The fate of Alexis Lafreniere will be decided next Monday.
After the projected top pick’s landing spot was delayed more than a month with a placeholder team coming away with the first-overall selection at Phase 1 of the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery at the end of June, the league announced Thursday that the aforementioned mystery club will be revealed Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on Sportsnet during Phase 2.
The eight teams that are eliminated from the Stanley Cup qualifiers will be eligible for the top prize, with all participants having the same odds (12.5 per cent) represented by one ball in the league’s lottery machine.
The seven teams not selected in Phase 2 will be assigned draft slots nine through 15 in inverse order based on their points percentages at the time of the NHL’s pause in the regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The draft selection order currently stands as:
1. Placeholder team
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Ottawa Senators (from San Jose Sharks)
4. Detroit Red Wings
5. Ottawa Senators
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. New Jersey Devils
8. Buffalo Sabres
9. TBD
10. TBD
11. TBD
12. TBD
13. TBD
14. TBD
15. TBD
The remaining 16 first-round selections will be determined by the results of the playoffs.
