The NHL announced yesterday that all 14 teams that miss the playoffs, or the teams that hold the rights to the top 14 picks, will be eligible to win the No. 1 draft pick when the lottery is held on April 29.
Under the previous system, the five teams with the fewest points had the opportunity to win the top selection since no team could move up more than four spots. The draft lottery will be weighted with the teams having the fewest points in the regular season having the best chance of winning. The team with the fewest points will have a 25 percent chance of winning. The non-playoff team with the most points will have a 0.5 percent chance of winning.
The league also announced that all seven rounds of the draft in Newark will be held on June 30.
While the top pick can now go to any of the 14 non-playoff clubs, or the team owning the rights to the first pick of a non-playoff club, the odds of winning the lottery are unchanged from previous years.
No club will move down more than one position as a result of the lottery. The remaining first-round drafting positions are determined by the Stanley Cup playoffs.