The NHL has not been shy with experimentation. Earlier this season, it reaped the rewards after the 4 Nations Face-Off, which replaced the annual All-Star Game, drew record ratings. During Monday’s 2025 NHL draft lottery, one of the league’s recent rule changes entered the spotlight.
The draft lottery, which was already historic because the draw was done live and in-studio for the first time in its 30-year history, saw the Islanders secure the No. 1 pick despite finishing with the 10th-worst record and having just a 3.5% chance at the top selection. However, it was in the NHL’s second lottery, which typically determines who selects No. 2, that a new rule was utilized as the Utah Hockey Club won but was only awarded the No. 4 pick.
The lottery win was subject to a rule instituted in 2022 wherein any NHL team that wins the lottery is allowed to move up only as many as 10 spots. Because Utah finished with the 14th-worst record, it moved up to the No. 4 pick. (It had a 3.1% chance of moving up to No. 4.) It was the first time since the rule was instituted that a team moved up the maximum 10 slots.
No other major professional league in North America has a rule that restricts a team that missed the postseason from receiving the No. 1 pick despite winning the draft lottery. Utah Hockey Club GM Bill Armstrong, however, was still ecstatic about the result.
“To pick at four … couple seconds ago we were 10 back, so it still hasn’t sunk,” Armstrong said.
The NHL instituted another lottery rule in 2022, which restricts teams from selecting with the No. 1 pick more than two times in five years. While “tanking” (deliberately losing to secure better draft lottery odds) is not as much of an issue in the NHL as it is in the NBA, these rules are instituted to keep teams from constantly bottoming out and depending on lottery luck.
Consolation Prize
The Islanders did not fall victim to the NHL’s lottery limitations, and their nine-spot jump to the No. 1 pick was the largest for the top selection in league history. While this draft does not have a definitive No. 1 prospect like Connor Bedard in 2023 or Macklin Celebrini last year, it still has talent at the top, including James Hagens, a Long Island product who plays for Boston College.
The Islanders’ win, however, comes at a peculiar time for the organization. The NHL announced Monday that it is canceling the 2026 All-Star Game, which was set to be hosted by the Islanders, in favor of an international event.
Following the announcement, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sent a letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expressing her “disappointment” in the league’s decision.
“Therefore, we request that the NHL revisit this matter immediately. Given that Long Island’s 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend has been canceled, the NHL should bring a hockey event with equal or greater economic activity and cultural value to the region in 2027,” Hochul’s letter to Bettman read.
