Fixing the NHL: How Draft Positions should really be Determined

Hello, Wilderness!

Today, I'm going to be continuing my Fixing the NHL series. Today's topic: how draft positions should really be determined.

Just like the NBA, MLB, and NFL, the NHL gives out the best draft picks to the teams that do the worst. There's also a lottery for the first overall pick, but otherwise, the rest of the picks are handed out in the reverse order of the final standings.

Every one of us sports fans thinks this approach is fine and we don't even think about questioning it. We believe it makes sense because bad teams should be able to have priority in the draft so they can catch up with the better teams next season.

So how could the NHL fix this you may ask?

At last year's Sloan Conference, Adam Gold, President of Winning Unlimited, LLC, brought up this idea of how to better determine draft positions.

Here's how it could work: The top draft positions will be given out based on points earned after getting eliminated from the playoffs. Once a team is bounced out of the playoffs, the clock on amassing points toward its draft position starts. Bad teams will still get the advantage in the draft (because of getting eliminated earlier), but now the emphasis turns to winning, not just riding the storm out.

The only thing that could be bad about this system is that it might be slightly more complicated, and thus it would take some getting used to. But, if all of us fans could figure out stats like OTL and ROW, this new system could just work.

What do you think about this potential idea for how draft positions should be given out?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments and poll below.