After a disappointing Vancouver Canucks season, there was no silver lining for fans in Wednesday’s NHL Draft Lottery.
The team will choose ninth overall in the 2021 entry draft, set to take place on July 23-24.
The outcome was not a major surprise for the club, who had just a 5.4 per cent of locking in the first-overall pick, after finishing the season 24th in the league, with eight other teams behind them.
The last-ranked Buffalo Sabres snapped up first pick in the lottery, their second time choosing first in the last four years.
This year’s draft lottery also included the new expansion Seattle Kraken, who will choose second, followed by the Anaheim Ducks.
The Canucks did not have a first-round draft pick in 2020. In 2019 they chose Russian winger Vasily Podkolzin at 10th with their first-round pick.