Canadiens Hold Surprising 2023 NHL Draft Lottery Advantage

The Montreal Canadiens may not be in the basement of the NHL standings, but their unique position still gives them some of the best odds of winning the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

As it currently stands, the Canadiens are trending to have the 8th and 9th best odds in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft Lottery.

The Canadiens have begun to slip in the standings after a hot start and have begun to flip in and out of the NHL’s basement in the standings.

But, perhaps the most surprising turn of events, is that the Florida Panthers are trending toward the same thing. The Canadiens own their 2023 1st-round pick, meaning that the Panthers’ potential woes are Montreal’s gain

Owning both their own and the Florida Panthers’ 1st-round picks, the Canadiens are in a really good position to select two strong prospects in late June.

What’s more surprising, is that the Canadiens have the 4th best odds of winning the first overall pick right now.

What The Odds Say

As of today, the Chicago Blackhawks are trending for the highest odds of winning the NHL Draft Lottery with 18.5% odds, followed closely by the Anaheim Ducks (13.5) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (11.5%).

Despite San Jose being in the fourth-to-last slot at the moment, it’s in fact the Montreal Canadiens who own the best odds at winning the lottery.

Trending toward the 8th and 9th best odds at the moment, Montreal holds a cumulative 11% chance of winning the lottery, as their pick (6%) and Florida’s pick (5%) give them two interesting kicks at the same can.

The Sharks, who are currently trending toward having the 4th best odds with 9.5%,  would be narrowly edged out by Montreal in terms of the amount of eligible balls included in each of the two lotteries, giving the Canadiens an advantage that not many people saw coming.

And the good news doesn’t stop there for Montreal Canadiens fans.

The Good News

Having the most difficult schedule in the league moving forward is a tough challenge to overcome for the Canadiens, meaning their odds could further improve.

You could also be the Florida Panthers, who have the second most difficult schedule out of any team in the NHL left to play.

After starting the season with a -3000 odds to make the playoffs for NHL betting odds, the Panthers have seen their odds shrink to a meagre -176.

It’s a massive shift in the expectations for them this season, as these odds rarely shift to such a violent degree.

Should the Panthers continue on their path, or do any worse, they would be offering the Montreal Canadiens even higher odds in the NHL Draft Lottery and the Habs in getting their hands on some of the top players in this draft.

And, as Montreal Hockey Now recently pointed out, if the Panthers miss the playoffs, the Canadiens could win both lotteries, according to a technicality in the NHL Draft Lottery rules.

If you’re Montreal, you got to like those odds.

MUST READ: MHN 2023 NHL Draft Rankings

https://montreal.nationalhockeynow.com/2022/12/15/very-early-mhn-2023-nhl-draft-rankings-montreal-canadiens/