And We Have a Winner......

With a 6-1 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Islanders are officially the winners in the NHL's race to last place. With this "victory", the Islanders will have the best odds at grabbing the first overall draft pick (48%) in Tuesday night's draft lottery and are guaranteed either the first or second pick. But what exactly does that mean?

-The Islanders will either pick John Tavares or Victor Hedman in the 2009 NHL Draft.

-There is a very good chance of being able to grab John Tavares. Despite the fact that the Isles' odds of picking first are only 48%, there is a good chance that if the Lightning or Avalanche get the first pick, they will go with Hedman. I feel strongly in this regard about the Lightning due to the fact that they drafted forward Steven Stamkos last year and already have offensive weapons in Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. They need to sure up the blue line. So, I'd say the Isles' shot at Tavares is over 50% despite what the lottery odds may say.

-The hype around this team will absolutely skyrocket after Tuesday night's draft lottery. Even people outside of hockey circles realize the hype around John Tavares and the impact he will have on a franchise like the Islanders.

Further Reading
Be sure to check out a great blog entry by Chris Botta on Islanders Point Blank about what the Islanders' PR staff should do if the Islanders get the first overall pick on Tuesday night.

Okposo Net's Ken Dick wrote a nice entry about finishing last as well.