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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Karl Rasmussen

NHL Fans Were Fuming Over League's Expected Decision on Future of Draft

Matthew Schaefer was selected by the New York Islanders as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL draft. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 2025 NHL draft was the first time the league held a decentralized draft, and it didn't receive a warm reception from fans, many of whom felt the changes made the event feel lackluster and at times awkward.

It seems that despite the negative feedback on the decentralized draft, the NHL is not planning on reverting back to its previous format. While not yet finalized, a vote was held on Thursday among league owners and reports indicate that it's overwhelmingly likely the draft remains in its current decentralized format going forward, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

With teams making their draft selections remotely and then holding video (often uncomfortable) interviews with their newly-drafted prospects, there wasn't the usual atmosphere in the building that typically accompanies a draft. The draft also felt as if it dragged on, with the first round alone taking roughly four hours to get through.

There's certainly room for improvement, so hopefully the NHL has a better picture of how they want to run things in 2026, considering they're set to lock in this decentralized format.

News about the vote in favor of the decentralized format was not popular among hockey fans, and they took to social media to voice their displeasure.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NHL Fans Were Fuming Over League's Expected Decision on Future of Draft.

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