Eklund: NHL Draft in June Now Feels Probable. Teams Hoping to Train in May. Buzz@1

So the devils have the nucks 1st round pick which is conditional on the nucks making the playoffs or it's next year's pick unprotected

The nucks have a higher win % than team in 8th and have a game or 2 in hand

If draft is before they resume playing, how would that work?

Say nucks make the playoffs but kept their pick and drafted because where they stand today, does that player they drafted become a devils prospect

So many things to figure out

How the seed the teams would be the interesting part if they do it before the season ends or the playoffs end.

Can you please go back and re read your article. It is filled with spelling and grammar mistakes.

So first you write this:

With the success of the NFL Draft last night, and the logistics of NHL scouts contracts running out July 1, all signs point strongly to the NHL holding its Draft in June. The early TV Ratings last night for the NFL Draft were indeed staggering with night 1 garnering a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49 and 6.1 million viewers. That's up from a 2019 1.1 rating and 4.5 million total viewers. And remember that is JUST TV viewers. The online/streaming numbers are likely to be mind-boggling. That's a ton of money and a ton of publicity for a sport league that isn't sure it will be able to even have a season. And this was a DRAFT.

- Eklund

And then you go and write this:

So the NHL will be touching base with its teams today and pushing hard for the teams to relent and hold the Draft in June, before the teams get to finish out their seasons...The push will also be to do this in early June, which puts a big strain on teams who haven't been planning for the move. And early indications were MOST NHL teams don't want to hold it in June at all...especially earlier in June.

- Eklund

Odd that the NHL will play out the rest of the season in June, yet the NFL is iffy to start in September.

Ek, this isn't great news for hockey fans. Maybe the draft in June gives you something to write about, but as a fan of hockey I'm not happy at all. The integrity of the draft order is totally compromised, as are the numerous conditional picks that have exchanged hands. Like for example, if the draft is in June, what happens to the Islanders 3rd round pick. It belongs to them, but if they win the Cup it belongs to Otttawa in the Pageau trade. So who makes that pick?

Sorry, this might be one of the dumbest ideas that I've ever heard. You either agree to finish the season, or cancel the season. That's step 1. The draft and free agency come next. If you want more time to decide whether to play or cancel, then you push back the draft to later in the summer. As for the scouts contracts expiring...well as an owner you have a couple of choices:

1) I'd like to extend your contract for a couple more months. That's peanuts for an owner.

2) You are my employee. Before your contract expires I want you to leave your scouting reports on the table here. So please rank the 250 players in order. I'm pretty sure my GM can read the names off your list whenever this draft takes place. Maybe I'll even hire you back when we have more clarity.

Clowns running this league. Or just clickbait?

The first round of the NFL draft was successfully completed. Watching it was brutal awful.

Complete nonsense from Ek. Everyone that has commented is completely right. Nothing but click bait. Give up on the season and move on already.

the ISLES are not winning the cup not much even winnong a series... so forget that.

Take all contingencies out... use the stoppage date and winning percentage. Alow trades imedienty. ..........done ...

We need Hockey and real hockey news.

the ISLES are not winning the cup not much even winnong a series... so forget that.

Take all contingencies out... use the stoppage date and winning percentage. Alow trades imedienty. ..........done ...

We need Hockey and real hockey news.
- thechezman

Ok. So you're the one who will decide which conditions will come true? If team X wins one round then the 4th round pick upgrades to a 3rd. So you'll predict that? Maybe the Buzztron will help. Gimme a break. And the idea to just cancel all the conditions...wow that's real fair to the sellers who negotiated them. Like the Flames getting the Oilers 3rd round pick if Neal scores 20 goals. Currently he has 19 goals...So the Oilers make the pick in June...then the season re-starts in July...Neal scores one more goal...but the Flames don't get the pick? Real fair. Real dumb idea here.

Ok. So you're the one who will decide which conditions will come true? If team X wins one round then the 4th round pick upgrades to a 3rd. So you'll predict that? Maybe the Buzztron will help. Gimme a break. And the idea to just cancel all the conditions...wow that's real fair to the sellers who negotiated them. Like the Flames getting the Oilers 3rd round pick if Neal scores 20 goals. Currently he has 19 goals...So the Oilers make the pick in June...then the season re-starts in July...Neal scores one more goal...but the Flames don't get the pick? Real fair. Real dumb idea here.
- Kooleus

Conditional picks need to be renegotiated with an arbitrator.....example: Neal would most likely have scored 20 goals....but he did not, hence Flames get Oilers 3rd but Flames give up a 7th to the Oil, or an agreed upon AHLer or the like.

Conditional picks need to be renegotiated with an arbitrator.....example: Neal would most likely have scored 20 goals....but he did not, hence Flames get Oilers 3rd but Flames give up a 7th to the Oil, or an agreed upon AHLer or the like.
- HenryHockey

What about one like the Vatanen trade, where the Devils get the Hurricanes 4th if Vatanen played 5 regular season games for the Canes, and get their 3rd if he played in 12 regular season games OR if they make the playoffs and he plays in 70% of their playoff games.

What happens if there ARE no more regular season games or playoffs at all?

Somehow, with no one in the crowd, Betman will still be booed

Conditional picks need to be renegotiated with an arbitrator.....example: Neal would most likely have scored 20 goals....but he did not, hence Flames get Oilers 3rd but Flames give up a 7th to the Oil, or an agreed upon AHLer or the like.
- HenryHockey

OK sure an arbitrator might be able to say Neal would score 1 more goal in the next 11 games (even though he has 0 in his last 13 games) but how is an arbitrator going to determine whether the Oilers win 2 rounds or not - that impacts what Detroit gets for Mike Green? How can you determine this now if you still want to leave the window open to finish the season. This makes no sense.

Somehow, with no one in the crowd, Betman will still be booed
- AlfieisKing

The only certainty

They will have to add picks to the draft to make up for picks dependent on situations we won't see play out before the draft.

In the Neal case, he didn't score 20 goals, but likely would have. Instead of either team "losing" that condition, the NHL adds a pick in whatever round is deemed fair, and give it to one of the teams. Nobody loses a pick, a pick is just added. The NFL does this.

Draft away but I don’t see how they can move anything involving money like trades and free agency until they have some agreement on the economics of 20/21. How much revenue can they expect this year and if at all can they expect bums in seats next year? From there how do franchises share the pain among themselves and with the players? Then you can set a cap, trade and sign FAs

What about one like the Vatanen trade, where the Devils get the Hurricanes 4th if Vatanen played 5 regular season games for the Canes, and get their 3rd if he played in 12 regular season games OR if they make the playoffs and he plays in 70% of their playoff games.

What happens if there ARE no more regular season games or playoffs at all?
- BINGO!

If there are no more regular season or playoff games then neither condition for the pick were met and we get Richard.... in regard to the pick; but we keep Kuokkanen. That's my guess anyway.

The more difficult question is what happens with the Vancouver 1st owed to NJ. If they miss the playoffs they keep it and if they make it we get it. BUT what happens if they technically qualify for the playoffs but there is no actual playoff hockey played.

They will have to add picks to the draft to make up for picks dependent on situations we won't see play out before the draft.

In the Neal case, he didn't score 20 goals, but likely would have. Instead of either team "losing" that condition, the NHL adds a pick in whatever round is deemed fair, and give it to one of the teams. Nobody loses a pick, a pick is just added. The NFL does this.
- SolidGoldBricks

This actually makes sense!
So a few picks would be added in the draft! This would have the least negative impact. As for the pick added if a team makes it to a certain round in the play-off....if the play-offs are played, that pick would go to 2021 or 2022. If there are no play-offs, Then the NHL can add a pick in the next draft! Maybe make it in a one lesser round though, as the pick was not really earned. And also make all compensation picks non-tradable. And the person gained by that pick untradeable til the new season begins.

The first round of the NFL draft was successfully completed. Watching it was brutal awful.
- bcallaway

https://twitter.com/i/status/1253512175580217344

lol. Ek is just trying to build hype and momentum for an NHL draft and trades being allowed, because hockeybuzz gets so few clicks between the trade deadline and the end of the Cup final. He doesn't want the website to go from March to August without people visiting it much, so he's trying to generate a push for stuff that will never actually happen.

They will have to add picks to the draft to make up for picks dependent on situations we won't see play out before the draft.

In the Neal case, he didn't score 20 goals, but likely would have. Instead of either team "losing" that condition, the NHL adds a pick in whatever round is deemed fair, and give it to one of the teams. Nobody loses a pick, a pick is just added. The NFL does this.
- SolidGoldBricks

So the Oilers keep their pick since they technically meet the conditions on draft day, but we magically create a new draft pick and give to Calgary because they might have won the trade? So all of the other teams stand by and watch the Flames grab a prospect ahead of them? Or what about a team like Ottawa that stockpiled a ton of picks with the hope of maybe trading some for an impact player. Sorry. I guess go pick 13 prospects and try to trade later.

Seems much easier to just delay the draft until the draft order and conditions are clearly sorted out.

lol. Ek is just trying to build hype and momentum for an NHL draft and trades being allowed, because hockeybuzz gets so few clicks between the trade deadline and the end of the Cup final. He doesn't want the website to go from March to August without people visiting it much, so he's trying to generate a push for stuff that will never actually happen.
- Antilles

Idiot.

Enjoy the revenue from that, I’ll enjoy the ban.

Ek can you dig deeper on which teams are going to be "strained" if the draft is held in early June? Wouldn't most teams have their list ready? I mean in the last 6 weeks there hasn't been anything else to focus on. There are no more games to scout. So why exactly would it be difficult for any organization to have a list ready 5 or 6 weeks from now?? I'm guessing most teams could do the draft today. Their draft order isn't going to change when there are no more games to observe.

But you have the inside sources, not me. Just curious which teams aren't ready. Thanks.