NHL Draft 2015: 1st-Round Mock Draft, Examining Best Potential Lottery Outcome

The 2015 NHL draft is going to significantly alter the course of at least two franchises. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are the type of franchise building blocks that general managers spend a lot of scouting trips dreaming about.

Unsurprisingly, that dynamic duo has dominated the headlines. Yet, there's also a strong group of prospects behind them, led by Noah Hanifin, Dylan Strome and Mitch Marner, that's going to make the other teams drafting in the top five incredibly happy.

All told, it's one of the most talented draft classes in recent memory. So let's check out one scenario for how the first round could play out. The lottery, which is set to take place on Saturday night, will decide which team ends up with the top overall pick.

NHL 1st-Round Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Buffalo Sabres	Connor McDavid, C, Erie (OHL)
2	Arizona Coyotes	Jack Eichel, C, Boston U. (NCAA)
3	Edmonton Oilers	Noah Hanifin, D, Boston College (NCAA)
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	Dylan Strome, C, Erie (OHL)
5	Carolina Hurricanes	Mitch Marner, C, London (OHL)
6	New Jersey Devils	Mikko Rantanen, C, TPS Turku (SM-liiga)
7	Philadelphia Flyers	Lawson Crouse, LW, Kingston (OHL)
8	Columbus Blue Jackets	Travis Konecny, C, Ottawa (OHL)
9	San Jose Sharks	Zach Werenski, D, Michigan (NCAA)
10	Colorado Avalanche	Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon (WHL)
11	Florida Panthers	Pavel Zacha, C, Sarnia (OHL)
12	Dallas Stars	Timo Meier, RW, Halifax (QMJHL)
13	Los Angeles Kings	Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle (WHL)
14	Boston Bruins	Kyle Connor, C, Youngstown (USHL)
15	Calgary Flames	Jakub Zboril, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
16	Edmonton Oilers (from PIT)	Jansen Harkins, C, Prince George (WHL)
17	Winnipeg Jets	Jake DeBrusk, LW, Swift Current (WHL)
18	Ottawa Senators	Daniel Sprong, RW, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
19	Detroit Red Wings	Gabriel Carlsson, D, Linkopings HC (SHL)
20	Minnesota Wild	Jacob Larsson, D, Frolunda HC (SHL)
21	Buffalo Sabres (from NYI)	Evgeny Svechnikov, LW, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
22	Washington Capitals	Filip Chlapik, C, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
23	Vancouver Canucks	Nick Merkley, RW, Kelowna (WHL)
24	Arizona Coyotes (from CHI)	Noah Juulsen, D, Everett (WHL)
25	Nashville Predators	Paul Bittner, LW, Portland (WHL)
26	Philadelphia Flyers (from TB)	Jeremy Roy, D, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
27	Winnipeg Jets (from BUF via STL)	Thomas Chabot, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
28	Anaheim Ducks	Brock Boeser, RW, Waterloo (USHL)
29	Montreal Canadiens	Jake DeBrusk, LW, Swift Current (WHL)
30	Tampa Bay Lightning (from NYR)	Oliver Kylington, D, Farjestads BK (SHL)

The draft lottery is highly anticipated because whichever team wins is going to see its long-term fortunes improve drastically. A team like the Los Angeles Kings or Boston Bruins, which narrowly missed out in the playoffs, can get an immediate rebirth by winning the first pick.

Those two teams are low on the spectrum of lottery odds. The Buffalo Sabres own the best chance of landing the top selection after finishing last but still have just a 20 percent chance. So it all comes down to the bounce of the ping pong balls.

Let's examine what lottery result would be best for the NHL.

Best Possible Lottery Outcome

Obviously the best lottery outcome for each respective team is earning the opportunity to draft McDavid. The Erie Otters standout has the inside track to go first overall despite having another top-tier talent like Eichel in the same class.

That's not the debate here. The question is what result on Saturday night would be the best thing that could happen for the league as a whole.

It would be fair to argue the Sabres, or at least their fans, deserve McDavid.

They have spent two long years trying to completely rebuild the franchise. The fanbase has remained dedicated to hockey throughout the process with the hope that light at the end of the tunnel would finally arrive. NBC Sports PR provided television ratings to illustrate that:

Alas, a Buffalo lottery victory would mean Eichel is heading for the Arizona Coyotes. Sending one of the two players considered a "generational" talent to a non-traditional hockey market that finished 28th in attendance, via ESPN.com, isn't ideal.

That's why the best possible outcome involves the Sabres getting Eichel with the second pick after losing the lottery. To who? The rival Toronto Maple Leafs, which have a 9.5 percent chance to win (fourth highest).

McDavid has already talked about how much he would love getting a chance to play in Toronto after growing up in Ontario watching the Leafs. Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun passed along his comments about the possibility of things coming full circle.

"It's pretty crazy to even think about," McDavid said. "But that would be an absolute dream come true."

The Leafs get the type of player they need to reinvigorate perhaps the league's best fanbase. The Sabres still get the new centerpiece for their rebuilding effort, which should turn the corner next season. And the league gets a new matchup to spotlight on a regular basis.

Toronto and Buffalo already have a rivalry. The lottery falling in the Leafs' favor would simply take it to the next level for the next decade or more. Over time it would likely replace Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin as the league's main draw.

How about an outdoor game featuring the teams and their new superstars? The possibilities are endless. Adam Proteau of The Hockey News sums it up nicely, referencing the main thoroughfare between the two cities:

Beyond that, the Coyotes could still get a much-needed offensive building block in Strome, while the Edmonton Oilers finally get a defensive stalwart in Hanifin. Everything would seemingly fall into place perfectly for a league seeking more exposure, especially in the United States.

If the NHL had a choice, that's probably the route it would take. Instead, it all comes down to the luck of the draw and the anticipation is running high for good reason.