NHL picks Los Angeles to host 2025 draft, plans new format

[DAkings20]

Long speculated, seems to now be confirmed.

Source: NHL draft set for L.A., to have new format

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[JohanFranzenstein]

It says teams will draft from their own location, does that mean it will be completely remote like the 2020 covid draft? Or will teams still have draft parties at their home arenas?

 

[qc14]

I think it's not going to be as big of a change presentation-wise as maybe some thought. There is something I will miss though about the idea of everyone being on the floor together and having to use those shitty phones and fax machines.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Part of me thinks that having a bunch of GMs in the same room helps to generate trade talk and stuff.

But maybe the logistical nightmare of making it all happen actually takes away from it. Might leave more to do that stuff if they don't have the big in person event.

I dunno. Guess we will see

 

[sxvnert]

Acting like this isn't about cutting costs is pathetic.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Well, hopefully there's more trades.

What was it ? 2023 draft had f*** all. Worst draft ever for action?

 

[jetsforever]

That's no fun

 

[NVious]

Ovi and Sid are so out, all the kids wanna be like Kopi now.

 

[GKJ]

I would imagine the players and Bettman are still going to be there. The NHL was the only league that had a centrally located draft. It will be presented similarly to the others. They will get some dignitaries to announce picks like they had in Vegas.

 

[Look Up]

All because Bettman got tired of being booed at the draft.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

“"Families are going to be there, prospects are going to be there, we're all going to be there," Bettman said at the 2023 NHL board of governors meeting in Seattle”

Hmm, but actually that isnt true at all.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

Last years was so amazing, they just needed to run it back. Classic NHL.

 

[Voight]

Personally I dont like that they changed the way it was, was way better when you had each teams brass all huddled together on the floor.

 

[Machinehead]

I don't care what they do with the format, just stop with the interviews where they ask the players absolutely nothing, and none of those questions get answered.

Matter of fact, just stop talking to hockey players. It sucks.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Part of me thinks that having a bunch of GMs in the same room helps to generate trade talk and stuff.

But maybe the logistical nightmare of making it all happen actually takes away from it. Might leave more to do that stuff if they don't have the big in person event.

I dunno. Guess we will see

These days trades are so heavily based in analytics and legal concerns (not the least of which being the limitations of the player contracts), plus the input of agents and others, that I am skeptical that much face-to-face trading goes on anymore.

These draft events strike me as just more paid junkets for the NHL poohbahs, staff, and sundry hangers-on.

 

[gunnergunther]

It says teams will draft from their own location, does that mean it will be completely remote like the 2020 covid draft? Or will teams still have draft parties at their home arenas?

No, it'll be like other league drafts. It'll have the prospects, family and teams. It'll just be different in that the only people from the teams would be the ones that usually greet the players instead of the whole front office and scouting team that sit around twiddling their thumbs for 3hrs.

 

[sansabri]

damn was hoping they'd drop the 2 day format

 

[SI90]

It says teams will draft from their own location, does that mean it will be completely remote like the 2020 covid draft? Or will teams still have draft parties at their home arenas?

I’m assuming the executives and general managers will have a”war room” in their own cities where they operate everything similar to the NFL. And the prospects will be in attendance and go up and grab the jersey when their names are called, but the teams representatives will not be present.

 

[qc14]

Last years was so amazing, they just needed to run it back. Classic NHL.

In one of the recent 32T didn't Friedman say that basically as soon as the sphere draft happen like half of the GMs/President of Hockey Ops guys texted him saying they would change their vote if they could?

 

[TheNumber4]

Lazy and cheap League continues to be Lazy and Cheap at the expense of fan experience.

 

[Brodeur]

All because Bettman got tired of being booed at the draft.

The change in format was spearheaded by the teams who voted to do it this way. This wasn't an edict by Bettman.

The Peacock Theater still holds 7,000 people so we'll likely get the usual Bettman booing. I think people are misunderstanding decentralized as meaning the teams and the prospects are staying home. The teams are staying home but the prospects can/will still attend and get their moment on stage.

When this change was rumored a couple years ago, I think teams would still send an emissary (famous alumnus, current player, celebrity fan, etc) to make the pick and greet the prospect. We got a taste of this last year; Joe Thornton announced Macklin Celebrini, plus Connor Bedard, Celine Dion, Michael Buffer, Anders Lee (was already in town for the Awards show).

Unfortunately with the TV situation, the NHL season has gotten prolonged into late June. So it was a headache for some teams to fly 20+ staffers to the draft for several days and then have to rush back to their home base for free agency on July 1. Apparently a few teams opted to stay in Vegas for few extra days after the 2024 Draft to deal with free agency before flying home.

I left for the airport after the 2019 Draft conclude and I thought I made pretty good time. I was surprised to find myself going through security with Colorado's group. LA/Arizona were already at adjacent gates. After the 2015 Draft, I was on the same flight with Pittsburgh who were slumming it on Southwest with me.

As much as we like to think our teams have an endless budget, sending 20+ staffers for several days can add up.

Last years was so amazing, they just needed to run it back. Classic NHL.

I was at last year's and it was fantastic. Couple drawbacks though:

It was very expensive for the first round ($130+fees IIRC). Second day not so much but the annoying thing was it was sold separately so they could tack on additional "convenience" fees. The draft used to be free up until 2016.

Day 2 started earlier than usual (8:30am local, usually it's 10am) because The Sphere needed to clean up and be ready for an afternoon movie showing. Definitely felt weird to go to sleep early on a perfectly good Friday night in Vegas. I woke up at 6am and ended up walking into The Sphere behind Tampa's group.

From the sounds of it, The Sphere has been hemorrhaging money. Despite the prices, I'm not sure the NHL Draft generated enough revenue compared to a concert (my friends paid $500+ for U2).

I remember there was a delay in announcing the location of the 2018 Draft because nobody was volunteering. Hosting the Draft tends to be a money losing proposition. Most NHL arenas would rather have a concert on a summer Friday/Saturday. This was partially the reason why the 2023 Draft was on Wednesday/Thursday.

Part of me thinks that having a bunch of GMs in the same room helps to generate trade talk and stuff.

But maybe the logistical nightmare of making it all happen actually takes away from it. Might leave more to do that stuff if they don't have the big in person event.

I dunno. Guess we will see

The 2023 Draft was in person and there were no trade ups in the first round. GMs have complained that it's too noisy on the draft floor. They can still easily call/text each other from their respective war rooms.

It is funny how some GMs tell stories. Brian Burke thinks his in person persistence is what pushed the 1999 pick shuffling across the finish line. But in reality, Tampa GM Rick Dudley was just making him sweat trying to get Burke to increase his offer.

On the other hand, I believe the Lucic to LA trade happened by chance with Kings staffers being at the same bar as the Bruins. Talk unexpectedly got serious quickly and Kings GM Dean Lombardi had to be summoned from his hotel room.

Teams had a taste of staying home for the 2020+2021 Drafts and I think they realized they could more or less still conduct business as usual with today's technology.

 

[LPHabsFan]

But....how else am I going to be able to see the evolution of Daryl Katz's son over the years?

 

[Brodeur]

Lazy and cheap League continues to be Lazy and Cheap at the expense of fan experience.

As a fan I wish the teams were there, but realistically I don't think it changes much for the average fan who would attend or the fan who watched on TV.

Instead of a prospect taking a picture with say Mike Grier and a half-dozen scouts, he might have Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau greet him instead.

I've attended six drafts and part of the fun was trying to get photos and autographs. But realistically I think most of the average attendees would be chasing the prospects rather than the retired players in hockey ops. I've seen plenty of autograph seekers get ignored by Sakic/Yzerman/Pronger/etc.

The host can still do events with current players and alumni. The average fan going in LA in June would probably care more about that than meeting Ron Francis.

 

[Drake1588]

Bill Armstrong makes some good arguments as to why the teams think the new format is an improvement.

Trades don't really involve two GMs sidling up to one another in a bar any longer. It's the romantic notion from the days of yesteryear, and of course it looks fun on television, but it's increasingly an anachronism. A lot of the data analytics teams that the clubs have painstakingly built up and honed over the years weigh in and are tremendously persuasive in these sorts of trade debates, in determining granular value of this or that trade package, and setting the value of each draft pick. Those kinds of debates are simply not possible in a noisy and open environment. Plus, you can't be forthright because your formulas are closely guarded secrets from your competition. You have to hide your screens and privacy is a real concern under the old format, since your competitors are sitting five feet to the North, South, East, and West of you.

If you do it at your own digs, you not only save money but you can set up dedicated war rooms for the purpose in advance, tricked out with panels and workstations for your analytics folks, with secure and reliable wired comms that won't crap out on you like they regularly do at the centralized draft (largely because they aren't managed by the NHL but are set up by professionals). You retain all the privacy that you need to discuss your trade/valuation criteria and don't have to hide the process/formulas that underpin your analytics. It's dry, sure. Yet it's how NHL transactions work now. The days of a GM shooting the breeze with another GM and making snap decisions are in the past.

The chief cost advantages will probably be in bringing your scouts all together at your facilities, where you prepare and then hold the draft, which then bleeds into a week of your annual summer management/scouting meetings at those same facilities, and then probably leading right into the summer development camps with your prospects, again at those same facilities. They will consolidate their activities and put up their scouts in town and pay once for RT travel.

Here's the relevant excerpt from Wyshynski's article, linked in the OP:

Utah Hockey Club general manager Bill Armstrong told ESPN last season that the draft floor isn't conducive to analysis.​

​

"There's noise at the draft. The telephones don't work extremely well either. I think you can be more productive and more accurate when you're in your own room with more information around you," he said. "Also, you're not worried about exposing your screens to anybody. There's obviously more privacy."​

​

A decentralized draft is also more cost-effective. "One of the issues that you have with the draft is a huge expense of moving your staff there, and then a lot of your staff has to go back to development camps after that," Armstrong said.​

 

[TheNumber4]

As a fan I wish the teams were there, but realistically I don't think it changes much for the average fan who would attend or the fan who watched on TV.

Instead of a prospect taking a picture with say Mike Grier and a half-dozen scouts, he might have Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau greet him instead.

I've attended six drafts and part of the fun was trying to get photos and autographs. But realistically I think most of the average attendees would be chasing the prospects rather than the retired players in hockey ops. I've seen plenty of autograph seekers get ignored by Sakic/Yzerman/Pronger/etc.

The host can still do events with current players and alumni. The average fan going in LA in June would probably care more about that than meeting Ron Francis.

Do average fans even watch the Draft though? Maybe our definition of avaerage will differ, but taking an interest in the extra curriculars like Draft day, especially past the 1st round is probably more of a hardcore fan thing.