Those changes would reportedly reduce the last-placed team in the league’s odds of nabbing the first pick from ’25% to about 19 or 20%’. However, the first pick would still be the only pick available in the lottery, at least in 2015. Once a team wins that pick, the records slot in order from there. So if the Buffalo Sabres are as bad in 2014-15 as they were last year — which is to say 30th in a league of 30 — they would be guaranteed a top two pick.
That’s not going to be the case for long though. Per the report, the 2016 draft lottery could see as many as three picks available in the lottery.