Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Questioning the expansion draft's format

11/27/2016 at 1:52am EST

From the New York Post's Larry Brooks:

“AND as the first pick in the 2017 Expansion Draft, the Vegas Golden Knights select PLACEHOLDER.”

Last week’s unveiling of the NHL’s 31st franchise’s name and logo replete with technical malfunctions was almost charming in an amateur-hour type of way. But at least we saw it unfold, which is maybe the problem.

Because, you see, while this fiasco of a celebration of colors and shield was presented live on every one of your screens, the expansion draft itself will be conducted behind closed doors on June 20, the results of which won’t be announced until the following day. That leaves 24 hours for every selected player’s name to be leaked in haphazard fashion.

Come to think of it, VGKGMGM (The acronym by which Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee will be known) might make his picks with the doors open, for all any one will know. What, the league (or maybe the NHLPA) doesn’t want the order of selection made public, for fear the last pick will be insulted?

A one-team expansion draft may not make for great theater but it is, you know, news. And as such, and of course, the selections should be revealed in real time, even if pretty much every single one of them selected by VGKGMGM will indeed be a placeholder.

Continued, with the usual assortment of topics...

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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