A Week Away: Everything you need to know about the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery

"There will be two lottery drawings, one for the No. 1 pick and one for the No. 2 selection. Teams only can move up 10 selections if it wins one of the draws. Only the top 11 teams in the lottery are eligible to receive the No. 1 pick," reported Mike G. Morreale for NHL.com.

The NHL's Draft Lottery, airing on ESPN, will be held on May 7th in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Per the rules, the St. Louis Blues, positioned as the 16th and final team in the lottery, cannot acquire the No.1 or No. 2 pick in the draft. The San Jose Sharks hold the greatest odds of winning the prize selection (18.5%), followed by the Chicago Blackhawks (13.5%).

It's important to mention that the Chicago Blackhawks, who won the 2023 lottery and had the first pick last year, can only win the No.1 selection one more time within the next five years. This is under the rule that restricts teams to two top picks within a five-year span.

All eyes on Macklin Celebrini

Boston University's Macklin Celebrini is being closely watched by the hockey world as he is expected to be the No.1 selection.

Once the lottery picks the first team, it follows the same format for the second selection, with team standings determining the rest of the picks. The No. 6 spot is the highest the Blues could potentially pick, although the odds are not in their favor.  

Similar to the NBA draft, ping-pong balls will decide the fate of each team, with the team with the worst record receiving a better chance of obtaining the top two selections.

The lottery odds are as follows:

1. San Jose Sharks: 18.5%
2. Chicago Blackhawks: 13.5%
3. Anaheim Ducks: 11.5%
4. Columbus Blue Jackets: 9.5%
5. Montreal Canadiens: 8.5%
6. Utah: 7.5%
7. Ottawa Senators: 6.5%
8. Seattle Kraken: 6.0%
9. Calgary Flames: 5.0%
10. New Jersey Devils: 3.5%
11. Buffalo Sabres: 3.5%
12. Philadelphia Flyers: 2.5%
13. Minnesota Wild: 2.0%
14. Pittsburgh Penguins: 1.5%
15. Detroit Red Wings: 0.5%
16. St. Louis Blues: 0.5%