It’s a day hockey fans across the country have had circled on their calendars for months.
That certainly says something about the current state of Canada’s hockey teams.
The NHL will hold their Draft Lottery tonight at the Hockey Central studio in Toronto. Not only do the Leafs have the best chance at landing that top pick but apparently they get home ice advantage too.
For the first time in league history, all three top picks will be up for grabs. Three separate lotteries will be held for those top picks with all non-playoff teams in the mix. Ottawa can either end up in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 12th, 13th or 14th when it’s all said and done.
Here’s how it breaks down for Ottawa- They have a 2.5% chance at that first overall pick. Anywhere inside those top three picks would be a franchise changing moment for the Senators.
There’s about a 9.4% chance they actually fall lower in the draft. And the most likely scenario has them holding strong at 12th overall. There’s an 82.3% likelihood of that being the outcome at the end of the night.
So grab your lucky charm. Change in to your lucky underpants. Bet against it happening if you have to. Whatever it takes.
All the fun gets started tonight at 7:00 PM.
-It was a formality of sorts but last night the National Hockey League announced Erik Karlsson as one of the finalists for the Norris Trophy awarded to the league’s top defenceman. Brent Burns and Drew Doughty are the other nominees. Darren Dreger revealed his choices yesterday and it gave us a window into the uphill battle Karlsson has ahead of him. Not only are people foolishly voting for Doughty to win the award but they are bumping Karlsson to third to give Doughty an even better chance of winning. Pretty sad really.
-The Bruce Boudreau watch is officially on in Ottawa. And by the sounds of things, the Senators will want to move quickly if it’s a move they are serious about making. The Minnesota Wild have an interim coach right now and may be considering making a play for Boudreau. On another front and before Boudreau was let go in Anaheim, I heard that the Senators had talked to Mike Yeo for a second time. For what it’s worth- Boudreau’s daughter (who lives in Ottawa) has liked a couple tweets mentioning the possibility of her dad getting the job with the Senators.
–Interesting article in the Ottawa Sun this morning where they discuss some of the possible uses for the not so soon to be vacant Canadian Tire Centre. A water park, a theatre, a shopping complex and…a casino. The idea of a casino was dismissed a couple years ago but some local politicians seem open to the idea. Still not the mayor though. Think of the possibilities if Melnyk had his shiny new downtown arena AND a casino?
