Oilers win NHL draft lottery, secure No. 1 overall pick
The Edmonton Oilers secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft during Saturday night's lottery, marking the fourth time in six seasons the Oilers will select first.
Edmonton, which finished 24–44–14 this season, had the third-best odds to secure the top pick at 11.5%, but surpassed the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes in the lottery. The Sabres will pick second, while the Coyotes will pick third.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes round out the draft order's top five.
Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid is widely expected to be the first pick in the draft, which will take place June 26–27 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., home of the Florida Panthers. McDavid tops the NHL Central Scouting final rankings of North American prospects.
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Oilers assistant general manager Bill Scott said the team would not commit to drafting McDavid and general manager Craig MacTavish said Edmonton would not trade the pick, according to NHL.com.
Here are the top 14 picks in the first round, as decided by the lottery:
1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Buffalo Sabres
3. Arizona Coyotes
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Carolina Hurricanes
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Philadelphia Flyers
8. Columbus Blue Jackets
9. San Jose Sharks
10. Colorado Avalanche
11. Florida Panthers
12. Dallas Stars
13. Los Angeles Kings
14. Boston Bruins
- Mike Fiammetta