Look, I am all for trying something new whenever possible. Who isn't? The NHL decided to decentralize the 2025 Entry Draft, with the players in Los Angeles and the clubs back in their home cities. Now that the NHL Draft is officially in the books, it's time to reevaluate what happened in Southern California.
To say that the first round on Friday night was awkward and bizarre would be a major understatement. Most players picked in the opening round were not all in attendance in Los Angeles, were not able to shake hands with the team that drafted them, and had that team give them their new jersey. Instead, they met NHL commissioner Gary Bettman before being ushered off to talk with the front office of the team that selected them.
Let's just say things didn't always go as expected. For instance, when the Boston Bruins picked James Hagens from Boston College, he was ushered to speak on live TV with Don Sweeney and the front office, only to have a technical problem prevent any conversation. It was a very weird and embarrassing moment, to be honest. At least fans got to hear Adam Sandler announce the Black and Gold's first pick.
NHL needs to make quick changes for 2026
When the highlight of the weekend is the red "Trade alert" button, then you know something is wrong. Missing was the front office from each team walking to the stage to announce their pick with a jersey. As if the whole weekend wasn't a mess enough, how about a four and a half hour first round on Friday night? I mean, three hours is long enough, but to drag it out the way they did was not in the best interest of anyone.
Fans were not happy with the length of the first round, and most were not happy with the format. Another thing this format took away was teams being all in the same place, which lessened the chance of trades being done face-to-face on the floor of the draft. Less drama. Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell spoke late Friday night.
"This decentralized draft I think plays a big part of it,'' he said. "When you can't walk around the rink and just tap people on their shoulder and talk to them. When you're face to face, things always seem to happen better than on the phone."
Again, I'm all for trying something new, but it's time for the NHL to admit this format was a failure and make some changes before next season's draft.