Golden Knights Likely Giving Sabres Solid First-Round Pick in Draft Lottery

The 2022 NHL Draft Lottery is scheduled for Tuesday, and since the Golden Knights missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they will be involved. The Draft Lottery will air on ESPN at 3:30 pm.

The Golden Knight’s first-round pick was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the blockbuster Jack Eichel deal in early November. But the pick is top-10 protected, meaning if the Golden Knights are awarded a top-10 pick, they will retain their selection and trade their 2023 first-round pick to the Sabres instead.

Given that they were just a handful of points removed from a playoff spot, the Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks have the lowest odds of winning the draft lottery. Both have a 0.5% chance.

The Golden Knights have the best shot at the 15th or 16th overall selection in the draft. This means that their first pick in the draft, their second-round selection, will be around 48th-50th overall.

We will have you covered on who the Golden Knights could shoot for in the second round with Vegas Hockey Now. The draft itself is not until July 7th and 8th.

Shane Wright is the consensus no. 1 overall pick and the Montreal Canadiens, who have the best shot at winning the draft lottery, have their eyes on him. Our guy in Montreal, Marco D’Amico went ham on the pre-lottery draft rankings. Here is his full scouting report on the first round and picks 1-32.

If there is one thing the Golden Knights need to improve on in their odds of not only making the playoffs but competing for a Stanley Cup it’s young players. Jake Leschyshyn, Jonas Rondbjerg, and Daniil Miromanov were all relied on heavily this season with the Golden Knight’s injury crisis. None of which truly impressed at the NHL level.

The Golden Knights prospect pool is thin, with Brendan Brisson as the frontrunner to make the team in 2022-23. Kelly McCrimmon, and before him George McPhee have traded away youngsters Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Peyton Krebs, and Erik Brannstrom in efforts to bring in star players like Eichel, Mark Stone, and Max Pacioretty.

Here is a full breakdown of the Golden Knight’s offseason schedule.