Waiting at the bottom, of course, is one Steven Stamkos, a pretty damn good reward for sucking seven months of the year.
But is Stamkos the clear-cut number one? Not so fast.
Now, here is where the asterisk comes in. Stinking the joint out worse than 29 other teams does not assure you of the first lottery pick. For that, like a perfectly-placed kick between the legs, you need the balls to drop in your favor.
Yes, Stamkos is the sexiest pick out there but, should the Kings come out the big winner on the NHL Draft Lottery day, you would have to think that the L.A. braintrust - now there is an oxymoron if I've ever heard one - will probably think long and hard about shoring up their abysmal defense or, in layman's terms, drafting Drew Doughty with the first overall pick.
And they may make out like bandits in the process.
Steven Stamkos may not be first choice of Kings