A number one pick will not be on the line for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL's Draft Lottery this year.
But when the ping pong balls fly live at 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN, there could still be some action for the Blue Jackets.
This year's lottery will mark the first time in league history that the drawing will be shown live.
The NHL's website describes the process best:
"The Lottery will be conducted in two phases, the first to determine the first overall pick in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft and the second to determine the second overall pick. There is a limit on the total number of selections (10) a team participating in the Draft Lottery can “move up” in the event it wins one of the Lottery Draws. Thus, only the top 11 seeds will be eligible to receive the first overall Draft pick."
Because a team can only move up ten spots and the Blue Jackets are currently in the 13th position, that means the Blue Jackets are ineligible for the first or second overall pick — but that does not mean it's a lock that Columbus will be the owners of the 13th selection in June's draft.
The Blue Jackets have a 90.7% chance of making the 13th selection in the draft, which takes place June 27th and 28th in Los Angeles.
The other 9.3% could go two different ways: they have a 4.2% chance of "winning" lottery, which would move them up ten spots and to the number three selection.
There are slightly better odds — a 5.1% chance — that Columbus will get bumped down a spot to the 14th pick. That would mean one of the three teams behind them — the Utah Hockey Club, Vancouver Canucks, or Calgary Flames — would move up to the fourth, fifth, or sixth pick, respectively.
If the Blue Jackets get the 13th pick, it would be the first time in club history they would own that spot. They've made two picks from the number three spot: Adam Fantilli in 2023, and Pierre-Luc Dubois in 2016.
Their only pick from the 14th spot was Alex Wennberg in 2013.
Getting the pick and making the pick is two very different things, though.
President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell has openly expressed that the pick — and Columbus' other first round pick, one acquired from the Minnesota Wild in the David Jiricek trade — will be made available for immediate roster help.
"Having the draft capital is always important," said Waddell the day after the season ended. "We have two first-round picks this year, so our goal is to make sure we do everything that we're capable of doing to try and make this team better."
That other pick will be either the 19th or 20th selection, depending on the finish of the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets playoff series. If the Jets win, it's #20. If the Blues win, it gets bumped to #19.
Would winning the lottery and moving into a top three spot alter those plans, or simply add value to Columbus' trade assets?
That question can only be answered by Waddell and the Blue Jackets management group but would potentially put an interesting wrinkle in what the team hopes to accomplish this summer.
