Honestly, it’s tough to blame people for making Edmonton Oilers jokes in regards to the 2016 NHL Draft Lottery.
Really it’s only human nature to drop one-liners about the perennial cellar-dweller that (seemingly) always lands the No. 1 pick.
Will it happen again this time around? We’ll find out soon enough, more precisely sometime around 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
REMINDER: 2016 #NHLDraft Lottery will be held tonight w/ coverage 8 pm ET on NBC, CBC, TVAS. https://t.co/Vm8A7K0izC pic.twitter.com/PwWXgOsIBc
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 30, 2016
As you can see, the Oilers do not have the best odds to land the top pick ... but they’re close:
Allocation of odds for the first drawing of the 2016 #NHLDraft Lottery. More info: https://t.co/btH0weXzgi pic.twitter.com/cTixSUGDfs
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 30, 2016
A reminder: this time around the lottery will determine the top three picks. The NHL discusses that tweak and other changes here:
For the first time, the 2016 NHL Draft Lottery will assign the top three slots in the first round of the NHL Draft - a change from prior years, when the Draft Lottery was used to determine the winner of the first overall selection exclusively.
Want the full lowdown on the 2016 NHL Draft Lottery? PHT has you covered here.