from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star,
The Detroit Red Wings, with 71 games played and only 39 points accumulated, would want the season to be treated as if it were complete, giving them the most balls in the regular lottery process. If you believe that being dreadful should be rewarded with a high draft pick — I don’t — then you would probably side with the Wings....
For a more logical solution, look back to the 2005 draft....
It made no sense to go with the same order again. Instead, the NHL came up with a rather clever plan. All 30 teams — even the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning — were eligible for the draft lottery, instead of just non-playoff teams. The lottery weightings were then based on the number of playoff appearances in the previous three seasons and the number of first overall picks in the previous four drafts. Teams that had none of either got three balls in the lottery, and other teams got either two balls or one depending on the results....
If the current NHL season can’t be completed, the 2005 draft process should be used as the prototype for 2020. Aside from being fair to all 31 teams, it would create all kinds of talking points and widespread interest at a time when sports fans in general are dying for their fix, and pro teams are going to be searching for creative ways to attract customers again.
These are unprecedented times, but the NHL has a sensible precedent from which to work. You could even argue the NHL should use this kind of system every year. The philosophy of artificially rewarding the worst needs to come to an end.
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