The NHL Draft Lottery has revealed that a team that loses in the qualifying round of the return to play plan will select #1 overall.
If the Rangers lose to Carolina they will be in the running to win the #1 overall pick in the Phase Two lottery draw.
Each of the eight teams that lose in the qualifying round will have a 12.5% chance at #1 overall.
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Should the Rangers lose in the qualifying round and not win the Phase Two lottery drawing, they will pick between 9 and 15 in the inverse order of their regular season points percentage compared to the other teams that lost in the qualifying round. They are likely to pick #13th in this scenario if all of the higher seeds defeat the lower seeds.
The Rangers also hold the later of Carolina’s two first round picks, via the Brady Skjei trade, but can not get the #1 overall pick from it. If the Rangers beat Carolina and Columbus beats Toronto then the Rangers would be guaranteed a top-15 pick. If the Rangers beat Carolina and Toronto beats Columbus then the Rangers would get the pick that corresponds to when Toronto is knocked out of the playoffs.
If the NHL does not return to play then the Rangers, along with the seven other teams that would have missed the playoffs, would have a 12.5% chance at #1 overall. (TSN)
Adam Rotter: The best case scenario if the Rangers lose to Carolina is, obviously, to get the #1 overall pick and add Alexis Lafrenière to this group. The best case scenario if they win is for Columbus to beat Toronto so that they would be guaranteed a top-15 pick, still own their own pick and get a chance for this group to gain experience. It’s all pretty positive for the Rangers.