Why the Blackhawks have even better odds at the No. 1 overall pick than last year originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Remember that time the Blackhawks won the draft lottery and won the right to draft a generational talent with the No. 1 overall pick?
Prepare Blackhawks fans, because they might do it again.
Okay, maybe not a “generational talent” this time, but the Blackhawks have the second-best lottery odds for the NHL Draft, meaning they have a 13.5% chance of earning the No. 1 overall pick. Those are even better odds than last year, when they had an 11.5% chance of winning the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
Only the Sharks finished the 2024 regular season with a worse record than the Blackhawks, giving San Jose the best odds at 25% to win the draft lottery. The Ducks have the third-best odds at 13.5%.
No matter what happens, the Blackhawks are guaranteed at least a top-four pick in this year’s draft. They have a 14.1% chance of being No. 2, a 30.7% chance of being No. 3 and a 41.7% chance of falling to No. 4, Ben Pope wrote unofficially.
The Blackhawks also have a first-round pick via Tampa Bay. But since the Lightning made the playoffs, that pick will fall outside the top-10.
Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick this year. It may not be the Bedard sweepstakes, but the two-way center has performed at a superior level everywhere he has played.
No date has been set for the 2024 NHL Draft lottery, but the selection will take place sometime in May, according to the league.
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