On Tuesday afternoon, the NHL formally announced its plans for resuming to play with a 24-team playoff format.
And while determining a worthy Stanley Cup champion, and doing so in a safe and fair way, is the league's top priority, the NHL also announced how the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery will take place, and it's unlike any previous years.
The 2020 NHL Draft Lottery will determine the first 15 selections in the 2020 NHL Draft. Fifteen clubs will be entered into the lottery. The first seven teams will be those that failed to qualify for the 24-team playoff format, as they didn't rank in the top 12 of their conference.
The other eight spots will be determined by how the Qualifying Round plays out, but eight "place-holder" teams will be used in Phase 1 of the lottery, which will take place on June 26, before the Qualifying Round begins.
The team with the worst point percentage, the Detroit Red Wings, will have the best odds (18.5%) of securing the first overall pick. The Devils, meanwhile, have the sixth best odds (7.5%).
Here is a breakdown of the teams involved, along with their odds of selecting first overall:
1. Detroit Red Wings 18.5%
2. Ottawa Senators 13.5%
3. Ottawa Senators (trade from San Jose) 11.5%
4. Los Angeles Kings 9.5%
5. Anaheim Ducks 8.5%
6. New Jersey Devils 7.5%
7. Buffalo Sabres 6.5%
8. Team A 6.0%
9. Team B 5.0%
10. Team C 3.5%
11. Team D 3.0%
12. Team E 2.5%
13. Team F 2.0%
14. Team G 1.5%
15. Team H 1.0%
There will be three draws in Phase 1 of the lottery, to determine the first, second, and third overall picks. But if the team that draws the No. 1 pick is one of the eight place-holders, than the first pick will not be determined until Phase 2 of the lottery, which would not occur until the Qualifying Round of the playoffs is completed.
If picks one, two, and three are drawn by one of the seven teams that aren't in the playoffs, Phase 2 of the lottery will not be necessary. In that case, the remaining four of those seven teams would then get picks 4-7 (in reverse order of points percentage), and picks 8-15 would be determined by the outcome of the Qualifying Round, again given in reverse order of points percentage.
It is a bit of a complicated system, but the NHL made the best of determining a draft order, or at least part of it, while teams are still competing in the playoffs.