Saturday is NHL draft day and this year it's all about Connor McDavid -- the 18-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., who has been tearing up the Ontario Hockey League and is considered the best young prospect since Sidney Crosby.
McDavid is most likely to end up in Buffalo with the last-place Sabres, but he isn't taking anything for granted. He told reporters Friday there are no guarantees on draft day.
"Anything could really happen on draft day," McDavid said. "Teams could want to maybe trade up or someone could trade their pick away, you never know. So draft day is a very interesting day and it's a fun process even to get to draft day...but anything could really happen."
As the last-place finishers in the league, the Buffalo Sabres have the best shot at snagging McDavid, but unlike in past years there are no guarantees. Previously, the worst team in the league was guaranteed either the first or second pick depending on the lottery.
Under the new system the Sabres have a 20 per cent chance at getting the first overall pick, which would enable them to recruit McDavid.
If they picked second, they would likely choose American Jack Eichel.
The Arizona Coyotes have a 13.5-per-cent chance of snagging the first pick, followed by the Edmonton Oilers with an 11.5-per-cent chance and the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 9.5-per-cent chance.
Under the new system, which is being phased in beginning with the 2015 draft, the 10 highest-finishing non-playoff qualifying teams will receive higher draft lottery odds than they received previously and the four lowest-finishing teams will receive lower odds. The league says the new system will result in a "more evenly balanced allocation of odds."
The unpredictable nature of the new draft has many observers anxiously awaiting the lottery, but regardless of who gets the right to recruit McDavid, he said he'll be happy and honoured to play wherever he lands.
"It's hard to really think about to be honest -- it's a situation you want to be in and it's almost a dream come true. No matter what happens tomorrow it will be a dream come true, for sure," McDavid said.
"It's the NHL, wherever you go it's going to be an honour and a dream come true whether it's Buffalo or Toronto or wherever."
McDavid said he takes issue with players who "boycott" certain cities or teams and said he'll be happy wherever he ends up.
"There was a lot of doubts about me coming to Erie when I was being drafted (to the OHL) and I've come here and it’s been the best three years of my life," he said.
McDavid scored 44 goals this year and finished with 120 points in 47 games with the Otters this season, leading his team to the OHL Western Conference finals against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
