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.

HNLI Mid-Week Update

The latest in Islander Country:

NHL Draft Lottery TV Info: The NHL has announced that both TSN and Versus will be broadcasting the 2009 NHL Draft Lottery live on Tuesday, April 14 at 8 PM EST. The Islanders, who are close to clinching last place, may very well be guaranteed the first or second pick in the draft. Click here to check out the announcement from NHL.com.

Magic Number Down to 2: With the Islanders' 9-0 loss last night in Carolina and Colorado's 1 point in an overtime loss to San Jose, the Islanders' magic number to clinch last place is 2 points. The Islanders can clinch tomorrow night with a loss against former captain Bill Guerin and the Pittsburgh Penguins (until then Tampa technically has a shot)...and speaking of Bill Guerin......

Conditional Pick Now a 4th Rounder: Thanks to some key losses last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched a playoff berth. For the Islanders, this means that the conditional pick that the team received in the Bill Guerin trade has appreciated from a 5th rounder to a 4th rounder. If the Pens advance past the first round of the playoff, the pick will become a 3rd rounder.

Isles Sign Weight to a 1-year Extension: In what is being applauded by fans as a win-win kind of deal, the Isles signed a contract extension with Doug Weight. With a cap hit of just over $2 million next season, the Islanders will continue to get great veteran leadership and a guy who hustles night in and night out.

NHL 2008 Entry Draft Lottery: Drawing to Be Televised Monday

The draft lottery, which will be held at 8 PM EST, is particularly important for the Islanders, who are currently seated among the bottom five teams in the league. Should they still be there when Monday night rolls around, the Isles will have a shot at obtaining the first overall draft pick and almost certainly the highly touted prospect, Steve Stamkos.


This, of course, all depends on how the Islanders do in the few games that remain in the NHL season. Should they lose and fall in the standings, they could potentially better their odds at bringing in Stamkos or at least a higher pick. This, however, would mean losing to the Rangers twice and propelling them to the clinching of a playoff birth. So, the home-and-home against the Rangers, regardless of the outcome, will most likely be a bittersweet one for Islanders fans to watch.

Regardless of how the Isles fare in their final few games, it is certain that Monday night will be a key night for the future of the franchise. It's extremely exciting that the NHL is taking the step to televise the lottery and I'm sure every Isles fan will be watching closely on Monday Night.

Be sure to tune into this Saturday's episode of Hockey Night on Long Island as hosts Alex and Steve will undoubtedly devote plenty of coverage to Monday night's lottery and much more Isles talk.

For the full announcement from the NHL and info on the Lottery system, click here