Overview

• The NHL’s board of governors approved retaining the remote draft format for next year in a majority vote this week.
• Teams highlight reduced travel expenses and quicker access to hockey operations staff as major advantages of the decentralized approach.
• Fans and media blasted the new model for losing the live-event atmosphere and comparing it to a video conference.
• Technical glitches and overlapping audio stretched the 2025 first round to over four hours, slowing down the selection process.
• Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has pledged straightforward fixes aimed at improving timing and broadcast reliability in the next edition.