Gary Bettman Fires Back at NHL GMs Over Controversial Decision Involving Beloved Event
Photo credit: Edit from Sportico.com
Gary Bettman has been speaking to GMs at the mid-season meetings, and he fired back at them saying that he is not a fan of the decentralized draft system.
Get ready for even more deafening boos targeting Gary Bettman at the 2025 NHL Draft. The league is going decentralized on the draft for the first time as Bettman himself will be announcing each first-round pick this June in Los Angeles.
But don't blame Bettman for this shift, at least not entirely. Speaking to the GMs at the mid-season meetings, he said he doesn't like the de-centralized draft, saying it's happening because the general managers wouldn't have it any other way.
"The clubs asked for this," Bettman said. "I wasn't looking for any more exposure. I have more than enough. But this is what the clubs told us they wanted, and we're going to try it. And we'll see after this year whether or not everybody likes it better."
This new approach mimics the NFL and NBA, where commissioners are making first-round selections and teams are calling in from remote locations.
Previously, NHL teams have had their management or special guests make the announcements on stage but that won't be the case this year.
The draft again comes back to Los Angeles for the first time since 2010, where it was hosted at the then Staples Arena. It is now called the Crypto.com arena.
This format shift ends a decades-old tradition of fans and teams convening in one city for draft weekend.
The NHL is looking for higher draft viewership numbers
The NHL is banking on tapping the sort of national buzz the NFL creates, as its 2024 draft attracted nearly a million live attendees and 12.1 million first-round viewers. Meanwhile, the NHL's first round last year averaged only 502,000 viewers on ESPN.
Whether fans are going to like the new system remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Bettman won't be greeted warmly when he approaches the podium.
| POLL | ||
MARS 19 | 229 ANSWERS Gary Bettman Fires Back at NHL GMs Over Controversial Decision Involving Beloved Event Are you a fan of the decentralized draft system? | ||
| Yes | 46 | 20.1 % |
| No | 183 | 79.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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