In our final look at the hypothetical NHL Gold Plan standings, the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks could end tied in points, but one of them holds the tiebreaker.
With the 2026 NHL season only days from completion, the playoff picture is almost complete.
At the top, the Colorado Avalanche secured the Presidents' Trophy last Thursday with their 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames.
At the bottom, the Vancouver Canucks were the first team officially eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup playoff race.
It was a season to forget for the Canucks, which struggled from start to finish, with the only hope for redemption coming with an 18.5 percent chance of winning the NHL draft lottery. There's no guarantee, however.
Last season, the New York Islanders, which finished 23rd overall, won the lottery with only a 3.5 percent chance for the right to select Matthew Schaefer.
In 2024, the last-place San Jose Sharks won the lottery, but in 2023, it was again a team beyond last place, the Chicago Blackhawks, which jumped up to pick first.
The NHL instituted the draft lottery in 1995 to deter tanking, while other leagues, like the PWHL, have found their own path.
The PWHL uses the Gold Plan, where teams must earn points following their mathematical elimination from playoff contention to win the first overall pick through their play rather than the bounce of a lottery ball. It's a plan that not only forces teams to reconsider selling their roster at the deadline, but it also keeps every game meaningful for fans. You can read a longer explanation and history by clicking here.
If the NHL adopted the Gold Plan, fans would already know who was picking first overall, and it would not be the Canucks.
Canucks Would Miss Out On First Overall With Gold Plan
The Canucks lost eight of their next 11 games after being eliminated from playoff contention on March 22.
Under the Gold Plan, the Canucks' cold streak would have tanked their hopes for the top pick in the draft.
Since their elimination, the Canucks have managed one regulation win, a shootout win and an overtime victory. Their six points, in what would be considered "draft order points" in the Gold Plan, would not have been enough.
Instead, it would have landed the Canucks the second overall pick.
Under the PWHL's Gold Plan format, only the first overall pick is winnable. The rest of the order goes by standings, meaning Vancouver would still have the chance to select Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg.
Following the first round, the Canucks would also return to picking first in subsequent rounds.
If draft order points were in play, though, the Canucks would be watching on June 26 in Buffalo as the Gold Plan winner, the New York Rangers, stepped to the podium to pick first overall.
Rangers Post-Elimination Hot Streak Worthy Of Picking First
In an alternative universe, Rangers fans would be celebrating their team's performance after their elimination on March 25.
After their elimination, the Rangers won five of their next eight, accumulating 10 points. Four wins came in regulation.
Although the Canucks could conceivably equal the Rangers in points, the first tiebreaker in the Gold Plan is regulation wins, which would award the top spot to New York.
The last time the Rangers picked first overall was in 2020. That season looked a bit different because of the COVID-19 pandemic ending the regular season early.
The first phase of the draw had eight placeholders in place because eight teams that were eliminated from the bubble playoff qualifiers would be eligible to win the lottery. One of those placeholders won the lottery for the first overall pick.
The Rangers lost their qualifier series 3-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes. They and all the other teams eliminated in the qualifiers had 12.5 percent odds of winning the placeholder pick for first overall, and they got it.
The Rangers used that top pick to select Alexis Lafreniere.
Lafreniere played a major role this season for the Rangers, including in their post-elimination run of wins.
He has 24 goals and 55 points through 80 games to sit second on the Rangers in scoring behind only Mika Zibanejad.
If the NHL used the Gold Plan, the duo would have soon been joined by McKenna or Stenberg. Instead, the Rangers will need to hope for the luck of the lottery.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.