Report: Bill Daly to propose a change to NHL draft lottery at BOG meeting Thursday
At the NHL Board of Governors meeting in New York, NY. on Thursday afternoon, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly plans to table a proposal to change how the NHL's draft lottery system functions, according to a report from ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.
It was first reported that the league was considering a tweak to the draft lottery process that would "give more teams better chances at top picks via a weighted lottery" in March by ESPN's Scott Burnside. Presumably the new process that Daly plans on proposing to the Board of Governors on Thursday will serve to accomplish just that.
One club that we know will be opposed to any modifications to the draft lottery process is the rebuilding Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres own three first round picks for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and could desperately use a marketable blue-chip young talent like highly regarded 2015 draft eligibles Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.
Sabres general manager Tim Murray has been outspoken in expressing his belief that the will to significantly tweak the existing system doesn't currently exist among the NHL's member clubs.
The NHL's Governors will also discuss and vote on the four rule changes that the NHL's competition committee suggested and that the league's general managers have recommended. Those rule tweaks include an expanded trapezoid, teams changing sides for regular season overtime, the adoption of IIHF-style hashmarks and more leniency when it comes to the "distinct kicking motion" standard for goals scored off of skates.
If those recommendations pass the Board of Governors, they'll still need to be agreed to by the NHLPA's Executive Board who are scheduled to meet in Pebble Beach, Calif. in mid-July. If the tweaks pass muster at the Board of Governors meetings and the Executive Board meetings, they'll come into effect next season.
"We'll look at a couple of tweaks," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told the Chicago Tribune of the topics up for discussion at the Board of Governor's meetings. "Fundamentally, we like the way the game is. We had a great season. The competitive balance is extraordinary. The game is in a good place."