Penguins Can Win NHL Draft Lottery … Sort Of

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a chance to win the NHL draft lottery May 7.

Just not a very good one.

And even if they do, they’re not going to get the top choice in the draft.

That’s because NHL rules stipulate that teams can advance no more than 10 spots in the draft order if they win the lottery, and the Penguins currently sit 14th, ahead of only Detroit and St. Louis among teams that failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

That gives the Penguins a 1.5 percent chance of winning the lottery. while the Red Wings and Blues check in at 0.5 percent each.

San Jose has the best odds (18.5 percent) in the lottery, while Chicago, which ended up with Connor Bedard after winning it in 2023, is second at 13.5 percent.

If the Pittsburgh Penguins win the lottery, they will have the option of retaining the pick and giving their first-rounder in 2025 to the Sharks. The trade that brought Erik Karlsson to the Penguins called for the Penguins to give San Jose their No. 1 choice this year, but there was a provision allowing them to replace it with their first-rounder next year if they end up picking in the top 10.

The lottery will be held at the NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, N.J.