It's pretty amazing to think that the Buffalo Sabres were once in first place in the National Hockey League standings, and now could realistically fall to 30th place by the end of the season.
After losing 15 of their last 16 games, the Sabres are 28th in the NHL with 72 points. Nobody wants to be talking about lottery odds, but once again, the Sabres have forced our hand with their awful play.
Photo: Tankathon.com The Sabres can finish anywhere from 26th to 30th place in the NHL by the end of the season. The team will most likely finish somewhere between 26th and 29th.
The Detroit Red Wings pulled ahead of the Sabres in the standings on Tuesday, and have just two games remaining this season against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Sabres. The Sabres' next final games are against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at home, and against the Red Wings on Saturday.
Further back, the New Jersey Devils are two points back with two games to go. The Los Angeles Kings are three points back with two games to play. To fall to 30th, the Sabres would have to lose out, the Devils to pick up two points, and the Kings gain three points in two games.
With the way the Sabres are playing, it certainly seems possible that they could lose out the rest of the season to end the year on a 10-game losing streak. Finishing 30th place would mean a 13.5-percent chance at the first overall pick, a 38.8-percent chance for a top-three pick, and a guaranteed a top-five pick.
I ran the lottery simulator 100 times from where the Sabres are now in the standings, to find out where their likeliest draft position would be. Here's how many times they finished in each spot.
The top-two picks in the 2019 NHL Draft are both expected to be stars in the NHL. American center Jack Hughes is a bit undersized at 5' 10'', but is insanely dynamic as a playmaker. With games still to go in the United States National Team Development Program, Hughes already has a record 200 career points. The previous record was 189 points by, now, Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller.
When reading about Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko, a lot is talked about his hockey smarts and skill. He reads like a more physical and faster version of Sam Reinhart. He's unanimously thought of as the second best prospect in this draft, and most seem to think he'll be ready to jump to the NHL right away.
The Sabres didn't win many games this past month, and if they don't win in the final few games, their chances of picking in the top-five of the draft will grow more and more likely.
At least the NHL Draft Lottery will take place on an earlier date this season, coming on Tuesday, April 9.