Golden Knights should like odds at landing No. 1 pick in NHL Draft

Vegas Golden Knights general team manager George McPhee during a press conference at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday, April 13, 2017, in Las Vegas. (Erik Verduzco Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Erik_Verduzco

Golden Knights fans should circle April 29 on their calendars.

It will be a huge day for the expansion franchise, as the team learns where it will pick in the NHL Entry Draft on June 23-24 in Chicago.

The league announced Tuesday the plans for the draft lottery, which will be in Toronto and televised on NBC. Fifteen spots will be awarded, starting with No. 1.

Because the Knights have no prior record, the NHL gave them the same chance at landing the top pick as the team with the third-worst record.

The odds of the Golden Knights landing the No. 1 pick are 10.3 percent. Colorado (18 percent) and Vancouver (12.1 percent) have the best odds. The lowest the Knights will select is sixth.

The NHL Draft lottery will consist of three drawings: The first will determine the club selecting No. 1, the second will determine the club selecting No. 2 and the third will determine the club selecting No. 3.

The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the second lottery draw, based on which club wins the first lottery draw, and again for the third lottery draw, based on which club wins the second draw.

The 12 clubs not selected in the draft lottery will be assigned NHL Draft selections 4 through 15, in inverse order of regular-season points.

General manager George McPhee will represent the Golden Knights. The last time McPhee picked first was in 2004 when he was Washington’s GM. He took this kid from Russia named Alexander Ovechkin. That one worked out pretty well.

Final Central Scouting rankings

The final NHL Central Scouting rankings were announced Tuesday, and there were no changes at the top.

Brandon Wheat Kings center Nolan Patrick was No. 1, followed by Nico Hischier, a center from Switzerland who plays for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They’ve been 1-2 virtually all season, even though Patrick missed the Western Hockey League playoffs with an injury.

Rounding out the top seven were Minnesota high school forward Casey Mittelstadt, Windsor Spitfires center Gabriel Vilardi, Tri-City Americans center Michael Rasmussen, Klim Kostin, a center/left wing playing in Russia for Dynamo Moscow, and Elias Pettersson, a center playing in Sweden’s second division with Timra.

Back to normal in Florida?

The Florida Panthers made a wise decision Monday in reinstating Dale Tallon as the team’s general manager and admitting they made a huge mistake moving him out.

The Panthers finished the season 35-36-11 and missed the playoffs after winning the Atlantic Division with 103 points in 2016. Gerard Gallant, the team’s coach who was fired in late November, was named the Golden Knights’ coach Thursday, signing a four-year deal.

Tallon said at Monday’s news conference he will be calling the shots and the organization will operate with a singular voice — his.

“I think that we had a lot of voices, a lot of different voices, only because a lot of people cared and we have a lot of new people in the organization and everyone felt it necessary to give their opinions,” Tallon said. “We tried to do it in a hurry, and we made some mistakes, because I think we had too many voices.”

Conn Smythe Futures

Judging by odds at the Westgate sports book, Washington and Chicago are favored to meet for the Stanley Cup in June. That favoritism is reflected in the future book odds the Westgate posted on the Conn Smythe Trophy, which goes to the Finals’ MVP.

Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby and forward Alex Ovechkin are co-favorites at 8-1. Chicago’s Patrick Kane is 12-1, followed by teammate Jonathan Toews at 15-1. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, last year’s Conn Smythe winner, is 15-1, followed by teammate Evgeni Malkin at 20-1 and Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom at 20-1.

Looking for a live long shot? How about Edmonton’s Connor McDavid at 25-1? Or San Jose’s Brent Burns at 40-1? Or Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau at 80-1? Toronto’s Auston Matthews is 100-1.

Top selling jerseys

The NHL’s online store revealed its top selling jerseys for the 2016-17 season. Topping the list was Crosby, followed by Kane, Toews, Matthews and the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist.

Rounding out the top 10 were McDavid, Ovechkin, St. Louis’ Vladamir Tarasenko, Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux and the Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh.

Steve Carp’s weekly NHL notebook appears Sundays. Contact him at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.