If the NHL team that recorded the most points after being eliminated from playoff contention earned the first overall pick in the draft, the New York Rangers would lead the Canucks in a two-horse race right now.
After reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2024, the New York Rangers were the second NHL team mathematically eliminated from the NHL playoff race.
They followed the Vancouver Canucks, whose abysmal season continues to get worse.
With the Canucks holding steady at the bottom of the NHL standings, they've lost their subsequent three games since elimination.
In the NHL, the last-place team gets the best odds of winning the first overall pick in the NHL draft via the lottery. The last-place team has an 18.5 percent chance of getting the first overall selection.
Other leagues, like the PWHL, have found other ways to decide who picks first.
The PWHL uses the Gold Plan, under which teams need to earn points once they're eliminated from playoff contention. After you're mathematically eliminated, every point gained in the standings counts toward earning the first overall pick in the draft. Teams that are eliminated sooner have more games to accumulate points.
The Canucks, for example, were eliminated with 13 games left, while the Rangers had only 10 games remaining.
If the NHL were using the Gold Plan, however, the Canucks would no longer be the front-runner to pick first overall with the chance to select a player like Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. The Rangers have already stepped ahead of Vancouver in post-elimination points.
New York Rangers Take Early Gold Plan Lead
The Rangers struggled at home this season, and things didn't look completely lost until injuries hit Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin simultaneously.
After they were eliminated from the playoffs on March 25 following a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York beat up on a pair of teams that might soon find themselves out of the playoff picture as well.
First, it was a 6-1 drubbing of the Chicago Blackhawks, which lead only Vancouver in the Western Conference, followed by a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers, which are four points ahead of the Rangers, sitting second last in the Eastern Conference.
Dylan Garand and Shersterkin were spectacular in net for the Rangers in the wins, stopping a combined 53 of 55 shots in the wins.
Click the image for sharing options.In a world where the NHL used the Gold Plan, the Rangers would have four draft order points, while Vancouver would still sit with zero.
The plan was designed to keep fans engaged in the chase for a top draft pick, to keep teams from tanking late in the season for a better shot at the first overall pick, and to keep all games even after elimination meaningful.
Currently, the only thing that benefits the Canucks moving forward is continuing to lose. Conversely, the Rangers, which have now won back-to-back games, could play themselves out of a top pick if they continue winning. It's counterintuitive in a sport where winning is the goal of the game.
In a Gold Plan league, the Canucks would now be chasing the Rangers, which would be the front-runner to pick first overall in 2026.
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