The New Jersey Devils were the big winners in Tuesday might’s 2019 NHL Draft Lottery.
New Jersey won the lottery for the second time in the last three years, moving up from three to number one overall, where it will have the chance to grab top-rated prospect Jack Hughes.
Movement was the name of the game, as the New York Rangers jumped up from sixth to the second pick and the Chicago Blackhawks ascended from the 12-hole all the way to third overall.
The upward surge of the Devils, Rangers, and Blackhawks pushed the Colorado Avalanche (now 4th) and Los Angeles Kings (now 5th) out of the running for Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the consensus top two picks in the draft.
Our Florida Panthers stayed put at 13. The Panthers possess nine selections in the upcoming draft.
Unfortunately, having the Devils and Rangers capture the top two spots will put two more potential superstar in an already extremely competitive Eastern Conference, where it’s seemingly going to take getting 100+ points to assure a playoff berth, but them’s the breaks.