Montreal Canadiens win 2022 NHL Draft Lottery

The Montreal Canadiens have won the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery, giving them the first-overall pick in the upcoming entry draft and the chance to select consensus top prospect Shane Wright at an event they are hosting.

Coming into the lottery, the Canadiens had the best odds to win at 18.5 per cent after finishing a league-worst 22-49-11 only one season removed from a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. The Arizona Coyotes, who scored the fewest goals in the NHL this season, held the second-best odds at 13.5 per cent.

In three of the past five lotteries preceding this one, teams with top-two odds have ended up with a top-two pick.

The Buffalo Sabres had the worst record in 2021, giving them the best odds, and won the top pick. They later selected dynamic blueliner Owen Power first overall. The Seattle Kraken claimed the No. 2 pick despite having the third-best odds, leapfrogging the Anaheim Ducks to select Matty Beniers second overall. Anaheim went with Mason McTavish after falling one spot to third overall.

Though the draft itself is still months away, taking place July 7-8 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, it is widely believed that Wright’s name will be the first one called even as the gap between him and the rest of the field has diminished over the season. His path to the top of the NHL draft leaderboard started before he turned 16, when the was granted exceptional status to play in the OHL, scoring 39 goals and 66 points in 58 games as a 15-year-old.

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He posted numbers like McDavid as a CHL rookie before the pandemic stole a year of his development. Now, Shane Wright has to prove he’s still got the potential to be a franchise player at the next level.

Shane Wright’s exceptional path to the top of the NHL draft board

A well-rounded centre wielding a diverse, honed skillset, whatever Wright’s on-ice impact lacks in excitement it makes up for in consistency. As captain of the Kingston Frontenacs this season, Wright finished eighth in OHL scoring, and projects to be a top NHL-level centreman in the future.

However, other players have risen up the draft board recently to challenge for the top spot.

Logan Cooley, perhaps the most dynamic player available, was ranked second in our final pre-lottery mock draft.

Juraj Slafkovsky, who was named the MVP of the Olympics for his role in helping Slovakia earn a bronze medal, has been ranked as high as No. 2, but was most recently given the No. 3 spot in our rankings.

Here’s how the whole lottery panned out.

16. Vegas Golden Knights (will be traded to Buffalo Sabres)

15. Vancouver Canucks

14. Winnipeg Jets

13. New York Islanders

12. Columbus Blue Jackets

11. San Jose Sharks

10. Anaheim Ducks

9. Buffalo Sabres

8. Detroit Red Wings

7. Ottawa Senators

6. Chicago Blackhawks (will be traded to Columbus Blue Jackets)