The fate of several National Hockey League franchises will be hanging in the balance. The future of those franchises will come down to Russian Roulette, or more specifically, a draft lottery. The draft lottery will be held in deep in the bowels of the NHL Cave of Clods, and without any monitors to assure its authenticity.
The lottery will determine which teams will inherit the riches of potential generational superstars such as Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Noah Hanifin. McDavid and Eichel, in particular, are players that can literally save a franchise; much like Sidney Crosby did when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005.
Tanks a Lot
With such potential superstars heading up the deepest draft pool in years, franchises such as the Buffalo Sabres and the Arizona Coyotes have cleared out their rosters of quality players to give the appearance of tanking in order to get into better draft lottery position. As we have said here before, NHL players and coaches do not tank, but NHL general managers and owners certainly can and do.
Tanking can potentially be good business, as was the case for the Penguins in 1984, when they ended up with their first franchise savior, Mario Lemieux. But it rips off fans, sponsors, and TV partners.
With the sky high prices for NHL game tickets, and with record TV contracts inked last year, it is a disgrace that any NHL team would throw games in order to gain a better shot at hitting a lottery jackpot that they may, in fact, not win anyway.
Beyond the tanking issue, there is another fact that must be addressed in regards to the NHL draft, or for that matter, the drafts that take place in the NFL or NBA. The draft is outdated and limits possibilities.
There is a much better way for teams to go about stocking their rosters and it comes from college football. Recruiting with a NHL Signing Day is the answer.
Imagine NHL Signing Day
If you think the lottery and Draft Day are exciting, they would pale in comparison to a NHL Signing Day that would take place each June. Imagine McDavid and Eichel being wined and dined in the weeks leading up to Signing Day. The coverage, speculation, anticipation, and intrigue would be off the charts. Each franchise would compete for the top players based on their ability to recruit and sell what they have to offer, rather than having picks based on a lottery that invites tanking of games and conspiracy theories about the NHL rigging the lottery for strategic purposes.
McDavid and Eichel would be swarmed by media at any airport that they would arrive at for their recruiting visit. Recruiting would become an industry in itself just like in college football. Teams would have to hire recruiting coordinators to establish and maintain contact.
Owners would have to become much more involved. Imagine Florida owner Vinny Viola with the chance to sell McDavid or Eichel on the potential of saving the franchise and transforming the sport in South Florida just like Wayne Gretzky did in Los Angeles.
Ripping the Game away from Shutdown Clods
Just as what has been the case in college football, abolishing the NHL Draft for recruiting and a NHL Signing Day would help give some of the game back to the players. Insufferable Suffocating Saboteurs of the game such as Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings would likely have to change their tactics in order to attract talented players that do not want to be stifled into drones. NHL coaches would be forced to allow more offensive creativity or prospects would simply go to teams that could offer such promises.
College football has become the number two game in the United States due in large part to its explosive and creative offenses. Recruiting is a big reason why that transformation has taken place. Beyond that, college football recruiting has become a season and industry in and of itself. That same attraction is possible for the NHL.
Consider the Potential Opportunity of Austin Matthews
Scottsdale, Arizona’s own Austin Matthews is a potential top pick for the 2016 NHL draft. He would be the potential savior of an Arizona Coyotes franchise that has struggled for most of its 20 years in the desert. With the draft format, it is less likely that the NHL will be able to take advantage of getting Matthews on the Coyotes roster. With recruiting in place of the draft, however, the Coyotes would at least be able to make their case to Matthews and have a shot at transforming their franchise. Matthews is a golden opportunity that will likely and tragically be wasted.
The Salary Caps Balances Recruiting
And before anyone starts screaming that the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs will have all the money and advantages, think again. The NHL salary cap will keep things even. Top revenue teams will not be able to habitually sign top prospects to multi-million dollar deals. The cap prevents it.
A Golden Opportunity
The NHL already has a version of Signing Day with its free agent frenzy that takes place after the draft. It gets plenty of attention and excitement. But nothing on earth would compare to a NHL Signing Day. It would be a topic of discussion 24/7 and would revolutionize professional sports, not to mention create better opportunities for the growth of the game. There would be far less incentive to tank and therefore give fans, sponsors, and TV partners an honest bang for their buck.
The time has come to abolish the draft for NHL Signing Day.
Do the clueless clods that gleefully gab about their product being a, “Three-Two Shutdown League,” have it in them to be so bold and innovative?
Sadly, we all know the answer.
