You really shouldn’t cheer for the Leafs to lose to the Senators, ever. It is a veritable fanclub-card-revoking offence. But an educated fan should always enter a game like this knowing the draft stakes.
A regulation loss tonight ensures the Leafs will not pass the Senators or Predators (who each have two games left), and ensures the Leafs will draft at worst 8th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Winnipeg, who won their final game of the season last night, would pass the Leafs on the head-to-head tie breaker.
A regulation loss would still leave the 7th overall pick as a possibility if Vancouver were to collect three of their final four points.
A win, meanwhile, could push the Leafs down as far as 11th, depending on how the Predators and Senators fare in their remaining games.
What happened last time the Leafs played the Senators with draft pick positioning hanging in the balance, again?
Prediction: Troy Bodie hat trick.
| Pick | Lottery Odds |
|---|---|
| 1 - Buffalo | 25.00% |
| 2 - Florida | 18.80% |
| 3 - Edmonton | 14.20% |
| 4 - Calgary | 10.70% |
| 5 - NY Islanders | 8.10% |
| 6 - Vancouver | 6.20% |
| 7 - Carolina | 4.70% |
| 8 - Toronto | 3.60% |
| 9 - Winnipeg | 2.70% |
| 10 - Ottawa | 2.10% |
| 11 - New Jersey | 1.50% |
| 12 - Nashville | 1.10% |
| 13 - Phoenix | 0.80% |
| 14 - Washington | 0.50% |
