Can The NHL Truly Win With Their Format?

For both Detroit and Ottawa, intentions of drafting the next up-and-coming talent in Alexis Lafreniere was front of mind. With the highest percentage of landing the top pick, the Red Wings hoped and wished for the number one spot and had it snatched right before them. Ottawa could also argue the NHL’s “Covid-19 Draft Plan” worked against their favour falling from their initial probabilities of second and third best odds to the 3rd and 5thpick. This year’s winner of the draft lottery is yet to be determined as the qualifying rounds will decide the eight eligible teams for the first-overall pick. Other than the current anonymous winner, the LA Kings jumped from fourth to 2nd overall and will be bringing a game-changing talent to California. The last time the Kings had the 2nd overall selection, they drafted Drew Doughty – I think the cup wins in 2012 and 2014 justify this selection.

Since the entire season was not played out, we are left to play a game of what if. What if Team A had a winning streak or Team B a losing streak? The 16-team playoff format is a thing of the past… for one year at least. The anticipation for hockey’s return is climbing as fans anxiously await the players to don their favourite jerseys once again.

What you need to know.

This is the first time ever the first-overall pick will be chosen by a team without one of the league’s worst seven records. The playoffs as we know are going to have a unique twist with the format created by the NHL. Each of the 16 teams that will play in qualifying round will have a chance to get first-overall pick: Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.

In terms of determining who will select first-overall, another lottery will be held prior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs comprised of the eliminated eight teams from the qualifying round. Oddly enough, losing in the first round is going to result in a huge win for one organization in this year’s playoffs.

So, what does this mean?

Well, simply put – The NHL may have handed the keys to the Ferrari to Lafreniere. Okay, you catch my gist. Hypothetically speaking, one bad week of hockey could have an organization cleaning out their lockers early. Can you imagine the likes of Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Toronto or Chicago jumping up to land first overall? Lafreniere playing with the likes of Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews or Patrick Kane would have any hockey fan glued to the TV!

Many are assuming there may be controversy with this year’s playoffs and it’s debatable. Add a superstar talent such as Lafreniere to a team with a solidified future and the NHL may be in a frenzy. Reward a team in dire need of an offensive boost and you may create a new cup contender (looking at you Nashville). Will everyone be satisfied with this outcome? Not likely. But having the NHL back and playing games will be a privilege for the hockey world regardless of who wins the cup and/or first-overall pick.

Looking ahead.

With this year’s draft appearing to be forward dominant, the opportunity arises for teams to trade down and address team needs or draft a top-end defenseman. Could we experience a draft like no other with trades and offer sheets? Only time will tell, of course. With this season creating such uncertainty, my guess is as good as yours as to how the draft will play out.

Three other players to keep an eye on in the top 5 selections include Quinton Byfield, a centre for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, Tim Stützle, a winger for Mannheim of Deutsche Eishockey Liga, and playmaker Cole Perfetti, a centre for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.

More to come.