As for the draft lottery, there was all sorts of talk after the meeting about a stormy debate on how best to proceed. In actual fact, one NHL GM made an impassioned plea to do the lottery one way but before any debate could take place, Bettman shut it down.
He basically told the GMs how it was going to be. It will be a weighted lottery. The teams that have missed the playoffs for the last three or four years will have a better chance to get the first pick overall, but all 30 teams will be in the running.
Non-playoff entities like Columbus and the New York Rangers will have a better chance of winning the lottery than, say, Detroit or Colorado, but everyone will have some shot at the top pick. And keep in mind, as good a chance as a team like Columbus may have compared to a team like Detroit, the field has a better chance of winning than the franchise that gets weighted as No. 1.
The NHL hasn't decided yet when to conduct the lottery -- it could happen before the lockout is over; it could be put off until a new CBA is in place -- but two things we do know. Whichever team gets the first pick overall won't pick again until No. 60, and the team that gets the 30th pick will pick again at 31. Also, all traded or transferred draft choices will be in effect for the next draft, so if your favourite team traded away its first-round pick in 2005, kiss Sidney goodbye right now -- even if your team wins the lottery.
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