The Decentralized draft didn’t save teams money, but there are other reasons to keep it that way
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – The Mid Summer Check In episode – on one of the main reasons why they are continuing with a decentralized draft for 2026.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Bukauskas: “Okay, how about any surprise on the vote amongst the teams to continue a decentralized draft? We’ve made our feelings on this program about how we feel about all that, but it’s going to remain that way next year.”
Friedman: “Well, it was closer. When they originally voted to decentralize it, the first time it was 26 to 6. I understand this time the vote was 20 to 12. So we just have to keep moving the line, right Kyle? Just six more next year, have to hate it. I’m going to sabotage it next season so we can get six more to change their minds.
I really, I really thought, as you knew, because of how Bettman was, like, openly ripping the GMs about this, I really thought it was going to change. I was actually surprised he gave them the vote. I really was.
You know, I, it’s, it’s obvious to me that these teams that voted to keep it the way it is, they value the secrecy. It All, it really, from what I understand, it was all about secrecy.
There’s a guy Mark Yannetti, who runs the draft for the Kings, and he gave a quote, and I can’t remember where I saw it, but he gave a quote where he said, ‘I was able to look up injury reports and not worry about someone looking over my shoulder.’
And I understand that was a big deal. Like people just said, I could talk to people at my table. Or I could have a conversation without worrying who was, who was listening to me.
And like, one guy said to me, ‘I think people read lips.’ I’m like, come on. And he goes, ‘I think people do read lips. Everybody’s got a camera right now, I was worried about getting my lips read.’ And he was serious about it, and that’s, that’s how they feel.
And they also do feel that if you streamline the broadcast, it will be better. And I have no doubt that that is something they’re going to do for next season.
But the vote was closer, so it only gives me 10 months from now to figure out, how can I make it so that six more people flip next year for next year’s vote?
Well, do you think that’s going to be a thing? Like a yearly check-in of, okay, how do we feel about it?”
Friedman: “I don’t know. I don’t know. Like, I’ll tell you this Kyle, the privacy thing is very real.”
Bukauskas: “Yeah, I can see that.”
Friedman: “Like it didn’t save them any money. They still had to fly in all their scouts from everywhere. They still had to put them up in hotels. But, so, and they realized it didn’t save them any money. But for the people who voted to keep it the way it was, privacy was the, it was from what I understand, the number one thing cited.”
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