Instead of one of the seven teams eliminated from contention this season, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft belongs to one of the 16 teams that will compete for the final eight spots in the Stanley Cup playoffs bracket.
There will be a second lottery (or Phase 2) to determine which team wins the right to the No. 1 overall selection — and in all likelihood Lafreniere — once the play-in round is completed as part of the NHL’s return-to-play plan. The eight losing teams from the opening round of the playoffs will each have a 12.