Gary Bettman and the NHL are already planning to decentralize the NHL draft, but now it appears they may be re-shaping the event entirely.
Elliotte Friedman reported this morning that there is pressure to lessen the NHL draft from seven to four rounds:
Some player agents believe the NHL Draft should be shortened to just 4 rounds, and there's a possibility that the NHLPA could fight for shortening the draft in the next CBA, per @FriedgeHNIC (32TP).
The reasoning is players that don't get contracts are mostly later-round picks, and people (mostly agents) wonder why players get tied to a team for 2-4 years, only to not get a contract from that team.
«They almost think it's like holding up a player from really beginning their NHL career. We'll see what happens there.»
The current CBA expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.
With the NHL already moving towards a decentralized draft, it seems this entire process is being re-thought, despite the fact that it hasn't been a problem in the past.
The NHL Draft will be held June 28/29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. NHL Board just made it official. This will be the final draft before decentralizing.
This seems like it will only hurt the careers of hundreds of young players. Hopefully the NHL will reconsider.
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