As we approach the 2015 NHL Draft and lottery, we will be taking a look at the race for last place and the first overall pick in the draft.
Every NHL team is 100 percent committed to winning the Stanley Cup this season and no one could possibly be tanking their season… or so they say. So why this focus on last place? Connor McDavid – who has already been minted as “The Next Great One” in a long line of “Next Great Ones” that have followed Wayne Gretzky, as well as Jack Eichel, a close runner-up.
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Now that we are past the NHL Trade Deadline and into the month of March, it’s almost certain which teams are going to be in the mix when it is time for the draft lottery. The Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes accelerated their race to the bottom of the standings by selling off assets (and building an impressive stockpile of draft picks) in order to ensure a top pick in this year’s draft.
With that overview out of the way, let’s get an update on the race for last by looking at five teams that are currently in the bottom five of the NHL standings and in the best position to end up with the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Teams from last month that have exited the bottom five:
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