from Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet,

If the playoffs get cancelled, the focus shifts away from the best teams in the NHL, the true Cup contenders for April and May playoffs, to the worst teams in the league.

In other words, the Ottawa Senators, with three first-round picks, might become relevant players in the league’s biggest show — the draft lottery and draft, which could become all there is to get excited about hockey-wise this spring.

As the NHL declared the season on hold, the Ottawa Senators were frozen in 30th overall in a 31-team league. Whether the league is able to resume the regular season or not, it seems likely Ottawa will remain in penultimate place, high above the Detroit Red Wings, who cannot be out-tanked.

The draft rankings will depend on what the NHL opts to do to sort things out. If all teams can play 82 games, great. That is the best-case scenario for hockey. More likely, the league will either go to a points-per-game formula or roll the standings back to 68
games, so that each team will have played the same number.

In a points per game case, Ottawa would remain 30th. If the league rolled the standings back to Game 68, the Senators would climb to 29th with 62 points and Los Angeles would slip to 30th with 60.

more