On Monday night, during Phase 2 of the NHL Draft lottery, the New York Rangers won the no. 1 overall pick for the 2020 NHL Draft.
Originally, the top save went to a placeholder team during Phase 1 of the lottery in June. Eight of the teams eliminated during the Stanley Cup qualifiers Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets – would each have a 12.5% chance of going away with the no. 1 pick.
New York grabs the top pick impact on the Hawks in a few ways.
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First, Hawks fans can relax and enjoy the playoffs with their team in it because the Oilers did not win the pick. Meaning, if the Oilers had won it, it would have belonged to the Hawks if the Oilers eliminated them in the qualifying round and not the other way around.
Second, the Blackhawks could now reach No. 16 or 17 if they lose to the Golden Knights in Round One of the Stanley Cup Playley, depending on the results of the Montreal Canadiens-Philadelphia Flyers series.
The no. 1 pick of this year’s draft is expected to be ahead of Alexis Lafrenière, who scored 35 goals and 77 assists for a league-leading 112 points in 52 games this season with the RMouski Océanic of the QMJHL, where he also served as the team captain.
That former Blackhawks winger Artemi Panarin – a Hart Trophy finalist this year with the Rangers – could have a young, talented forward to help him generate even more offense for New York so next season.
Related: Why former Blackhawk Artemi Panarin should win the Hart Trophy
The 2020 NHL Draft is scheduled for October 9 and 10. It was originally scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which paused the NHL on March 12.
