2020 NHL draft lottery will likely be linked to rescheduled playoff format

The 2020 NHL draft lottery was set to be scheduled for the beginning of April, but due to the coronavirus pandemic it will be pushed back to a later date.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause sports leagues to make changes on the fly to their regularly scheduled programing. The NHL, in the midst of their season pause, is currently looking at ways to reschedule and reformat the 2020 draft lottery, the process which awards the lottery order for the upcoming entry draft.

According to Craig Custance of The Athletic, this year’s draft lottery format will “likely be linked to whatever decisions are made regarding the schedule and playoff system.” Though those decisions have not been made as of yet, the league will be in constant communication with team officials, general managers and the board of governors before making the final decision.

One of the ideas floated by a team, according to an NHL source in Custance’s piece, is the proposal that the right to the first-overall pick would be decided by a tournament where the selected lottery teams would participate.

The NHL is reportedly looking into a 24-team playoff format for the league should the season be able to resume in some capacity. The 24-team format would allow eight more hockey teams to participate in the postseason, meaning the draft lottery would encompass fewer teams than in previous years.

For some bubble teams, such as the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens, that would be included in the 24-team playoff format, a chance at a high lottery pick may be the ideal when all is said and done. Though the odds of jumping into the top three are slim, the proposed 24-team playoff format may be a detriment in some ways for certain teams.

However, the idea is a wholly unique one, and would no doubt be a great way to stir up excitement for hockey and the league as a whole.

A handful of NHL players have proposed the idea of a late-July restart to the 2019-20 season, with the Stanley Cup being awarded in September then the 2020-21 season starting in November. The league, however, remains in a standstill as the impact of the pandemic continues to echo throughout the world.

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