Why do it this way?
There a few reasons why the NHL is doing it this way.
- They get to hold the lottery on June 26, building some fever about hockey while play is suspended.
- It will prevent a team from tanking in the qualifying round. How nuts would it be if the Rangers had won the lottery with the 2% chance and knew that the only way they could get Alexis Lafreniere is if they lose to Carolina?
- They have the possibility of a second lottery, a chance to build more fever and awareness about hockey.
- A better chance of a top three pick for a qualifying round loser is a way of appeasing a team that my feel cheated if they lose to a team that wouldn’t have been in the playoffs when play was suspended.
- It eliminates the chance that a team could get a top three pick and then go on a long run into the playoffs, even winning the Cup.
- A second phase would have no impact on the teams that didn’t make the qualifying round. Their order in the draft would be determined after Phase One.
Remaining issues
There are a few issues remaining that the NHL did not address. These are legitimate issues that the league will have to come to grips with sooner than later.
- The league indicated that the earliest the NHL can resume action is mid to late July. That means the second phase of the lottery will take place in between the qualifying round and the first round of the playoffs. The second phase of the lottery will be an afterthought in markets with playoff teams.
- While the league is planning on resuming play, what if they don’t? What happens to the draft lottery at that point? If they cannot have a Phase Two do they just revert to regular season points percentage to determine the picks?
- What about the actual Entry Draft? The order of selection (after the lottery) is based on the order of finish for non-playoff teams and by how far a team goes in the playoffs. If the season extends to late September does that mean the Entry Draft will he held at that time?
None of these decisions are easy. By doing it this way, the league eliminated some issues while ignoring others. One question that has been hanging over the league is “What about the Entry Draft?” They didn’t answer that one.
All of this uncertainty is of no help to the NCAA, Canadian Junior Leagues along with the leagues in Europe. All of those leagues have cancelled their seasons and are planning on a resumption in the fall as normal. Their ability to plan for their seasons would be hampered by the NHL’s indecision.
The simplest solution would have been to delay the Lottery until after the qualifying round. They could have conducted one drawing the traditional way with the 15 non-Stanley Cup playoff teams eligible. It would have created some buzz in the market where there is no hockey and kept interest in the markets that lost in the qualifying round.