‘Talking about and thinking about everything’
Why holding the NHL Draft in June is a cockamamie idea
The 2019-20 National Hockey League season has been on hold for six weeks already due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not officially cancelled.
As the league continues to weigh its options based on the latest medical information, it also soon faces a decision about the 2020 NHL Draft, currently scheduled for the weekend of June 26 and 27. Under one suggested scenario, the league could hold the draft as scheduled, then come back to play out the season.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did not rule out this cart-before-the-horse scenario in an extensive interview with Ron Maclean of Sportsnet earlier this week. Seems like a cockamamie idea from 30,000 feet; that said it’s a complicated set of circumstances with many variables. He took a measured approach that struck the balance between optimism, realism, and fatalism. As he repeatedly emphasized, the league’s decision-makers are simply in the process of considering all of the options in order to be prepared when the time comes.
Bettman struck a conciliatory tone throughout, emphasizing health and safety as the number one priority.
“With all of the reporting — and I love the people that cover our games because they’re passionate about it and always thinking about it — don’t take anything that’s written as gospel because we are in the stage of talking about and thinking about everything, and no decisions have been made.”
Of Donald Fehr and the NHLPA he said, “we’re having lots of conversation on lots of issues, and I think the spirit of co-operation and the level of communication has never been more positive...”
The working Plan A seems to be to finish out the regular season in as fair a manner as possible but with the schedule redrawn for intra-divisional games only, with each division to gather at one of four NHL cities. There would almost certainly be no fans in attendance.
“Ideally from our standpoint … would be if we could complete the regular season, even if it’s on a centralized basis, and then go into the playoffs the way we normally play them.”
Bettman did rule out neutral-site options that had previously been suggested such as North Dakota.
“We can’t play in a small college rink in the middle of a smaller community, because if we’re going to be centralized, we need the back of the house that NHL arenas provide, whether it’s multiple locker rooms, whether it’s the technology, the procedures, the boards and glass, the video replay, the broadcasting facilities. Those are the things that are in place in NHL arenas.”
The timing of the draft was also discussed. No decision has been made, said Bettman.
Imagine if in a normal season they decided to hold the draft in March. The multitude of headaches include at least three full-on migraines:
How to figure out the order of selection. Would they work from the standings as of the pause? Would they derive the selection order from standings points earned, or points percentage? How would they conduct a lottery for which only non-playoff teams are eligible?
One of the appeals of the draft is the possibility of trades of known players for picks. However, what playoff-bound team is going to want to move out an active player who might yet help them in the stretch run?
Some changes are inevitable. It seems certain the draft will not be held under one roof, definitely not if it’s in June. Obviously, it would be better if the league were able to complete its season, hand out the cup, then hold the draft during the relatively short interval before the 202021 season gets going. But as Bettman pointed out, that option too is hardly straightforward:
“Are we better off waiting until after we conclude this season, which might not be for a number of months, then holding the draft then when the timetable is different ... It’s not like, if we wait the draft will be perfect. There will be another set of issues if we wait.”
Then there’s the matter of contracts that expire on June 30. One imagines a one-off extension for “as long as it takes”, with player contracts extended.
My best take? The commissioner can be taken at his word the league is exploring all of the potential options under the strange and difficult circumstances. While Plan
A is to somehow pick up the season in a couple of months and play through the summer, there is every possibility that simply won’t happen.
If it doesn’t, there would be no reason to put off the draft and every reason to hold it on schedule. If they don’t have to worry about disrupting the rhythm of the 2019-20 season, they might as well establish the correct one for 2020-21. Which means draft in June, not September.
Thing is, if the season is going to be resumed, we should know well in advance of June 26. Because let’s face if, if teams aren’t at least back together and preparing by then, they simply are going to run out of time.
What is appropriate for right now is for the league to do exactly what it is doing, to keep all of its options open and be as ready as possible for any eventuality. My own best bet is that there is little chance of an in-season draft, and that the two matters will be simultaneously resolved the day the decision is reached to resume or abandon the paused season.
“Ideally from our standpoint … would be if we could complete the regular season, even if it’s on a centralized basis, and then go into the playoffs the way we normally play them.” Gary Bettman NHL commissioner