It’s draft lottery day in the National Hockey League and no team is more familiar with picking first than the Edmonton Oilers.
Mathematically, the Oilers have the second-best chance to win number one again Saturday, for the fifth time in seven years.
“I’d like to obviously see them get lucky one more time,” one fan said, “and have full confidence in Chiarelli, etc. to make the moves and make Edmonton a powerhouse again.”
“I think they are going to get either two or three and they could trade it away actually,” another fan added. “There are bigger issues in the locker room and other issues on the roster and I don’t think the first round pick solves any of that.”
While Toronto has the best odds for first pick, some fans wouldn’t be surprised if Edmonton scored big again.
“If Edmonton wins the lottery, people are going to lose their minds!” Global Sports Anchor Anthony Bruno said. “Twitter is going to explode!”
READ MORE: ‘I haven’t cheered that loud since 2006’: Oilers fans react to NHL draft lottery win
Last year, the Oilers picked Connor McDavid. This year, Auston Matthews is widely considered the best player available.
“The Oilers actually have a better chance of winning this year than last year,” Reid Wilkins, host of Inside Sports and the pre-game show for Oilers Hockey on 630 CHED, said.
“They actually have a two per cent better chance of getting drawn this year.”
This year, for the first time, the top three picks will be chosen through the draft lottery.
So, could there be any benefit to not getting the first overall pick?
“There are some Oilers fans who realize, ‘OK, we won the one lottery you really wanted to win last year, so you’ve got to be thankful for that.’ And this year, with those top three players – Auston Matthews is a centre, the same position as McDavid, then there’s the two Finish wingers. Some Oilers fans are saying, ‘oh man, wouldn’t it be great to get slotted in two?’ Because (Patrik) Laine is a really dynamic winger and (Jesse) Puljujarvi is really good too. What if somebody else was drawn first and we were drawn second or third and then it’s a little less complicated. We just take the winger.”
“That’s interesting that fans are: ‘well, we want to be drawn one of the three teams, but if it’s not the first one, that’s OK.'”
Could the Oilers trade a top pick for another potential asset?
“If they got the top pick and they really wanted a winger, could they swap with the team that gets number two plus maybe get an experienced defenceman off that team’s roster? That’s maybe a scenario,” Wilkins said.
Odds for the 14 teams to land the first pick Saturday in the 2016 National Hockey League draft, June 24-25 in Buffalo, N.Y.:
1. Toronto, 20.0%
2. Edmonton, 13.5%
3. Vancouver, 11.5%
4. Columbus, 9.5%
5. Calgary, 8.5%
6. Winnipeg, 7.5%
7. Arizona, 6.5%
8. Buffalo, 6.0%
9. Montreal, 5.0%
10. Colorado, 3.5%
11. New Jersey, 3.0%
12. Ottawa, 2.5%
13. Carolina, 2.0%
14. Boston, 1.0%
The draft lottery is set to take place shortly before 6 p.m. MT. Saturday. 630 CHED will have coverage beginning at 5 p.m. MT.
With files from The Canadian Press
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