Boston Bruins

Bruins Locked Into Fifth-Best Odds in NHL Draft Lottery

Published

1 month ago

April 18, 2025

As consolation for suffering through a miserable season, the Boston Bruins have been rewarded with a high chance of winning the first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery.

Just not as high as they hoped.

Boston holds an 8.5 percent chance of landing the top pick, giving them the fifth-best odds of the 11 teams in the lottery.

The Bruins could have had better chances if they had lost their season finale against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday in regulation. Doing so would’ve locked them into having the fourth-worst record in the NHL this season.

Instead, they siphoned out one last point in the standings with an overtime loss, opening the door for the Philadelphia Flyers to leapfrog them in draft lottery rankings.

Of all the possible outcomes, the Bruins’ most likely draft position is sixth overall, which they have a 44 percent chance of getting, according to Tankathon.com. They can pick as high as No. 1, and no lower than No. 7.

Below are the full 2025 NHL Draft Lottery Odds:

Tankathon.com

In most other years, having a pick somewhere between No. 2 and No. 7 would still be nearly as good as owning the first overall selection. But that’s not the case in 2025.

This year’s draft class is one of the weaker ones in recent memory.

The consensus first overall pick is defenseman Matthew Schaefer from the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, but he isn’t considered a generational talent akin to Connor McDavid or Macklin Celebrini.

Beyond Schaefer, none of the top prospects available are believed to be ready for the NHL immediately.

Regardless of which pick the Bruins receive in the draft lottery, they need whoever they choose to make an impact at some point relatively soon, as their prospect pool has grown increasingly thin over the last few seasons.

In the past five years, Boston has drafted just three players in the first round (Dean Letourneau in 2024, Fabian Lysell in 2021, and John Beecher in 2019) and hasn’t picked higher than 18th overall since 2016.

The last time the Bruins had a top-five selection was back in 2010 when they took Tyler Seguin second overall, but that was with a pick originally belonging to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

To say the least, owning a pick this high is unfamiliar territory for the Bruins. If they get this pick right, they won’t have to get too comfortable.