really clever with the cover picture Ek.

This proposal is just as ridiculous as selling children to be eaten.

looks like phoenix has the first overall pick for the next 5-10 years

Funny, because we've been hearing that he should've taken Seguin, Larsson and Murray for months now.
- Morris

Exactly my point, hard to make a bad pick at first overall, although there have been a few.

I'm not a huge fan of the idea, but it's better than what is currently in place. It's disgusting to see rich teams with fans that fill their arenas fail on purpose just to get the 1st draft pick.

This would eliminate that, or at least take a step towards eliminating that terrible management style.

I thought this policy was already in place vis a vis Edmonton!?
- 1979AD

Derp

really clever with the cover picture Ek.

This proposal is just as ridiculous as selling children to be eaten.
- Pomegrant

They're delicious in a stir fry.

Eklund: NHLPA Proposal Allows Bettman to Assign the #1 Pick To A Team in Trouble
- Eklund

Really stupid idea. You can change the lottery around so that teams have less of a chance to get consecutive 1st overalls, but assigning it based on financial failure is a bad precedent.

Frankly, I think capping contract length is enough to give smaller market teams a leg up in the competition: shorter investment, less chance to be saddled with a bad contract.

shouldnt the test be how he surrounds these draft picks? which, up until this point, has been with piles of poop?
- DoubleDown

Somewhere along the way he will need to find some d-men , unless his plan is to play old time Oilers hockey and just out score everyone and hope to get a Grant Fuhr type big save at 6-5 to win .

Is Barack Obama running the league now.... Lets give the first overall pick and reward a team for being burden on the good tax paying teams...

Real shocker. Keep up the good work delivering riveting and groundbreaking news.

I'm not a huge fan of the idea, but it's better than what is currently in place. It's disgusting to see rich teams with fans that fill their arenas fail on purpose just to get the 1st draft pick.

This would eliminate that, or at least take a step towards eliminating that terrible management style.
- comixzone

I'm not a huge fan of the idea, but it's better than what is currently in place. It's disgusting to see rich teams with fans that fill their arenas fail on purpose just to get the 1st draft pick.

This would eliminate that, or at least take a step towards eliminating that terrible management style.
- comixzone

Those rich teams like Edmonton, Columbus, Florida, New York Islanders....Those are the teams that are usually in the lottery....Your argument sucks

That's insane! The Leafs, Canadians, Rangers etc. will never ever be able to get the #1 overall pick.... EVER. That's rewarding failure and punishing success. So stupid. Not to mention drafting #1 overall doesn't mean increased profit.

shouldnt the test be how he surrounds these draft picks? which, up until this point, has been with piles of poop?
- DoubleDown

Yes to this.

I'm not a huge fan of the idea, but it's better than what is currently in place. It's disgusting to see rich teams with fans that fill their arenas fail on purpose just to get the 1st draft pick.


- comixzone

Fail on purpose? A team to purposely lose games just to get a percent chance of getting the first overall pick who may or may not be a bust. Wow you seem to have everything figured out...

Exactly my point, hard to make a bad pick at first overall, although there have been a few.
- Rang

I don't think we'd be in that worse a place with those three, though the likes of Gagner and Pajaarvi would be much more important on the team.

Former 2nd rounder Jeff Petry is developing pretty well (and that's in the pre-macgregor era i.e. "terrible"), so I'm holding out hope that some of those later rounders make an impact.

That's insane! The Leafs, Canadians, Rangers etc. will never ever be able to get the #1 overall pick.... EVER. That's rewarding failure and punishing success. So stupid. Not to mention drafting #1 overall doesn't mean increased profit.
- wolfos412

In the USA that qualifies them as a good Democrat..

Will never happen.

They did it with Crosby so I don't see the big deal. Plus not showing the actual lottery draw always makes it suspicious.

I seriously question the validity of this supposed proposal.

I do not believe it.

Wow, that's a horrible proposal.

Somewhere along the way he will need to find some d-men , unless his plan is to play old time Oilers hockey and just out score everyone and hope to get a Grant Fuhr type big save at 6-5 to win .
- Rang

We've actually drafted more Defensemen than any other position since the lockout. We do seem averse to using top picks on them like literally no other team in the league, but we do have some serviceable prospects coming through. Like you said, it's all about those 2nd rounders.

This could be the single-worst idea I've ever (frank)ing heard, and that's saying something considering the NHL's immense sample size.
- Travis Yost

I'm not a huge fan of the idea, but it's better than what is currently in place. It's disgusting to see rich teams with fans that fill their arenas fail on purpose just to get the 1st draft pick.

This would eliminate that, or at least take a step towards eliminating that terrible management style.
- comixzone

Ummmm, like who?

I wasn't aware this was a problem in the NHL.

Possibly the worse idea I've ever heard.