The Rangers won the NHL's draft lottery on Monday evening and the right to draft star forward Alexis Lafreniere No. 1 overall when the draft is held on Oct. 9.
The lottery was held between the eight teams eliminated from the qualifying round -- the Wild, Jets, Rangers, Predators, Panthers, Maple Leafs, Oilers, and Penguins. The seven teams that did not win the lottery will be slotted in reverse order of their regular season points percentages. Because the Penguins had the best regular season points percentage, they will get the No. 15 pick.
The Penguins' 2020 first-round pick was traded to the Wild in the Jason Zucker trade, but the pick was top-15 lottery protected. Even though the Penguins did not win the lottery, they still have the right to keep the 2020 first-round pick and instead send the 2021 first-round pick to the Wild if they wish to do so.
The Penguins have seven days to decide whether they will send the 2020 first-round pick or defer the pick to 2021.
If the Penguins do keep the No. 15 pick, it will be the highest draft pick they've held since they picked Derrick Pouliot No. 8 overall in 2012. Prior to Pouliot, the Penguins' last four top-15 picks were Jordan Staal in 2006, Crosby in 2005, Evgeni Malkin in 2004, and Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003.
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