NHL Draft Lottery 2015: Format, Projected Order and Odds for Every Team Involved

The 2015 NHL draft lottery may very well be the most highly anticipated event of its kind in a decade, as 14 teams will vie for the chance to select a generational talent.

OHL forward Connor McDavid is considered to be the best prospect since Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, but Boston University's Jack Eichel isn't far behind. The 2015 class contains two generational talents and a slew of potentially great players as well, which is what makes Saturday's lottery so intriguing.

Prior to the moment of truth regarding where McDavid and Eichel will land, here is a rundown of the lottery odds for each team as well as an explanation regarding how the process works.

Lottery Odds

Pick No.	Team	Odds
1	Buffalo Sabres	20%
2	Arizona Coyotes	13.5%
3	Edmonton Oilers	11.5%
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	9.5%
5	Carolina Hurricanes	8.5%
6	New Jersey Devils	7.5%
7	Philadelphia Flyers	6.5%
8	Columbus Blue Jackets	6%
9	San Jose Sharks	5%
10	Colorado Avalanche	3.5%
11	Florida Panthers	3%
12	Dallas Stars	2.5%
13	Los Angeles Kings	2%
14	Boston Bruins	1%

Lottery Format

Although the lottery may seem complicated on the surface, this video created by Buffalo, New York, motion graphics and animation studio Blue Creative breaks it down into palatable pieces of information:

As explained in the video, the lottery will commence with four balls numbered one through 14 being selected. That four-number combination will then be checked against a chart of 1,000 possibilities, and the team that has that combo will be awarded the No. 1 overall pick.

If the Buffalo Sabres win the lottery, then the order will remain the same. If another team wins, though, that team will vault to the top, and every team it surpasses will be bumped down one spot.

That means since Buffalo finished last, it is guaranteed to land either McDavid or Eichel due to the fact that it can't pick any later than No. 2.

Top Lottery Prizes

Connor McDavid

Although he has yet to play in an NHL game, McDavid has already been labeled as a potential savior for many struggling NHL franchises. On the heels of a season in which he posted 120 points in just 47 games for the Erie Otters, it is certainly easy to understand why.

The Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, native's talent level is absolutely through the roof, and he has inevitably been compared to the likes of Crosby and even Wayne Gretzky. That is a ton of pressure to put on a player, but he seems equipped to handle it.

Part of that is due to the fact that McDavid is an extremely humble player who doesn't place himself on a pedestal, even when others do, as evidenced by his comments to NHL.com's Mike Morreale:

"

You look at the World Junior Championship and there were so many great players playing there, so I'm not in a class by myself. That's a tremendous compliment, and if NHL scouts are saying that it means the world. But at the end of the day you just have to keep doing what you're doing. There are great prospects out there; people are saying that this draft can be one of the best and there are some really good players that will be drafted this year.

"

Regardless of what McDavid says, he is the prize that everyone is hoping to win Saturday. The Sabres hold the best chance at 20 percent, but as pointed out by Eric Prime of Sportsnet, the overall chances are actually in favor of McDavid playing for a team that didn't finish in the bottom three in 2014-15:

That will make for a highly interesting lottery since essentially anything could happen, from the Sabres maintaining their place on top to the Boston Bruins winning with only a 1 percent chance.

Winning the lottery and earning the right to select McDavid will make a poor season well worth it for the team that secures him, but only one organization and its fanbase will get to celebrate that accomplishment Saturday.

Jack Eichel

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

He may not be the player that most teams are targeting, but the franchise that picks No. 2 overall won't be disappointed for long, as Eichel has the potential to become one of the best players in the NHL.

The United States National Development Team product enjoyed an unbelievable freshman campaign at Boston University, as he registered 26 goals and 71 points en route to winning the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top player.

As great as McDavid has been at the junior level, Eichel essentially played against men in college and dominated them.

Standing out above the rest is nothing new for Eichel. U.S. National Development Team Program head coach Danton Cole has experienced it firsthand, according to Howard Simon of WGR 550 in Buffalo:

It may take some time for Eichel to achieve that level of success, but it can be argued that he is more NHL ready than anyone else in the 2015 draft since he already has a great deal of experience playing against bigger, older and more physical players than those who are coming out of juniors.

Although there has been some speculation about Eichel potentially returning to Boston University for his sophomore year, Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of The Boston Globe doesn't envision that happening, per WGR 550:

As things currently stand, it seems like a virtual certainty that either the Sabres or Arizona Coyotes will come away with Eichel.

Since Buffalo can't pick any worse than second, he will be the so-called consolation prize if it doesn't win the lottery. Even though Eichel may not receive the same level of hype as McDavid, he could ultimately become the greatest American hockey player of all time, and there isn't a team in the NHL that wouldn't love to have that on its roster.

Noah Hanifin

McDavid and Eichel are the clear-cut studs in this draft, but it certainly doesn't end after the first two picks. There may not be any other surefire stars in the same class as the aforementioned players, but those who select from No. 3 onward will still have an opportunity to land some blue-chip prospects.

One of them is Boston College defenseman Noah Hanifin, who many believe is the pre-eminent blueliner in the 2015 draft.

Despite the fact that Hanifin has been presented as the third wheel throughout the draft process, the NHL thought enough of him to invite him to the lottery, according to Stephen Whyno of The Canadian Press:

Once McDavid and Eichel come off the board, Hanifin will be very much in the play. The Edmonton Oilers have been held back by their inability to build defensively, and they will most definitely be very interested in a player of Hanifin's ilk at either No. 3 or No. 4 if they don't win the lottery.

Hanifin put up a respectable 23 points in 37 games as a freshman defenseman, and his two-way game is something that could make him a regular All-Star in the NHL over time.

He isn't likely to make the immediate jump to the NHL and contribute from day one like McDavid and Eichel will, but the team that ends up with him could wind up being thrilled a decade from now.

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