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NHL Draft 2025 Lottery Odds and Prediction

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Levine | Last updated May 5, 2025 1:29 PM ET

The 2025 NHL draft lottery will be taking place tonight and we will all find out which team will hold the No. 1 overall pick. For the first time in history, the draft lottery will be televised live in studio.

"There will be anticipation like you've never seen in a draft lottery, and I truly believe we're the first ones in any league to try this," said Steve Mayer, NHL president of content and events. "We're always looking to be innovative -- and not innovative for the sake of doing it. We've really thought this through and think it's going to be really compelling for our fans."

This adds an extra element of excitement to the event and gives fans some more transparency. Many fans have called for this for years, and it seems that the NHL has finally listened.

But which teams have the best chance to win the No. 1 overall pick? Here are the odds for each squad with an opportunity.

San Jose Sharks: 25.5 percent

Chicago Blackhawks: 13.5 percent

Nashville Predators: 11.5 percent

Philadelphia Flyers: 9.5 percent

Boston Bruins: 8.5 percent

Seattle Kraken: 7.5 percent

Buffalo Sabres: 6.5 percent

Anaheim Ducks: 6.0 percent

Pittsburgh Penguins: 5.0 percent

New York Islanders: 3.5 percent

New York Rangers: 3.0 percent

We have seen in recent years that the team with the best overall odds doesn't always win the lottery. With how wild things can get, it's really a guessing game when it comes to predicting the winner.

Prediction: Nashville Predators win the lottery

The Predators enter this lottery with the third-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick. After all is said and done, they will jump the two teams ahead of them to earn that spot.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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