(NEW YORK) — The Buffalo Sabres won the NHL’s draft lottery and will pick first overall during July’s draft.
“It’s a great moment for our franchise,” Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams said during the broadcast on NBCSN. “It’s obviously been a tough year for a lot of different reasons, and we’re here. We’re very excited. We’re proud to have this selection, and it’s a step in the right direction and I got a text a couple of minutes ago from our owner saying, ‘Smile,’ so now I can smile.”
The Sabres finished with the worst record in the league this past season 15-34-7 and had the best odds, 16.6%, to win the lottery. It will be the fourth time Buffalo picks first overall, the first since they selected Rasmus Dahlin in 2018.
The expansion Seattle Kraken will pick second. Seattle had the third-best odds at 10.3%, the same as the New Jersey Devils, picking fourth, who finished with the third-worst record.
Anaheim had the second-best odds and will draft third.
Draft Lottery Results:
- Buffalo Sabers
- Seattle Kraken
- Anaheim Ducks
- New Jersey Devils
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Detroit Red Wins
- San Jose Sharks
- Los Angeles Kings
- Vancouver Canucks
- Ottawa Senators
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Calgary Flames
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Dallas Stars
- New York Rangers
Teams drafting 16-31 will be determined by the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Owen Power is the top-ranked North American Skater, according to NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters for the 2021 NHL Draft. The Canadian played for the University of Michigan this past season and finished with three goals and 13 assists in 26 games while being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
Swedish forward William Eklund is the top European skater. He plays for Djurgarden in the Swedish Hockey League. He finished 11 goals and 13 assists and was named the SHL rookie of the year.
The first round of the draft is on July 23 and rounds 2-7 are the following day.
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