Dear Fellow Cynic: Isn't it Edmonton's turn again?

Don't think the lottery is rigged.

When was the last time a small market team got 1st overall?
How many times has EDM got it? NJ and NY?

Buffalo.

If New Jersey isn't "small market", Anaheim isn't either.

Edmonton and NJ are both worth only about 90 million more than the ducks so they are somewhat comparable market sizes.
@HadesOfSoCal I don’t think the lottery is rigged simply because if it is they are doing a really poor job of it. Teams like the Canucks and Red Wings having no luck in it. Also what small market team would allow such behavior and why would Seattle pay so much for a team in a rigged league

I don't believe how much a team is worth determines if it's "small market" or not. It's more related to it's geographic drawing power. Anaheim is the middle of the 2nd largest metropolitan area in the United States. Orange County has three times the population of Edmonton's metro area.

It’s still is a display of how much money is present in a market and the NHL wouldn’t rig the lottery for people they rig it for money

Trust me, if the lotto was rigged, McDavid plays for the Leafs.

The league did not want him in EDM, it's such a small market.

If you think Edmonton's a small market I got news for you

A tick over 1 million people. Not a big market and they were still in their old arena which was one of the worst in the league.

Arizona and Toronto were in the McDavid derby. If the league rigged the lotto, he's saving hockey in the desert or playing for the Leafs.

No if its rigged he's playing for a team that didn't deserve another 1st OA pick (Edmonton). What are the odds Edmonton got both Gretzky and McDavid?

Also, Edmonton was 16th in average attendance last season. Not a small market, but a mid-tier market. Considering they are above mega cities like New York and LA, population of the city has little to do with it. It's all about the passion in the city for hockey. I can personally say that Edmonton is right up there with places like Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago, Montreal etc.

As I said above, the type of "market" a team is in is solely based on the geographic drawing power. How much a fanbase supports a team has nothing to do with it. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_market). They're a fanatic hockey city, but not a major market.

Attendance is a non-sensical way of determining how big a market is anyways. They can seat more in their arena than Los Angeles and New York can. They didn't even fill their arena most games (at 94%).

I wouldn’t mind Clarke, but the thought of Kent Johnson being with Zegras...*chef’s kiss*