New York, NY (Sports Network) - The NHL has changed the draft lottery, making all 14 teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs eligible to win the right for the top selection.
Previously, only the five teams with the fewest points in the standings had the opportunity to win the lottery.
While the top pick can now go to any of the 14 non-playoff clubs, or the team owning the rights to the first pick of a non-playoff club, the odds of winning the lottery are unchanged from previous years. The teams in the drawing are ranked in inverse order of their regular-season point totals, with team one being the club with the fewest points and team 14 being the club with the most among those outside of the playoffs.
Team 1 will still have a 25 percent chance of winning the first pick, while Team 14 will have only a 0.5 percent chance.
No club will move down more than one position as a result of the draft lottery. The remaining first-round positions are determined by the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This year's lottery is scheduled to be held on Monday, April 29.
The 2013 NHL Draft will take place Sunday, June 30 at the Prudential Center, home to the New Jersey Devils. All seven rounds will be conducted on the same day for the first time since 2006.
