The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery has officially been set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, and despite the Philadelphia Flyers having a higher pick than expected, the draft lottery is still worth keeping a close eye on.
If nothing changes for the Flyers, they would be set to hold the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Flyers cannot win the No. 1 overall pick for the right to draft highly-touted prospect Macklin Celebrini.
The Flyers currently have a 5.1% chance of moving from the 12th pick to the second pick, however, which would put them in pole position to grab a true blue-chip prospect. Going a little bit further down the list, the Flyers have just a 0.1% chance of moving into the third and fourth picks in the 2024 NHL Draft.
In some less exciting Flyers news, it is possible for the team to move back in the draft, though not overly likely. The Orange and Black have a 8.9% chance to move back a spot to 13th, and a 0.2% chance of moving back two spots to 14th.
The Minnesota Wild (90.7%) and Pittsburgh Penguins (94.7%) are the only two teams involved in the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery that have higher odds than the Flyers to stay put in their current draft slot.
The San Jose Sharks (25.5%), Chicago Blackhawks (13.5%), and Anaheim Ducks (11.5%) are the three likeliest teams to win the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, with Celebrini being the clear favorite to come off the draft board first.
In addition, the Flyers and fans might want to keep an eye on their Metropolitan Division rivals, the New Jersey Devils and the Columbus Blue Jackets, as the two adversaries could also make significant additions to their rosters.
Currently holding the 10th pick, the Devils have a 3.5% chance of moving up to the No. 1 pick. The Blue Jackets have an equal chance (9.5% each) of moving up to the No. 1 or No. 2 picks, though they are the most likely to pick fifth (44.6%).
All odds used in this writing are courtesy of Tankathon.
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