Teams agree to new draft system
The thirty NHL teams just voted on a new draft system and they voted in favor of it 23-6 (the Montreal Canadiens chose not to vote). Instead of the current system where the draft order is based on regular season performance (exception: the Stanley Cup winner automatically picks last), playoff success will determine the order of the second half of the teams. Apparently, the Detroit Red Wings proposed this new system and argued “that playoff success is the true measure of a team’s success in any given year and the draft order should reflect that.”
Basics about the new format…
Just like the current system, all the non-playoff teams (14) are placed in an opposite order of their place at the end of the regular season. The draft lottery will still be the same.
Those playoff teams that lose in the first round will go next in the draft order (again, the inverse of their regular season points). The only exception is for teams who had won their division title. Any teams that win their division, but don’t make it to the Conference finals will go next (also based on the inverse order of points made in the regular season). After those teams come the ones that make the Conference finals and then the two teams in the Stanley Cup finals. The runner-up will have spot #29 and the Stanley Cup winner will still be given #30.
Personally, I like the new system and I can certainly understand why the Red Wings would propose this system. It still gives draft priority to the non-playoff teams like it should. In past years, the Wings would always be at the bottom of the draft order because they were at the top of the regular season standings even if they lost in the first round. This way, the Wings can actually have a shot at a higher pick in the draft if they exit the playoffs early (whether they win the Central division or not).
Update: According to Ansar Khan at MLive.com, GM Ken Holland has been pushing for this draft system since the late 1990s.
“Where you pick in the draft should have something to do with your playoff success,†Holland said. “You’ve got parity, revenue sharing, a salary cap. There’s numerous teams within five and six points of one another. How do you know who’s the better team?â€
Related Posts
2 Responses to “Teams agree to new draft system”
Leave a Reply
March 13th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
[…] Christy Hammond has the details, as does James Gunner. Apparently, the Wings lobbied for the new system, which would help them get higher picks if they do end up getting eliminated in the first round. However, the condition that says regular season division title winners won’t get low placement kind of negates any advantage the team might have, if their history is any indication. Maybe they a change coming. […]
March 26th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
[…] Â The NHL will have a new ordering system for its draft. While the 14 teams that did not make the postseason will still be placed in the opposite order of their points from the regular season, the remainder of the order will now be determined by playoff success. Teams knocked out in the first round pick after the lottery teams, and so on. Wings GM Ken Holland proposed the system, and had been pushing for it for some time. [Behind the Jersey] […]