The ping-pong balls did not fall in the favor of the Nashville Predators, who ended up with the No. 5 overall pick in Monday's NHL Draft Lottery.
The Predators, who finished the regular season ranked 30th out of the 32 NHL teams, got their lowest possible position in the Draft Lottery at No. 5. The New York Islanders, who had a 3.5% chance to win the No. 1 pick, beat the odds and landed in the top spot in the first draw.
In the draw for No. 2 overall, Utah Hockey Club jumped from the No. 14 slot to take the No. 4 pick. Since no team can jump more than 10 spots, the San Jose Sharks get the No. 2 pick, and the Chicago Blackhawks get No. 3.
The No. 5 selection in this year's draft will give the Predators their highest draft pick since they selected Scottie Upshall at No. 6 overall in 2002.
Beyond the No. 5 pick, Nashville has two additional first-round picks in the 2025 draft. The Predators own the Tampa Bay Lightning's first-round pick, which is expected to be between No. 22 and No. 26 overall, as well as the Vegas Golden Knights' first-round pick. Tampa's first-rounder was acquired in the Tanner Jeannot trade in 2023, while Vegas' came courtesy of the San Jose Sharks in the Yaroslav Askarov trade in August.
The Predators have 10 picks in the 2025 draft, including three in the first round, and two in each of the second and sixth rounds.
The full order for the top 16 NHL Draft selections in 2025 is as follows:
- New York Islanders
- San Jose Sharks
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Utah Hockey Club
- Nashville Predators
- Philadelophia Flyers
- Boston Bruins
- Seattle Kraken
- Buffalo Sabres
- Anaheim Ducks
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- New York Rangers
- Detroit Red Wings
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Vancouver Canucks
- Montreal Canadiens
The 2025 NHL Draft will take place from June 27-28 at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
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