The New York Rangers have won the NHL's draft lottery and with the 1st pick, the Alexis Lafreniere sweepstakes.
The Rangers, fresh off being swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Qualifying Round of the NHL's bubble postseason, were one of eight teams to lose in that round and receive a 12.5% chance to win the top pick in the draft. They will most certainly use the pick on Lafreniere, considered one of the top prospects to come out of Canada in years.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound left-winger scored 112 points in just 52 games for the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic before the league's season was suspended due to COVID-19. In three years with Rimouski, Lafreniere scored 297 points in 173 games – with 114 goals – won the QMJHL's rookie of the year award in 2018.
Lafreniere is ranked as the top North American skater by the NHL's Central Scouting Service.
The first 15 picks of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft are now locked in. The Los Angeles Kings will pick second, the Ottawa Senators third and fifth, and the Detroit Red Wings fourth. Anaheim, New Jersey, Buffalo, Minnesota, and Winnipeg round out the top 10.
| Determined 2020 NHL Draft Order | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEW YORK RANGERS | 10 | MINNESOTA WILD |
| 2 | LOS ANGELES KINGS | 10 | WINNIPEG JETS |
| 3 | OTTAWA SENATORS | 11 | NASHVILLE PREDATORS |
| 4 | DETROIT RED WINGS | 12 | FLORIDA PANTHERS |
| 5 | OTTAWA SENATORS | 13 | CAROLINA HURRICANES |
| 6 | ANAHEIM DUCKS | 14 | EDMONTON OILERS |
| 7 | NEW JERSEY DEVILS | 15 | PITTSBURGH PENGUINS –or– MINNESOTA WILD |
| 8 | BUFFALO SABRES | ||
The ninth through 15 spots were filled by the seven other teams to lose in the qualifying round, while the remainder of the first round will be filled based on the finish of teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The league will conduct the 2020 NHL Draft on October 9 and 10.
