Phase 1 of the NHL’s Draft Lottery is done and while we don’t know the ultimate winner, we do know the fates of the seven teams who missed the Return to Play qualifying round. And while none of them are getting their hands on Alexis Lafreniere (that will be determined with a Phase 2 draft, since a placeholder team ‘won’ the first overall pick), they will have a nice crop of players to select from.
But three teams stood out to me in the wake of the Phase 1 lottery: Los Angeles, Ottawa and Detroit. Let’s break down what it all means for these franchises.