubo (U.S.) | SN NOW (Canada)
ESPN will be home to the 2023 NHL Draft lottery for viewers in the United States. Streamers can catch the action on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Fans can also stream the event on Fubo. Fubo carries the ESPN family of networks, so hockey fans tuning in to the main broadcast can use the streaming service.
Canadian viewers can watch the draft lottery on Sportsnet, or on TVA Sports for the French-speaking audience. SN NOW will have a stream of the event.
How does the NHL Draft Lottery work?
The 16 teams that miss the playoffs are assigned an odds percentage, which is based on where they finished in the standings. The lower the team is, the higher their odds are at the top pick.
The NHL implemented a few new changes to the rules of the lottery a couple of seasons ago that limit how far up certain teams can go.
At the draft lottery, there will be two draws: one for the No. 1 pick and one for No. 2. After that, the order will go based on where teams finished the season.
This is a change from three drawings in the past for the top three picks.
One of the two new rules that have been implemented at the draft is that teams will be restricted from moving up more than 10 spots if they win one of the lottery draws. So whichever teams are slotted between No. 12-16 cannot get the No. 1 pick.
The other is that teams cannot win the lottery more than twice in a five-year span. Any wins in the lottery prior to 2022 will not be counted toward this total, so 2022 marks the beginning of any team's five-year period.
For example, if the Canadiens were to win the draft lottery again this year, they would not be eligible to receive the No. 1 pick again until 2027, since they received the top pick in 2022 and 2023.
After the first two picks have been determined, the rest of the field will be slotted in order of where they finished in the standings. This ensures that the team with the worst record cannot fall any further than third.
NHL Draft Lottery odds 2023
Here is how the NHL lottery odds system is broken down. The rankings are determined by going backward in the standings, so the team that finishes worst is first.
| Team | Chance at No. 1 pick |
|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | 25.5% |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 13.5% |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 11.5% |
| San Jose Sharks | 9.5% |
| Montreal Canadiens | 8.5% |
| Arizona Coyotes | 7.5% |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 6.5% |
| Washington Capitals | 6.0% |
| Detroit Red Wings | 5.0% |
| St. Louis Blues | 3.5% |
| Vancouver Canucks | 3.0% |
