Let’s have a look at the 2021 NHL Lottery Draft odds.
2021 NHL Lottery Draft Odds
The NHL Draft Lottery odds ended up kicking it old school in 2021. The Buffalo Sabres, who posted the worst record in the NHL during the 2021 season, won the draft lottery and will pick first overall. That’s how the draft process worked prior to the advent of the NHL Draft Lottery in 1995. It was the first time since 2018 that the NHL’s worst team was the draft lottery winner.
- The Buffalo Sabres won the 2021 NHL Draft Lottery
- After posting the NHL’s worst regular-season record, Buffalo was favoured to win the lottery at 16.6 percent
- It was the first time since 2018 that the favourites won the NHL Draft Lottery
- Interestingly, in 2018 it was also the Sabres who were draft lottery winners
- The expansion Seattle Kraken favoured to pick fourth, moved up to second via the lottery
Sabres Finally Find Something They Can Win
The Buffalo Sabres haven’t qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in a decade. The last time the team finished a campaign with a winning record was in 2011-12. They’ve gone through seven coaches and four general managers over the past 10 years.
When it comes to the NHL Draft Lottery, though, the Sabres are all aces. Over the past four years, just two teams who were favoured to win the draft lottery have in fact done so.
In reality, though, it’s just been one team, because in both this year and in 2018, it was the Sabres who carried the day in the NHL Draft Lottery odds.
Buffalo was given favourite’s odds of 16.6 percent to win this year’s NHL Draft Lottery. In 2018, the Sabres were the chalk in the NHL Draft Lottery picks at odds of 18.5 percent.
Changes To Draft Lottery Rules
Following the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery, which saw the New York Rangers, a team that participated in the NHL postseason, win the lottery at odds of just 2.5 percent, the NHL determined that the rules governing the process were in need of tweaking.
Beginning with this year, teams are now only able to fall two spots below their favored positioning. Another change implemented to begin in 2021 limits a team to no more than two first overall selections during any five-year span.
Seattle Ready To Get Kraken
The Seattle Kraken will enter the NHL as an expansion franchise for the 2021-22 season and already, things are going well for the new team. Seattle made the biggest move of any team during the draft lottery process.
The Kraken was favoured to pick fourth overall at 39.3 percent. Instead, the Kraken jumped up to the second directly behind the Sabres. Seattle was given just a 10.2 percent chance of selecting at No. 2.
Other teams making upward progress on draft lottery night included the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim was projected to be selected fourth overall at 39.3 percent. Instead, the Ducks jumped up to the third spot.
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings also each improved one placing. Favored at 45.8 percent to pick sixth, the Blue Jackets will instead select fifth overall. The Red Wings were the 43.8 percent choice to pick seventh. The Wings moved up one place into the sixth slot.
Coyotes Left Out
While the Arizona Coyotes were included among the 16 NHL clubs in the draft lottery to maintain the odds as they were set, they were forbidden from winning the lottery.
The NHL forced the Coyotes to forfeit their 2021 first-round draft pick due to violations of the NHL Scouting Combine rules committed by the team.
Arizona was found to have worked out draft prospects prior to the NHL Scouting Combine, which is a violation of the draft rules.
NHL Draft Props
Now that the NHL Draft Lottery is in the history books for another year, it’s time to look ahead to the wagering that will soon be offered on the NHL entry draft.
There will be a litany of NHL entry draft prop wagers on offer. Which player will go first overall? Second overall? Odds are even offered on the third and fourth places in the draft order. Over/unders on when a player will be selected, as well as matched bets where bettors select which of two players will be drafted first are other popular NHL draft prop wagers.
The NHL entry draft is slated for July 23-24. Check with the top NHL betting sites to find the best NHL entry draft odds.
Where To Bet On NHL Entry Draft
There are a number of leading online sports betting sites that will provide bettors with the chance to place a wager on the 2021 NHL Entry Draft odds. The best bet you can make is to shop around in advance and seek out the right deal before joining one of these sportsbooks. Check out Sports Interaction and PowerPlay Sports as examples.
The signup bonus offers that are in place at all of these recommended sites will prove advantageous to the bettor. And since you’ll get a good deal wherever you go, why not check out several sites and find the ideal fit for your needs?
Do you want a risk-free first bet as a signup bonus? Perhaps you find a no-deposit bonus to be enticing. Or maybe you simply like the feel of cold, hard cash in your account and you want to go for a matching first deposit bonus. Whatever option you choose, you’re already a winner.
Remember that new players and returning customers are eligible for better bonuses when they deposit using Bitcoin. As well, take advantage of the betting advice offered at these sites to help newcomers acclimatize to sports betting.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the right one for you:
