‘Decentralized’ 2025 NHL Draft Warned of Possible Future Failure by Veteran Analyst

“This is what the clubs said they wanted,” Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner, said in March after meeting with the franchise GMs wrapped at Eau Palm Beach. The statement came following the NHL announcement that it will, for the first time since COVID-19, have a decentralized draft. While it does sound like a breath of fresh air to the norms that have been followed by the League for years, it seems like some pundits don’t have much hope about the new process.

It’s just one more best-of-7 series before the NHL officially hits the offseason. And with that, we expect several stars to find themselves new camps before the 2025-26 season rolls out. Under these circumstances, the proposal for a decentralized NHL draft could be a game-changer in how franchises build their roster with the 2026 Stanley Cup on the line. But Elliotte Friedman isn’t very hopeful.

The Sportsnet analyst recently showed up for a discussion with Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne to talk about how the new NHL draft could pan out. In the YouTube upload by the official Sportsnet account from June 2, Friedman made it clear that he doesn’t have a lot of faith in the proposed changes to the team-building process.

On being asked how he feels about the teams not being there physically to pick their new stars, Friedman flatly said, “I’m more convinced now that this this, uh, decentralized draft will be a one-year thing,” all the while trying to hide the faint whiff of a smirk on his face. “A one-year flop,” Friedman already seems to have found what he’d be calling the new NHL draft.

“Everybody I think kind of realizes now it was a mistake. And I think they may they realized it was a mistake when they saw what the sphere was like,” Elliotte went on, while also noting that the collective thought still couldn’t hold a candle to Commissioner Bettman’s decision to move ahead with the new NHL draft system.

The 2025 NHL Scouting Combine will take place in Buffalo over the next six days, and the hockey pundit thinks the GMs will have a lot to talk about on how they feel about the new NHL draft. “This week’s going to be big. They got all the teams there. They’ve got all the agents there. There’s going to be a lot of talk. There’s going to be a lot of conversation,” Friedman almost sounded eager about how he’s looking forward to knowing what his peers have to say about Bettman’s call.

However, though, the decentralized NHL draft will come with its fair share of new things. The new NHL draft will be very similar to the NFL draft system, which has prompted the Buffalo Sabres to decide to base their operations out of Orchard Park for a couple of days in June. With the Sabres having had a rough season, they probably hope to get some tips from the Buffalo Bills to ensure their first attempt at the decentralized NHL draft doesn’t go to waste.

“The synergies between the Sabres and Bills are genuine and we are well positioned for the new NHL draft process by utilizing the space and experience at One Bills Drive for our Sabres draft this season,” said Pete Guelli, the Sabres and the Bills’ Chief Operating Officer, of the imminent collaboration. “The Bills have optimized and refined their space for years and their setup offers everything we need,” the Sabres’ GM Kevyn Adams reflected a similar sentiment.

So while we wait to see how things pan out, let’s take a look at how the NHL draft is likely to be handled in the meantime.

The NHL draft aims to shake things up (for better or worse?)

The NHL will invite the top 50 prospects to the Peacock Theater, LA, on June 27 and 28. The NHL Content and Events President, Steve Mayer, revealed that the prospects would be chosen based on the final rankings from NHL Central Scouting. Mayer further noted that while other prospects can attend the event if they wish to, a formal invitation won’t be sent to them. However, like other times, the teams won’t be present at the same place for the 2025 NHL draft.

Instead, “each team will instead gather in a central location in their home market or a place of their choosing,” as per the official NHL website. Commissioner Bettman will announce the first-round picks, while celebrity guests will announce the names for the remaining 31 picks. According to Steve Mayer, the new NHL draft system would attempt to keep things from becoming too “formulaic“, which has become a defining factor for other sports that have adopted a decentralized drafting process.

However, without the GMs in the building, the excitement and buzz surrounding the trade rumors will surely be one thing missing from the entire show. But could that be the factor that tips the scales and makes the community roll back to the previous way of doing business? What are your thoughts on the proposed NHL draft? Tell us below!