After getting its bubble burst by the New York Islanders, the Florida Panthers ping pong ball didn’t get drawn last night in Secaucus, NJ. Instead, it was the New York Rangers that won the eight-team lottery for the first overall pick in the draft. Barring a trade, the Rangers will be adding highly-rated prospect Alexis Lafreniere to its already blossoming lineup.
The only good news is that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers or Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t win, which would have pushed the Cats down a slot in the first round.
Florida will make its first selection at 12th overall and will choose 12th in the subsequent rounds of the draft where they still possess their own pick. This means the Cats will pick 43rd overall in the second round, 74th overall in the third round (they also have Colorado’s third round pick), 105th overall in fourth round and finally, 198th overall in the seventh round. The Panthers traded away their own picks in the fifth and sixth rounds, but they do have Toronto’s fifth-rounder (137th overall), giving them a total of seven selections in 2020.
After a one day break, the NHL playoffs are back with four Game Ones on the slate.
Today’s games
Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning 3 p.m. NBCSN
Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars 5:30 p.m. NBCSN
Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins 8 p.m. NBCSN
Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights 10:30 p.m. NBCSN
Enjoy the action today folks, and don’t forget to get your picks for the Round of 16 in before the start of the first game.