New Jersey Devils Win 2019 NHL Draft Lottery: Results

The 2019 NHL Draft Lottery took place on Tuesday night in Toronto and the following are the results with some analysis on each team’s lottery draft spot.

Pick #1 – New Jersey Devils

There is nowhere in the hockey world that is feeling as excited as the New Jersey Devils organization and the fanbase surrounding them as well. The Devils won the draft lottery and will be picking first overall for the second time in three seasons. The Devils picked first overall in 2017 and selected Nico Hischier with the first overall pick.

After failing to make the postseason having clinched just a year ago, the Devils will be happy to add a high-end player like Jack Hughes to their roster to help get them back to the playoffs. If they select Hughes with the first overall pick, the Devils would have an elite 1-2 punch down the middle with the 17-year-old and Nico Hischier.

Pick #2 – New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are one of the biggest winners of the draft lottery having been moved up from selection six to selection two. With Kaapo Kakko widely expected to go second overall, the Rangers will add the sensational Finnish winger to their organization which will be a significant addition to their rebuild. This is the first time in the organization’s history that the Rangers will pick in the draft’s top three.

Pick #3 – Chicago Blackhawks

The last time the draft was held in Vancouver, B.C., the Chicago Blackhawks had the third overall pick and with it, selected Jonathan Toews. Three Stanley Cups in the last decade later and the Blackhawks are in the same position once again.

Pick #4 – Colorado Avalanche

The Ottawa Senators can rest easy knowing that they did not miss out on selecting Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko. Although they still will miss out on adding a highly skilled prospect with the fourth overall pick, the wound would surely have been much worse if the Avalanche won the draft lottery.

Pick #5 – Los Angeles Kings

After a disappointing season for the Los Angeles Kings, they will look to turn things around as quickly as they can. Although the Kings fell from selection two to selection five, they will still be adding a highly-skilled player to their organization at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. They will have plenty of skill to choose from and will likely have the chance to select Bowen Byram who is considered to be the best defender in the entire 2019 Draft Class.

Pick #6 – Detroit Red Wings

Like most teams, the Red Wings were hoping to win the lottery and take Jack Hughes first overall. Sadly for Detroit fans, the Red Wings will have to settle for the sixth overall selection. The Red Wings have some luck drafting with the sixth overall selection as they drafted Filip Zadina using their sixth overall selection at last year’s draft. Zadina was widely considered to be the third or fourth player drafted last year and was not expected to fall to the Red Wings with the sixth selection.

Pick #7 – Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres slipped two spots, ensuring that the Rangers move to a top three selection. The Sabres surprised the league earlier on this season as they were one of the hottest teams in the NHL for the first half of the season. The Sabres fell hard during the second half, but showed a lot of promise early on. Another high draft selection will help add to their already promising future.

Pick #8 – Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers will be picking eighth overall at this year’s NHL Entry Draft. The Oilers will likely try to add a high scoring winger to potentially play alongside Connor McDavid in the near future. After drafting Evan Bouchard last year, the Oilers will likely want to add an elite winger to their organization to help fix one of their organization’s biggest needs.

Pick #9 – Anaheim Ducks

The 2018-2019 season was one that the Ducks would like to forget. Things were shaky for Anaheim who started off terribly, but significantly improved as the season went on, but failed to make the postseason. With the ninth overall pick, they will have a chance to start finding more replacements for some of their aging star players as they begin to slow down.

Pick #10 – Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks were hoping to add the second Hughes brother at the NHL Draft, but will now have to wait until 2021 for a chance to add another Hughes to their roster when Luke Hughes becomes draft eligible. The Canucks picking at 10 allows them to be able to do so.

Pick #11 – Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are getting closer and closer to becoming legitimate contenders with each passing year. Philadelphia has one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and with yet another lottery pick, they will add another skilled player to their prospect pipeline.

Pick #12 – Minnesota Wild

The Wild are looking to get younger and drafting a skilled young prospect is the best way to do that. They failed to make the postseason, but their trade deadline additions of Kevin Fiala and Ryan Donato looked very promising. With another solid young player coming to their organization, the Wild will be adding to their already high-end prospect pool.

Pick #13 – Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are one of the biggest up-and-coming teams in the NHL. They have a strong forward core and a lot of solid prospects in their pipeline. The Panthers will likely consider adding a defensemen with their first-round draft pick as they do not have many blue-line prospects in their system with high-end potential for the NHL.

Pick #14 – Arizona Coyotes

Like the Habs, the Arizona Coyotes just merely missed a playoff spot. They selected centre Barrett Hayton fifth overall last season and will continue to add to their organization’s prospect pool with yet another lottery selection.

Pick #15 – Montreal Canadiens

After failing to make the postseason by a shortage of just two points, the Montreal Canadiens will have a chance to pick within the top-15. In a draft class as deep with talent as it is in 2019, the Habs will have their chance to select a player of high-end talent. Montreal will likely focus on trying to draft a highly skilled winger with star players such as Arthur Kaliyev, Jakob Pelletier, Nathan Légaré, Cole Caufield and more all potentially available to select.