For only the third time in the last seven years, the Edmonton Oilers will not pick first overall in the NHL draft.
2016 NHL draft lottery: Toronto Maple Leafs win the first overall pick
The Oilers will not pick first overall this year.
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Maple Leafs won the 2016 NHL draft lottery on Saturday, beating out the Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Oilers in a random drawing among the 14 non-playoff teams. The 2016 NHL draft will take place from June 24-25 in Buffalo, New York.
The Maple Leafs entered the lottery with the best odds to win first overall at 20 percent, followed by the Oilers at 13.5 percent and the Vancouver Canucks at 11.5 percent.
The draft lottery rules were changed in 2014 to decrease the odds that the 30th-place team in the NHL is guaranteed a top-three pick. Three separate drawings were made for the top three picks in the draft. In past years, if the team that finished 30th didn’t win the first overall pick, they’d slide to second overall. Now they could have slid as far as fourth overall.
That didn’t happen.
The consensus best player in the 2016 draft is Auston Matthews, an 18-year-old center from Arizona currently playing in Switzerland. He registered 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games this season. Other notable prospects include Team Finland stars Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi and Sarnia Sting defenseman Jakob Chychrun.
Here’s the first 14 picks in the first round:
| Pick | Team |
| 1 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2 | Winnipeg Jets |
| 3 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 4 | Edmonton Oilers |
| 5 | Vancouver Canucks |
| 6 | Calgary Flames |
| 7 | Arizona Coyotes |
| 8 | Buffalo Sabres |
| 9 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 10 | Colorado Avalanche |
| 11 | New Jersey Devils |
| 12 | Ottawa Senators |
| 13 | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 14 | Boston Bruins |
See More:
