The Boston Bruins wrapped up a forgettable 2024-25 regular season with one more twist of bad luck. After failing to secure a playoff berth for the first time in nearly a decade, Boston’s draft outlook took a slight hit Thursday night thanks to a result out of their control.
The Bruins were watching closely as the Philadelphia Flyers faced the Buffalo Sabres in the final game of the regular season. Had the Flyers won, Boston would have finished fourth in the draft standings. Instead, Buffalo won in regulation — a tough break for the Bruins, who now slide to fifth.
Although both the Bruins and Flyers ended the year with 76 points, Philadelphia got the edge due to fewer regulation wins, which acts as the tiebreaker. That 1% difference in odds may seem small, but it changes the Bruins’ entire lottery picture heading into May.
Still, the fifth spot keeps them very much in the conversation for a top-tier selection — or even the top overall pick. The 2025 NHL Draft Lottery is set for early May, and while Boston’s odds aren’t front-runner tier, they’re far from hopeless.
Bruins Have 8.5% Chance to Land First Overall Pick
Here’s the current breakdown of odds to land the No. 1 overall pick:
San Jose — 25.5%
Chicago — 13.5%
Nashville — 11.5%
Philadelphia — 9.5%
Boston — 8.5%
Seattle — 7.5%
Buffalo — 6.5%
Anaheim — 6%
Pittsburgh — 5%
New York Islanders — 3.5%
New York Rangers — 3%
Falling one spot isn’t the end of the world — the Bruins still have an 8.5% shot at picking first and an 8.6% chance of landing the second selection. But there’s also risk. They now face a higher chance of falling to the sixth or seventh spot:
No. 1 overall — 8.5%
No. 2 overall — 8.6%
No. 3 overall — 0.3%
No. 4 overall — 0%
No. 5 overall — 24.5%
No. 6 overall — 44%
No. 7 overall — 14.2%
Those probabilities come via Tankathon, and they underscore the unpredictability the Bruins are now bracing for.
Regardless of the final position, Boston is in a better draft spot than they’ve been in years. But with no second-round pick of their own (traded to Washington), each first-round outcome becomes even more significant.
Here’s how their draft capital stands as of now:
• First round — TBD (pending lottery)
• Second round — No. 51 (via St. Louis in the Trent Frederic trade)
• Second round — No. 55 (via Carolina, acquired from Colorado in the Charlie Coyle trade)
• Third round — No. 69
The 2025 NHL Entry Draft begins June 27 in Los Angeles, and all eyes will be on how much lottery luck the Bruins can muster. This offseason could very well be the reset Boston needs — and it might start with a franchise-altering selection.
Bruins after dark 
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