‘It’s been a fun ride’: Paul Bissonnette on being a studio analyst for NHL on TNT
Paul Bissonnette shares what it’s like behind the scenes at NHL on TNT.
Sports Seriously
The NHL draft lottery had a new look and a vastly different result, but the new format didn’t help the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 23rd-place New York Islanders earned the right to pick first overall in the June 27-28 draft by winning the first live draft lottery in league history on Monday. The 19th-place Utah Hockey Club won the other drawing and moved up the maximum allowed 10 spots to fourth place.
The Islanders had 3.5% odds of winning the No. 1 overall pick. They will select first for the first time since drafting John Tavares in 2009.
The Flyers, who had a 9.5% chance of getting the top pick and 9.5% of landing No. 2, ended up with the No. 6 pick as result of being leapfrogged by the odds-defying Islanders and Utah. The Flyers came in slotted at No. 4 and had a 15.4% chance of staying there. Their best odds (44.6%) were to end up picking fifth. The sixth slot was the worst possible scenario for the team.
The top-ranked North American prospect is Matthew Schaefer, though NHL Central Scouting said it’s close. The Erie Otters defenseman missed the rest of the season after breaking his collarbone during the winter while playing for Team Canada at the world junior hockey championship. He had 22 points in 17 games.
Previously, the draw was conducted off camera, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly would turn over cards with team logos on them until the winner was revealed. But everyone got to watch the draw of the lottery balls live, and commissioner Gary Bettman was in the room, too.
NHL draft order after the lotteryNew York IslandersSan Jose SharksChicago BlackhawksUtah Hockey ClubNashville PredatorsPhiladelphia FlyersBoston BruinsSeattle KrakenBuffalo SabresAnaheim DucksPittsburgh PenguinsNew York RangersDetroit Red WingsColumbus Blue JacketsVancouver CanucksMontreal Canadiens (from Calgary Flames)No love for Matvei Michkov
One of the few bright spots for the Flyers this season was right wing Matvei Michkov, who was second among rookies with 63 points and led all freshmen with 26 goals. However, those numbers weren’t enough to earn the 2023 seventh-overall pick a Calder Trophy finalist spot, awarded to rookie of the year.
The rookie announcement was anticipated because there were four strong candidates. Michkov didn’t get enough votes from the Professional Hockey Writers Association to finish among the top three.
The Calder finalists are San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson and Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf
Voting took place at the end of the regular season. No date has been announced yet for when the winners will be revealed.
When is the NHL draft?
The 2025 NHL Draft will be held June 27-28. The first round will be on June 27 and rounds 2-7 will be held the next day. The times haven’t been announced yet. It will be held in Los Angeles at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater. Top prospects will be there, but not team representatives, who will take part virtually.