Coyotes will find some clarity out of draft lottery
Arizona has 2nd-best odds of landing No. 1 selection
Before he departed for Toronto to represent the Coyotes at tonight’s NHL draft lottery, President, CEO and coowner Anthony LeBlanc issued a request to his staff for any good luck charms that might be appropriate to bring on his journey.
“It’s fair to say, at minimum, I’ll be crossing my fingers,” he said. “But I’ll be looking for anything that will help our cause.”
The Coyotes’ plight during the 2014-15 season, a tumble all the way to 29th in overall league standings, was the most When: 5 p.m. today. Where: Toronto. TV: Channel 12 (Before Game 2 of the firstround series between the Rangers and Penguins). significant boost to the team’s draft odds. But it wasn’t enough to guarantee them the chance to land generational talent Connor McDavid or Hobey Baker Award winner Jack Eichel.
And that opportunity is what’s up for grabs today when the lottery results are revealed at 5 p.m. on Channel 12 ahead of Game 2 between the Rangers and Penguins in their first-round series.
“Drafts like this don’t come around very often,” goalie Mike Smith said. “So I think when they do, you should be
See COYOTES, Page 5C
Sabres (23-51-8)
Coyotes (24-50-8)
Oilers (24-44-14)
Maple Leafs (30-44-8)
Hurricanes (30-41-11)
Devils (32-36-14)
Flyers (33-31-18)
Blue Jackets (42-35-5)
Sharks (40-33-9)
Avalanche (39-31-12)
Panthers (38-29-15)
Stars (41-31-10)
Kings (40-27-15)
Bruins (41-27-14) 9.5% 8.5% 7.5% 6.5% 6.0% 5.0% 3.5% 3.0% 2.5% 2.0% 1.0% 45.0% 54.5% 63.0% 70.5% 77.0% 83.0% 88.0% 91.5% 94.5% 97.0% 99.0%