Momentarily last night, it appeared there may be a chance the Pittsburgh Penguins would received the first overall NHL draft selection, as the league held its annual draft lottery. In the end, after the initial four ping pong balls were drawn, the New York Islanders received the lucky draw. As the lottery progressed, the Penguins actually slipped back two spots and will draft 11th overall.
It will be the first time the Penguins have a top-12 selection since 2012. The Penguins could also receive the 12th overall selection from the trade in January which shipped Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor to Vancouver. In that deal, the Pens also received the New York Rangers first-round selection this year, or the Rangers could choose to push that selection to next season. The Pens still have 10 pick in the June draft already.
After the Islanders next month, San Jose will have the second overall selection. The Chicago Blackhawks will draft third.
Former Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who recently retired from the NHL at the age of 40, has announced he will join his former teammate, Sidney Crosby, as part of Team Canada for the upcoming ice hockey World Championship. The tournament begins this Friday in Denmark and Sweden, and will run through May 25th.