On the night the Edmonton Oilers won the 2015 draft lottery, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and small group of club representatives, league personnel, accountants and a pool reporter were gathered in a sealed off, sequestered room in the Sportsnet offices in Toronto. To prove it wasnt rigged in any way, Bettman held up a fresh copy of the Globe and Mail newspaper, reading the date as a way to timestamp the moment. As it would turn out, it was completely unnecessary, because nobody would accuse the league of rigging what ultimately happened.
It was the first year of a two-year draft lottery transition that lowered the odds for the worst teams to win the lottery.
We are here to determine the order of the first 14 selections of the 2015 NHL draft, using a weighted lottery system to eliminate any perception that clubs had any incentive to play less than their best during the regular season, Bettman announced.
The Sabres were the favorites, but had just a 20 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick and Connor McDavid. Edmonton had just an 11.5 percent chance. Four lottery balls were sucked out of the lottery machine and there was a brief pause as those in the room checked to see which team owned those four numbers and would be picking first.
Which team has that combination? Bettman asked.
Edmonton, came the answer.
The Edmonton Oilers have that combination and have won the draft lottery, Bettman announced.
No smile. No congratulations. And perhaps thats how the NHLs commissioner has to respond. Cant show favoritism.
But any fun of having this moment recorded was gone.
The envelopes for the public presentation started being packed. There was a reminder that everyone had to stay in the room. The video, later released, ends a bit awkwardly.
And you can now stop recording, Bettman says to the camera.
Last years draft marked the fourth time in six years that Edmonton won the No. 1 overall pick. And while we got to see a few reactions to the lottery win as it was unveiled, its probably a good thing the rest of the leagues general managers werent being taped as the announcement became public.
This is the second year of the draft lottery changes, and theyre even more spread out than last year.
This year, the lottery will be used to assign the top three spots, not just No. 1 overall. There will be three draws instead of just one, with the possibility that the leagues worst team could end up drafting fourth overall.
General managers will be watching the results closely, because theres still some dissatisfaction right now with the current process and the motivation to tear down rosters to improve draft chances.
No other business rewards people for being [bad] on purpose, said one GM.
On Tuesday, we polled 12 NHL GMs to get the sense as to whether or not they wanted more dramatic change to the lottery system than the ones that have been implemented.
And for the most part, the transition to the current system has placated a majority. Seven of the 12 NHL general managers said they didnt want to see any changes made, preferring to see how the current system plays out this spring before weighing in.
I think we need to give it a few years to see the effect and how many in the bottom three pick in the top three, said a Western Conference GM. We need to give this a chance.
This is typically how it goes when changes are made, as it should. The changes are put in place and given an opportunity to play out.
According to one NHL source, the chances of any draft lottery changes coming out of next weeks GM meetings are small.
But if there is a change to be made, it would be at the very top.
This new system was put into place before Edmonton won another draft lottery, and the frustration that a team can monopolize the top of the draft so frequently remains high.
Theres an undercurrent of general managers whod like to see limitations put on how many times a team can pick first overall. If the Oilers land the No. 1 pick again, that undercurrent may become a tidal wave.
The common theme among the guys I talk to is that what has happened where you get the top pick multiple years in a row is the issue nobody is happy with, said a Western Conference GM. I am sure it will be a continued topic of discussion after the first time through with the changes that have already been made.
Limiting the number of times a team can pick first appealed to GMs who seemed otherwise content letting the current system play itself out.
The bigger debate may ultimately center around how many years would have to go between first overall picks if limitations are put into place. One GM suggested a system where teams that select first overall or in the top three two years in a row would automatically be slotted outside the top five in the next draft.
Something of that nature, I believe, creates the fairest landscape and does not allow teams to profit continually for on-ice failure, he said.
Another suggestion was even more extreme. If a team picks first, it can pick no higher than fifth the following year. This GM also suggested that teams should be limited to just one No. 1 overall pick every five years.
We cannot reward futility, he said.
There were other suggestions to improve the draft lottery, including a surprising number of respondents who wanted every non-playoff team to have exactly equal odds of picking first.
Theres a group of GMs who want the 14 non-playoff teams thrown into a pool, and the lottery draft order randomly picked from those teams with exactly the same odds.
Then you cant tank, said an Eastern Conference GM.
I would rather reward teams trying to make the playoffs that miss by one point than teams that are not even trying to win games, said another GM.
Its fun in theory, but a long shot.
The way these things typically play out is the current lottery adjustments will be given an opportunity to take root and then be examined closely.
But if the Oilers win the lottery again this spring, get ready for another change.
