from Bob McKenzie of TSN,

In this most unprecedented of National Hockey League seasons, it’s been said the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs will require an asterisk for posterity’s sake.

To which the 2020 NHL draft says, “Hold my beer.”

A whole boatload of asterisks is required for this one.

Let us count the ways:

* No one knows exactly when the draft will be held. Probably October, if all goes well, maybe November. We just don’t know.

* We know the draft lottery is this Friday (June 26, 8 p.m. ET) but even when it is concluded that night, we still won’t know the actual order of selection. That’s because eight of the 15 teams in the lottery won’t be known until we see which teams lose in the best-of-five play-in qualifier series, probably in August, sometime after which a second lottery will be required.

* We don’t know when, where, or even if many of the top prospects for the 2020 draft will be playing to start the 2020-21 season because there is so much uncertainty as to whether junior or college hockey leagues in North America will be playing games this fall.

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