The National Hockey League went peak National Hockey League tonight, with Team Placeholder winning the first overall pick in the 2020 Entry Draft. A "playoff" team is likely going to walk away with Alexis Lafreniere, while the historically bad Detroit Red Wings dropped to fourth overall. For the Ottawa Senators, it was a bit of a mixed bag. Assuming no further movement, they will select 3rd and 5th overall. It's a step up from both the worst and most likely scenario, but still feels a bit bitter with a placeholder team taking first overall.

While the disappointment of not landing a top-two pick is something many will feel over the coming hours and days, the reality of the situation is that the Senators are still in incredibly good shape heading into this draft. Assuming Lafreniere goes first, they are guaranteed a shot at either Quinton Byfield or Tim Stutzle. That's a win. Getting the opportunity to take a Rossi, or a Raymond, or a Drysdale almost immediately after that? It's icing on a cake that was already looking tasty.

It feels a little bit weird for the Senators to escape a situation like this *without* the worst case scenario coming to fruition, so odds are that the Toronto Maple Leafs will lose their play-in matchup and claim Lafreniere on the draft stage. That would make this lottery a true and certified modern-day Ottawa Senators experience.

From a broader league perspective, this lottery result screams 'amateur hour' to me. Expanding the playoffs for no good reason, only to give the first overall pick to one of the teams in those expanded spots, is almost an absurd result. If you're looking for a fun Friday activity, try explaining it to someone who hasn't followed the league's COVID plans all that closely. The league made its bed, and now it has to lie in it. When the Edmonton Oilers win another first-overall pick, or the Pittsburgh Penguins are able to transition the Crosby era into the Lafreniere era, teams like the seven on the board tonight won't be able to explain it.

So, in short... a mixed bag. The Senators didn't come out on top, but they did better than they might have otherwise. They are going to add two excellent prospects to the system, which in itself is cause for celebration on a night like this.

As always, thanks for reading.

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