New York Rangers wins No. 1 pick in 2020 NHL Draft lottery

The Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway on Tuesday, August 11th, but we had a bit piece of news on Monday. The NHL held its annual draft lottery, and the New York Rangers claimed the No. 1 pick.

This year’s lottery was a bit chaotic in light of the suspension of play due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The normal 16-team playoff was expanded to 24 teams, with the addition of a qualifying round. Eight teams advanced out of the qualifying round into the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while eight other teams were eliminated.

The lottery took place in two phases, with the first occurring in late June. The bottom seven teams were competing with the eight eventual eliminated teams for the top pick. One of the eight qualifying round teams claimed the top spot, but since the round had not happened yet, we did not know which of the eight teams claimed it.

We now know that the Rangers will hold the top spot. Here’s what the first eight spots look like in the 2020 NHL Draft.

1. New York Rangers
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