One interesting idea in the
article :
"The NHL should leave the hockey world in suspense until the last possible moment before Crosby is drafted. ... instead of holding it weeks in advance why not hold it that very day?"
He then goes on to shoot down this idea a bit. I'm sure most of us would be totally against it for the very reasons that he states:
"Teams normally spend months preparing the draft, whether it's scouting prospects or compiling a draft board. It would be unfair to expect NHL GMs and their personnel staffs to be able to get themselves ready with a strategy when their prep time can be measured in minutes. Afterall, this isn't a fantasy draft."
... But ... how about a slight variation?
Why not do the lottery well in advance for all EXCEPT the top 3 teams or so? There's nothing wrong with "drawing the balls" in reverse order, no one says it has to be 1st ball out = 1st pick, 2nd = 2nd, etc. As long as the original probabilities are always true (e.g. Team X has a Z% chance at 1st pick, etc. whether weighted or not), then it can be done bottom up.
So, the 3 or so unkown teams know roughly where they will pick and can scout & plan for those possibilities. The other 27 or so know exactly where they'll pick, and they too can scout & plan accordingly.
Then, imagine the excitement on draft day! Down to a few teams and just like a Miss America contest, choose the 2nd runner up (i.e. 3rd), and then it's down to the final 2! And the winner is ... !