Elliotte Friedman All-But-Confirms the NHL Will Make Major Changes to Key Event After Public Outcry

The annual NHL Draft is one of the biggest events on the league calendar, and after a successful 2024 NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, things continue to get bigger and better.

Unfortunately, the NHL has made some changes for 2025 due to the venue (Peacock Theater in Los Angeles), which is reportedly too small for the traditional format, with General Managers and organization representatives not set to be present at the event.

However, NHL fans enjoy how different the draft is to other sports in North America with so many people from the front office present to draft their players, and as a result of online backlash, the league is going back to that format in 2026.

That comes from top NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, who confirms the league will go back to this after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and everyone in the league office realized they made a major mistake with this change, but in 2025, it's too late to change things given how small the venue in Los Angeles is.

The location of the 2026 NHL Draft has yet to be decided, but it's considered one of the deepest in recent memory led by superstar forward Gavin McKenna of the Medicine Hat Tigers, and with the league going back to their old format, it's going to be a night to remember for fans and so many young prospects looking to live out their NHL dreams.