What Can Previous Years Teach Us About the Coyotes’ NHL Draft Chances in 2023?
Representatives from the 16 NHL teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs will convene next month to collectively choose a potential game-changing prospect for their team.
NHL bettors in Arizona were disappointed by the Arizona Coyotes, who finished the 2022-23 season with the sixth-lowest point total in the league (70 points).
The Coyotes and the other 10 teams in the bottom 11 of the standings will be eligible to win the top pick in the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery on May 8. As of 2021, NHL teams are limited to moving up a maximum of 11 spots in the draft lottery.
Arizona could potentially have two first-round picks, with one coming from their trade with the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Jakob Chychrun. The Coyotes will only get Ottawa’s first-round pick if it is not in the top 5.
The Coyotes have the sixth highest odds of winning the lottery in the league, with a 7.5% chance, falling between Montreal at 8.5% and Philadelphia at 6.5%. On the other hand, the Anaheim Ducks have the highest odds of any NHL team at 18.5%.
Yengols.com, a leading source for in-depth coverage of all Arizona online sportsbooks, delved into what Coyotes fans can expect from their first-round draft selection.
We examined the draft positions and choices made by teams that finished the NHL season with the sixth-lowest point total.
NHL Draft Lottery Odds
Teams will have the 6th best draft odds since 2013.
- In 2023, Arizona has amassed 70 points and their draft pick is still undecided.
- In 2022, Chicago drafted Kevin Korchinski, a defenseman with no prior NHL experience, as the 7th overall pick with 68 points.
- During the 2021 NHL draft, the San Jose Sharks chose William Eklund as the 7th overall pick. Eklund, a left winger, tallied 2 goals and 5 assists in 17 NHL games, accumulating a total of 49 points.
- In the 2020 NHL draft, New Jersey selected Alexander Holtz, a right winger who recorded 3 goals and 3 assists in 28 games, with the 7th overall pick.
- In 2019, New York selected Kaapo Kakko, a right winger, as the 2nd overall pick. Since then, Kakko has scored 44 goals and 54 assists in 239 NHL games.
- In 2018, Quinn Hughes, a defenseman, was drafted by Vancouver as the 7th overall pick. In his 283 NHL games, Hughes has tallied 26 goals and 215 assists.
- Michael Rasmussen was chosen by Detroit as the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft. Since then, he has scored 36 goals and 50 assists in 238 NHL games as a center.
- Patrik Laine was chosen by Winnipeg as the 2nd overall pick in 2016 and has since tallied 198 goals and 181 assists in 462 NHL games.
- In 2015, the New Jersey Devils selected Pavel Zacha as their center with the 6th overall pick. Zacha has since played in 468 NHL games, tallying 90 goals and 146 assists.
- Jake Virtanen, a right winger, was chosen by Vancouver in the 2014 draft as the 6th overall pick. Since then, he has played 317 NHL games for the team, tallying 55 goals and 45 assists.
- Sean Monahan was the 6th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames. Since then, he has recorded 218 goals and 261 assists in 681 NHL games as a center.
What Coyotes Fans Should Anticipate
If Arizona sports betting apps allowed over/under bets on the Coyotes’ draft position, I would recommend betting on them being selected higher than the No. 6 pick.
The 2016 Winnipeg Jets and the 2019 New York Rangers are the only two teams out of the last 23 with the sixth highest odds for the No. 1 draft pick in the NHL lottery to secure a higher spot than sixth.
The Jets and Rangers both ended up with the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. The Jets chose defenseman Patrik Laine, while the Rangers selected winger Kaapo Kakko.
Scott Hartnell, a former player for the Predators and Flyers, holds the record for most goals scored at 327 out of the last 23 players selected by the team with the sixth-highest odds in the NHL Draft Lottery. Mikko Koivu, drafted in 2001, has the most assists of any player chosen by such a team with 505.
Hartnell set a record for the most games played on teams that ended the season with the sixth worst record in the league, playing 1,249 games between 2000 and 2018 with Nashville, Philadelphia, and Columbus.
In contrast, Nikita Filatov, the Blue Jackets’ 2008 draft pick, had the shortest career of all retired picks, tallying six goals and eight assists in just 53 NHL games played between 2008 and 2012.
Shane Doan, a former player for the Coyotes franchise, holds records for games played, goals, and assists. He was drafted seventh overall in the 1995 NHL Draft by the team when they were known as the Winnipeg Jets. Throughout his career, Doan scored 402 goals and had 570 assists in 1,540 games, leaving a lasting legacy on hockey in the Valley.
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Author
Peterson Christopher has accumulated over seven years of experience in the sports and sports betting industry in Arizona, having held positions at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News. He currently serves as the lead writer at yengols.com.
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