The Buffalo Sabres won the 2021 NHL draft lottery on Wednesday night, bringing some welcome news to a franchise in transition and a fanbase in need of a win.
“It’s a great moment for our franchise. It’s obviously been a tough year, for a number of different reasons,” GM Kevyn Adams said during the event broadcast on NBCSN. “It’s a step in the right direction. We need to get better in every area in every way.”
It is the fourth time the Sabres won the number one overall draft position and the second time in four years, as they selected Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick in 2018. Interestingly enough, that was also the last time that the team with the best lottery odds won the first pick.
Buffalo did not have the year they envisioned following an active free agency and draft. Quite the opposite. The team finished with 37 points and a 15-34-7 record, both of which were the worst in the league this season, all while losing captain and franchise cornerstone Jack Eichel to a season-ending neck injury. There was some silver lining as the club had the best draft lottery odds at 16.6%.
Recent rule changes helped Buffalo’s cause in landing a top-three pick as well. The number of drawings has now been changed from three to two, so a team with the worst record in the regular season like the Sabres is guaranteed not to draft any lower than third overall. The old lottery proceedings featured three individual drawings for the top three picks.
Beginning in 2022, the NHL will have two other new draft lottery rule changes.
Only 11 of the 16 teams that do not make the playoffs will be eligible for the first overall pick, as lottery draw winning clubs will be restricted from moving up more than 10 spots.
Furthermore, teams will be restricted from advancing by way of the lottery more than twice in a five-year period, including but not limited to the number one overall pick. However, any lottery wins before 2022 will not count or be included in that new arrangement.
All that remains to be seen is who the Sabres will take with the first selection in the 2021 draft.