Recent Hockey Night in Canada coverage has hinted at the idea of the NHL transforming to an NFL-style draft.
HNIC insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Oct. 14 the NHL has been talking about a change to the draft format.
Prospects will attend the event but instead of teams being present, the organizations will stay in their home locations. There will be other changes as well.
I believe this is the right move for the NHL and will modernize the traditional style format that was used for decades.
Some fans might argue that the NHL should stick with the format in place, but for a league that wants to appeal to younger-aged fans, the outdated style of the draft should be changed.
Friedman, on his 32 Thoughts podcast alluded to most teams accepting the new format as 30 out of 32 teams were in favor of the change as they cast their votes on Oct. 24.
As a big fan of the sport that the NHL draft will resemble, this will not only benefit the teams but most importantly, it will benefit the fan experience.
NHL reporter Chris Johnston with The Athletic discussed all the potential changes for the draft with a model that would include 5,000- to 10,000-seat venues depending on the draft location with only one or two representatives from each team attending the event instead of most of the organization.
These will be two of the biggest changes as more fans will be able to be present at the event leading to a better atmosphere.
From my experiences watching the NFL draft, I have always liked the way that fans can get up as close to the stage as possible which gives the event a more fan-friendly setting.
The NFL allows fans to be up close in the action and if close enough, they might be lucky enough to catch a high five from the player as he walks out to meet the Commissioner.
With the teams no longer being present at the event, this will give the NHL the option to let the fan experience get upgraded as more room will be available.
This will also benefit the NHL as more tickets to the event will be available and teams making draft choices from home will be able to help the league financially.
Johnston suggested a prospect would be welcomed by Commissioner Gary Bettman and one of the team representatives with a brief photo being taken.
This change will be impactful to the player being drafted as he will be able to be given his own freedom being the centre of attention on the stage instead of being surrounded by an organization’s staff.
When a player is drafted, the person introducing the player to the stage should be the league’s commissioner. It’s an opening of the door for the players’ new chapter and the commissioner should be the one to start that new journey.
Johnston said this format will take place starting in 2025.
I believe with all these new features, the traditional looks of the NHL yet again get modernized and that’s a big plus for the average viewer.