How will the new NHL Draft Lottery rules affect the Sabres?
The NHL recently made some changes to the draft lottery process that will affect the 2021 lottery process. They announced three significant changes to the lottery yesterday. So since the Buffalo Sabres have practically zero shot at the playoffs and will most likely end the season with the worst record in the league, this is an excellent time to look at how these changes will affect Buffalo’s draft position.
One of the changes that will likely be a beneficial change for the Sabres is the number of lottery draws being changed from three to two. This rule change will basically limit the number of spots the team with the worst finishing record can drop in the draft order. With this change, the lowest draft position the worst team in the league can fall is to the third overall pick, compared to the worst team being able to drop to the fourth overall pick in previous draft lotteries.
It seems that the Sabres are a shoo-in to end the season with the worst record in the NHL. Buffalo is sitting at the bottom of the league with only 16 points through 30 games played. The next closest team to them is the Anaheim Ducks, who have 24 points. If the standings finish how they are now, the lowest the Sabres could pick in the first round of the draft is third overall.
Another significant change the NHL made was to limit the number of teams that could be selected to acquire the first overall pick. The new rules will change the number of teams eligible for the number one overall pick from 16 in previous years to only 11 teams from now on. This will benefit the Sabres when they are bottom feeders in the league for the obvious reason that it limits the number of teams that could make massive jumps in the draft and push Buffalo down the order.
The one change that could harm the Sabres is limiting how many times a team can advance in position and win the lottery over a five-year span. The league announced that a team that does not have the worst record in the league could only win the lottery two times in five years.
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Obviously, a team’s odds without the worst record in the league winning the lottery twice over a short period are slim. But this rule makes sure a team does not get lucky and gain a somewhat unfair advantage over some other teams that actually deserve the first overall pick.