Since the Florida Panthers formalized their participation in the playoffs on Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens will have to settle for a first-round pick outside the top 16 in the next draft.
• Read also: The Panthers qualified, the fate of the Penguins in the hands of the CH
The Habs obviously created their own opportunity to win the lottery by virtue of their 28th place overall, as of Wednesday. This position gives them an 8.5% chance of speaking first, and 8.8% second.
For the record, the Canadian recovered the Panthers’ first-round selection in the trade that led defender Ben Chiarot to Florida. General manager Bill Zito’s roster took a huge risk, as it didn’t look like it was heading to the playoffs at all a month ago.
The team has won six of its last seven meetings and it is thanks to the losses of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabers on Tuesday that it won its ticket to the spring ball.
Also note that if the Panthers had finished 16th in the standings, they would have had only a 1% chance of improving their lot by drafting sixth or seventh. Only clubs that have finished the season among the last 11 can think of first place.
