What will happen to the 2005 Entry Draft?

[firefighter7796]

If the lock-out goes for too long what will happen with the 2005 NHL Entry Draft? Will they still do it or will they cancel it? Will they combine it with 2006? If there is no season and they still have a draft how will rankings be done for the lottery?

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[Til the End of Time]

No one knows. There are all sorts of theories out there, but nothing for certain.

 

[Newfie Bruin]

there is no way they will combine it with 06'. i have heard
a) that they keep the same order as the 04 draft
b) draw out of a hat. Everyone gets a equal chance at # 1
c) hope to god they play some games

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

I have no idea. Maybe they'll cancel it. Or maybe not. I think the best thing would be a completely random lottery. I don't want to see those who tanked be rewarded twice.

 

[Form and Substance]

I also don't want to see those who wouldn't tank (Detroit, Toronto, Phi) be rewarded as well.

 

[Paxon]

I also don't want to see those who wouldn't tank (Detroit, Toronto, Phi) be rewarded as well.

Why not? It isn't like the Penguins or Capitals deserve anything more in 2005 than Detroit. Completely random is clearly the best way to go or perhaps slightly weighted as a compromise, but certainly not 2004's draft order.

 

[The Legend]

If they did it that way, it would dull the pain a little of having no season. The Leafs potentially getting Sydney Crosby?????

 

[BrooklynCanuck]

My choice would be a scaled drawing.

Give everyone a shot at #1, but use last year's draft order to assign probability, then draw for places from there. I would make it nearly impossible for the front-running teams to get into the top 5, I'd give the best 5 finishers or so less than 2% combined probability.

 

[J F M]

If there is no season a completely random draft should be the way to go. There is no way determine a draft order without a season. Who can tell how Washington would do with Ovechkin. What if Tampa gets injuries similar to L.A. last season? God knows they won't be as charmed next season. My whole point is that making the top 5 the same teams as last year would be ludicrous.

 

[Goldthorpe]

I would use the teams average for the last three seasons for the draft order. Seems fair.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Al Strachan reported a few months ago that there wouldn't be a draft if the season was cancelled due to a lockout. Love him or hate him (very pro player), he is a Hall of Fame reporter, and usually pretty accurate. That's the only thing I've heard of any substance.

However, Gary Bettman has not publicly, officially stated what the league would do in the event of a lockout. Thus, any further comment would be pure speculation.

There's also the issue of the 18-year-old draft. Presently, it's actually a 19-year-old draft, with an opt-in for 18-year-olds. If the league eliminates the opt-in, or increases the draft age to 20, then things really get interesting. (Would probably be a phase-in period, but with the bozos on both sides of the negotiating table, your best guess is as good as mine.

 

[J F M]

They age will never go back up to 20 y/o. The reason it was lowered to 18 was because the original WHA was poaching players from the Canadian juniour leagues. As well a group of 18 y/o were going to take the NHL to court to challenge the entry eligibility. The NHL changed the age before the case got to be heard, because they knew that they were going to lose.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I have no idea. Maybe they'll cancel it. Or maybe not. I think the best thing would be a completely random lottery. I don't want to see those who tanked be rewarded twice.

A random lottery wouldn't be right, IMO, because the draft is designed to help the worst teams in the league by giving them the chance to have their high choice of a young player. Letting a middle of the road or contending team have that chance defeats the entire premise of the draft, IMO.

I've seen you voice your opinion several times before about the Pens "tanking" and I still don't agree. Yes, they've horribly mismanaged top assets over the course of the past 4 or 5 years, but I don't see any evidence that they or any other team have tanked purposefully. It's all speculation, and I don't think it has much of a base in the Pens' case.

Now maybe we can continue this without the color/font/size.

 

[BrooklynCanuck]

This thread makes my brain hurt.

 

[Bicycle Repairman]

All entry level players will be unrestricted free agents if the NHLPA gets its way.