Report: NHL considering decentralized draft akin to NFL, NBA

The NHL has asked teams for their thoughts on a "decentralized" draft akin to the NBA and NFL drafts, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.

Should there be a desire for change, Friedman reports the decision could come into effect as soon as the 2025 draft, with an outside chance of the decision affecting the 2024 draft expected to be held in Las Vegas.

The decision would be a stark move away from how the NHL has traditionally conducted the event, with the 2020 and 2021 drafts — both of which were impacted by COVID — the only such years to take place under a format comparable to the decentralized version.

Expanding upon the report in his 32 Thoughts column, Friedman explained that teams would remain in their home cities, with prospects making their way to wherever the draft is held. Currently, NHL teams all descend upon a given market each summer, which provides an opportunity to not only gather nearly the entire hockey world but also leads to plenty of great moments.

Amongst the reported reasons behind the NHL's speculated push to change formats includes the tight window between the draft and opening of NHL free agency. The gap between the two major touchstones on the NHL calendar can be as short as two days — as was the case in 2023 and will be again next summer — leaving teams little time to return to their markets in preparation for the chaos of July 1.

Friedman also reports that concerns exist surrounding conducting "private business" with so many scouts, executives and other team figures "snooping around."

Should the NHL decide to go down the decentralized route, with commissioner Gary Bettman announcing each individual selection, one major change that will need to be worked through will be the time the draft takes to complete. Day 2 of the 2020 NHL draft lasted an astonishing eight and a half hours, largely caused by clubs working abroad in war rooms across the country.