A Still-Unknown Qualifying Round Team Wins The 2020 NHL Draft Lottery

“It’s been a unique year, and we’ve had a unique draft lottery,” summed up NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly after the ping-pong balls were drawn and the results of the league’s 2020 Draft Lottery were announced on Friday night.

The owner of the top pick is — well, we don’t know. The balls fell in favor of one of the 16 teams that will be participating in the league’s qualifying round, which is expected to get underway in late July or early August.

The eight teams that lose their five-game qualifying round series will each have an equal chance at that first pick when Phase 2 of the Draft Lottery takes place, in between the conclusion of the qualifying round and the beginning of the official first round of the 2020 NHL playoffs.

Here’s a reminder of those eight matchups:

Eastern Conference

• Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers
• New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers
• Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Western Conference

• Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes
• Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild
• Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets

Bear in mind — only the losers will get a crack at that first-overall pick. But top-ranked Alexis Lafreniere would be a heckuva consolation prize for one club that doesn’t come out on top in the short best-of-five series.

This story will be updated.