It would be an understatement to say that there had been an immense amount of speculation about the NHL’s draft lottery format prior to the actual announcement yesterday. For what felt like years, leading hockey insiders spouted messages of “expect word in the next day or so” and “confirmation should come soon” without an actual delivery of firm news. The conversation was an important one for fans in Sens Nation, as the Ottawa Senators find themselves holding two high-end picks while sitting firmly outside the playoff picture. The draft lottery and format matter.

And, that’s what made word that the NHL was considering a return to the “old” draft lottery format so exciting for Ottawa. Thanks to a clutch string of losses late in the season, the Senators sit 29th and 30th in the standings with the San Jose pick and their own. Under the old draft lottery system, where only one team could win the lottery and move up a max of four slots, the Senators could have done no worse than third and fourth overall, with a realistic shot of doing much better than that.

All the major news outlets ran with the report that this was the NHL’s chosen direction. Bob McKenzie confirmed via Twitter that, in the event of an early June draft, this was going to be the format. It felt like a COVID Christmas miracle for Ottawa. To use the Charlie Brown analogy: Lucy was standing there with the football, and Ottawa was ready to kick it in a franchise-altering direction.

Of course, just like Charlie Brown, the Senators’ anticipation was let down when the NHL pulled that football away. Gary Bettman confirmed yesterday that the current year draft format will be much like the format we’ve come to know and “love” over the last few years, with a few tweaks to accommodate the 24-team playoff schedule.

In a vacuum, it’s hardly bad news for Ottawa. If you had told fans heading into the season that the Senators could do no worse than fifth and sixth overall with their pick and the San Jose pick, most would have been ecstatic. There will undoubtedly be great players available in those spots. Viewed within the context of the prior reporting around the old format making a return, though? It’s admittedly a little bit disappointing. There’s good and bad.

So, with that in mind, maybe the football wasn’t taken away completely. The field goal was missed, but there’s still a Rouge on the board. The only way this becomes a true Charlie Brown story is if the Maple Leafs lose their play-in matchup and win the lottery via one of the mystery slots.

As always, thanks for reading.

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