The NHL announced changes Wednesday to its draft lottery format beginning in 2015, with the rules changing even further in 2016.
The league said the new format is an effort to "more appropriately reflect the current state of competitive balance" with the odds of winning the first overall selection in the NHL Draft.
The 10 highest-finishing non-playoff qualifying teams receiving higher (better) draft lottery odds than they received previously and the four lowest-finishing teams receiving lower (worse) odds. The revised set of odds will remain in effect year-to-year in the future.
The team that finishes with the fewest points in 2015 will have a 20 percent chance, down from 25, the second-lowest 13.5 down from 18.8, the third-lowest 11.5 down from 14.2 and the fourth-lowest 9.5 down from 10.7.
Beginning in 2016, the NHL's draft lottery will resemble the NBA's, where the first three spots are up for grabs. The team with the lowest point total could drop as far as fourth, instead of second under current rules.
