To play or not to play… the lottery, that is. Three of the four major professional sports leagues use a lottery system in order to determine which team holds which pick in each year’s draft. Dating all the way back to 1985 and the infamous Patrick Ewing NBA draft, lotteries have been and continue to be accused of being rigged. Regardless of potential rigging, the NHL desperately needs the draft lottery, much more than the NBA, MLB, or NFL, if it were to make the switch. 

Of the four major professional sports leagues, the NHL is, by far, the least popular. Year after year, fans have criticized the league for putting little to no effort into promoting arguably the most exciting sport out of the four. NHL international games often go unnoticed, and there is a constant lack of enthusiasm surrounding special occasions such as the Winter Classic and Stadium Series. Despite the negatives surrounding the NHL’s questionable marketing choices, the draft lottery picks up some of that slack.

Since 2012, only four NHL teams have finished the regular season with the worst record and received the first-overall selection in the Entry Draft. Of course, this can be written off as unfair or rigged, but despite the criticism, this provides a high entertainment value. Just months ago, the Chicago Blackhawks winning top prospect Connor Bedard had people all across the sports world stunned. When the New York Rangers climbed from the eighth to 15th range to number one overall in 2020, jaws dropped. While there is a clear argument as to why each league should use the draft system that the NFL has, it is much more viable for the NBA and MLB than the NHL.

While this year was a bit of a special case with Bedard having all eyes on him, the draft lottery made a huge impact nonetheless. The Blackhawks sold nearly two million dollars worth of season tickets instantly, a huge improvement by a team that was on its way to league-low numbers just months previously. According to Austin Karp, the NHL draft’s viewership rose by 49 percent from 2022 to 2023. Had Chicago not won the lottery and the rest of the draft order been shaken up, there would not nearly be this type of impact on the audience.

While the argument for and against a lottery system will continue for years to come, the NHL is one league that needs it. The lottery is a way to drum up excitement for the draft, development, training camp, preseason, regular season, and postseason all in one motion. The diehard fans are always going to watch, but the NHL needs something more to bring in larger audiences. The shock value and surprise of the lottery system have the ability to bring eyes to TVs and casual fans to arenas, which was the immediate impact that Chicago experienced this year. The NHL needs to capitalize on brief entertainment and continue to play the lottery.