A few weeks after the New Jersey Devils closed their worst season in nearly 30 years, GM Ray Shero has something to smile about.

"We finally won something,'' Shero told The Associated Press by phone shortly after the Devils won the NHL draft lottery on Saturday. "It's the first piece of great news the Devils have had for a while to be honest.''

Given only an 8.5 percent chance of winning, the Devils bucked the odds by vaulting four teams including the last-place Colorado Avalanche and expansion Vegas Golden Knights for the right to the first pick in the draft.