Sharks, Macklin Celebrini, Michael Misa get big news in NHL Draft lottery

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All the NHL Draft lottery headlines will be about the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But don't sleep on what happened to the San Jose Sharks, who slot one spot behind the Leafs with the No. 2 overall pick.

The Sharks had just 5.2% chance of moving up into that slot. They had just the ninth-worst points total in the league. They should've likely been drafting further down.

But as with the Leafs, things worked out in San Jose's favor.

It means that they got Macklin Celebrini first overall two years ago, then Michael Misa with the second pick last year, and now they can add a third player potentially of that caliber.

The second pick is a great spot to be in this draft.

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Most likely, the Maple Leafs take Canadian phenom Gavin McKenna with the first pick. If they do that, the Swedish winger Ivar Sternberg remains on the board and is probably the obvious No. 2 pick.

But if Toronto gets cute and goes Sternberg over McKenna, the Sharks can then take McKenna for themselves.

There likely won't be a reason to think beyond those two for San Jose, which is part of what makes the slot so appealing. It's a draft with two tier-one level players, so having a top-two pick is a win.

The Sharks could always think about going with a defenseman instead, but there aren't any Matthew Schaefer-level players in this draft class.

The reality is that the Sharks won big on Tuesday night, too, even if it was overshadowed by the Maple Leafs.

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