For the first time ever, the league will televise the draw live—viewers will watch each four-digit combination emerge in real time when the broadcast begins at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET) on ESPN from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
The lottery determines only the top 16 selections; every other pick still follows reverse regular-season order plus playoff results. Seattle enters with the sixth-best odds after a 76-point season that left the Kraken fourth-worst overall but behind Boston and Philadelphia on the regulation-wins tie-breaker.
Those odds translate to:
- 7.5 % chance of jumping to No. 1
- 7.7 % chance of jumping to No. 2
- 0.2 % long-shot path to No. 3
- 34.1 % chance of staying at No. 6
- 50.5 % combined chance of sliding to No. 7 or No. 8
Because a team can move up a maximum of ten spots and drop no more than two, Seattle’s floor is pick 8. A single “win” by a club currently behind them pushes the Kraken to seventh; two surprise winners push them to eighth.
Why tonight matters more than usual
Unlike the 2023 Connor Bedard sweepstakes, the 2025 class lacks a generational headliner, but consensus still points to two clear standouts: OHL phenom Michael Misa, a creative scoring winger, and smooth two-way defenseman Matthew Schaefer. After that, evaluators expect a fluid, wide-open board featuring names such as Porter Martone, James Hagens and Anton Frondell.
Landing one of the top two selections would let Seattle address either of its glaring needs: a future first-pair blueliner or a bona-fide first-line finisher. Historical production curves tell the story—value falls steeply once the first few players are off the board, so tonight’s 15.4 % shot at moving up represents a swing that could accelerate (or stall) the franchise blueprint for years.
Quick Refresher on the Mechanics
Fourteen numbered balls whirl inside the machine; the league draws four to create a unique combination. The first draw decides who can climb as high as No. 1, the second draw decides who can climb as high as No. 2, and no club may leap more than ten spots or tumble more than two. Any team seeded 12-16 that “wins” the first drawing can still rocket forward—but only within that ten-spot limit.
What happens next?
The Kraken front office will have mere weeks to zero in on its target before the draft itself in late June. Once Seattle’s slot is locked in tonight, we’ll circle back with a fresh batch of player spotlights and deeper analytics to map out Jason Botterill’s options.
Until then, grab your lucky totem, flip on ESPN at four, and brace for the chaos—those four ping-pong balls might just unveil the next cornerstone in Kraken blue.