NHL makes huge decision on future of the draft

In the latest edition of the 32 Thought blog, Elliotte Friedman is reporting that NHL teams have voted in favour of decentralizing the draft. Instead of meeting annually in an arena to have an in-person draft and hockey convention, the draft will now take place primarily over the internet, with teams making their selections from their war rooms in their home city.

The change was initiated by team executives who felt like the draft and free agency were too close together and rushed at a critical point of the hockey year. The new model for a decentralized draft will likely follow that of the NFL and NBA to an extent, who both have adopted this method instead of in-person events.

Friedman himself has stated that this move may come as a detriment to the NHL and to hockey fans. Without an in-person event for the draft, stories are lost by reporters, fans aren't able to witness history and their team's selections, and people in the hockey industry don't have a reason to meet and make relationships. Hopefully the new decentralized draft goes over well, because at the moment, it seems like a great loss for the NHL and hockey at large.

Source: Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet.ca