The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of many NHL teams that will be interested to know that the NHL Draft Lottery will be reportedly held on the evening of Monday, May 8.
This chart from Tankathon.com clearly illustrates each organization's odds of landing a given pick given their place in the standings. Our Ed Francis has been tracking the data closer, illustrating just how big - in a perverse way - the western road swing is for the Blue Jackets.
From The Athletic's primer on the rules of the current lottery:
Teams that fail to qualify for the postseason (or clubs that acquire a non-playoff team’s first-round pick) are entered into the draft lottery. A weighted system is used to determine the top 16 picks in the draft. Prior to the 2021 season, the top three spots in the draft were determined by the lottery. Now, it is just the top two spots. Additionally, teams can now only move up 10 spots in the order, meaning only the 11 clubs with the worst record at the end of the season (or a team that owns one of their first-round picks) are eligible to move up to the No. 1 spot. Under the most recent changes, the team with the worst record cannot draft lower than No. 3.
Behind Connor Bedard, the top-rated prospects for this draft are Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, and Matvei Michkov.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, who woke up on Thursday in last place in the NHL, have 16 games left in the regular season.
