The NHL announced Friday the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery will be held live in-studio to determine the holders of the first and second overall picks in the draft for the very first time, and the Vancouver Canucks have a small chance to play a part in the historic proceedings.
The NHL Draft Lottery was previously conducted, recorded, then aired on television after.
According to the NHL Media press release, the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery will be conducted in two phases. The first will determine the first overall pick, and the second will determine the second overall pick.
In each phase, 14 balls, numbered one through 14, will be placed into a lottery machine with four drawn. The resulting four-digit series is matched against a look-up table that lists the 1,000 possible combinations to determine which team corresponds with the winning combination.
Additionally, as each ball is drawn, odds will change, and teams are eliminated. The viewing audience will learn who is still in the running in real time.
Canucks pick odds for 2025 NHL Draft
With five possible combinations out of 1,000, the Canucks have a 0.5% chance, tied with the rival Calgary Flames, to win the lottery and move up 10 spots, the maximum allowed, to take over the No. 5 overall pick in the draft.
The Canucks do not qualify to pick inside the top four due to lottery rules. According to Tankathon, the Canucks have a 1.1% chance of picking fifth, a nonzero chance of picking seventh, a 97.9% chance of staying put at 15th, and a 1.1% chance of moving back to 16th.
Additionally, as per the conditions of the trade that sent J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, the Rangers will have the option to transfer either their 2025 or 2026 first-round pick to the Canucks; the choice belongs to them.
It is worth noting that the Rangers' 2025 first-round pick has the following draft odds: 3.0% chance of first, 3.2% chance of second, 0.1% chance of third, 79.9% chance of 11th, 13.4% chance of 12th, and 0.5% chance of 13th.
How to watch the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery
The 2025 NHL Draft Lottery will be conducted at NHL Network’s Secaucus, N.J., studio, with the event broadcast live on ESPN, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PST).