On Monday night, the NHL will be holding their Draft Lottery where the 16 teams who missed the playoffs will have a chance to secure the first overall pick. The Los Angeles Kings division rival San Jose Sharks has the best odds and if they were to win the lottery it would be the second consecutive year that they have locked up the first overall pick.
For the Kings, they won't have a chance at the first overall pick as no playoff team is eligible for the lottery. In fact, it has been a while since the Kings have had the first overall pick and fans would have to go all the way back to their first season as a franchise in 1967.
They would have the first overall pick and select defensemen Rick Pagnutti, but he would never reach the NHL in his career. He would play two seasons with the Springfield Kings and finish with 35 points in 110 AHL games.
When was the last time the Los Angeles Kings had a pick in the draft lottery?
While the Kings haven't had the first overall pick in any season after their inaugural season, they have gotten close a few times and have picked second on four different occasions. In 1981, the Kings would select center Doug Smith and then in 1986 select another center in Jimmy Carson with the second overall pick.
There would be a significant gap from the next time they selected second as the players selected their the last two times are still on the roster. In 2008, the Kings selected Drew Doughty and more recently selected Quinton Byfield in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Their last lottery pick though was in 2021 when the Kings selected defenseman Brandt Clarke with the eight overall pick.