After the most dreadful season in the shootout era, Saturday's draft lottery was supposed to provide the lone glimmer of hope this year for the Colorado Avalanche as they look to the future.
It didn't. In fact, it provided the exact opposite.
Owning 18 percent odds to win the first overall pick, general manager Joe Sakic sat and watched the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Dallas Stars leap into the top three, pushing Colorado into the worst possible outcome of selecting No. 4.
Despite the disappointment, Sakic isn't viewing it as a negative result.
"I don't think it's a setback," Sakic said according to Terry Frei of The Denver Post. "When you're picking one to four, you're going to get a good player. We had 18 percent, we knew there was just as good a chance of not being picked (in any of the three lotteries), and that's how it turned out."
Sakic and the Avalanche don't appear to be missing out on a Connor McDavid or an Auston Matthews, as this year's draft isn't said to be nearly as star-studded, but with a chance to catch a break, Colorado was dealt one extra, painful blow heading into the first offseason of the impending organizational tear-down.
The rebuild could have been kickstarted at the trade deadline, with star forwards Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog said to be on the market. Sakic wanted a king's ransom for either of them, and a top pick in the fold this June surely would accelerate the possibility of pulling trigger on a deal in the offseason.
Of course, it's a long-term picture. Colorado has much bigger problems than picking No. 4, and a slightly later pick doesn't slam any window of opportunity to get better in a few years.
It's no guarantee, but it's highly likely Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier would have a better chance of slotting into Colorado's roster in October over whoever the Avalanche grab at No. 4. And now, whatever lies ahead in the future of Duchene and Landeskog, the pressure on Sakic to orchestrate an appropriate, highly-beneficial deal for either player grows with less ammunition at his disposal.
There's no quick fix for this Avalanche roster, and after the way the lottery balls fell on Saturday, it may take a little longer yet.
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