Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Winnipeg And Columbus Had Some Luck On Their Side

05/01/2016 at 7:46am EDT

from Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun,

One step back for two steps forward?

Well, the chances of that theory becoming a reality for the Winnipeg Jets vastly improved on Saturday as the results of the 2016 NHL Draft Lottery were unveiled in Toronto.

With only a 7.5% chance of securing the top pick, the Jets still managed to jump up from sixth to second overall and will have an opportunity to dramatically alter the fortunes of the franchise after missing the playoffs this past season.

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said things started to get interesting at ninth overall and especially at sixth, when the Jets logo wasn't turned over by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

“At least you knew you weren't going to move backwards in the order and (at six), that's when the heart starts pumping and the legs start shaking a little,” Cheveldayoff said in a telephone interview from Toronto. “I couldn't even tell you who was the team that came up.”

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from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch,

The Blue Jackets didn’t win the NHL draft lottery. But, for once, they didn’t lose it, either.

Toronto, with a 20 percent chance to win the No. 1 overall pick, won the lottery on Saturday in Toronto and will get first dibs at drafting center Auston Matthews. Winnipeg jumped up from No. 6 to win the No. 2 overall pick.

The Jackets, who had a 9.5 percent chance to grab the No. 1 overall pick, instead moved up one spot to No. 3, marking the first time in franchise history that Columbus improved its draft position via the lottery.

It will likely lead to the Blue Jackets drafting one of the two Finnish power forwards near the top of the draft boards -- left wing Patrick Laine or right win Jesse Puljujarvi.

"It feels like I hit a double or a triple, but not the home run," said Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson, who represented Columbus at the drawing in downtown Toronto.

"We're going to get a hell of a piece, a hell of a player. We've been rewarded. It's great to move up. But everybody wants to hit the home run."

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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