Reports this week indicate the NHL has decided it won’t make public the list of unprotected players available in this summer’s expansion draft. There’s a decent argument in favor of and in opposition to that decision, but for now, at least, hockey fans shouldn’t expect a guarantee they’ll know which NHLers have been left vulnerable to being selected by the Las Vegas Golden Knights when the draft takes place June 21.
While the league certainly needs reminding on a regular basis it’s an entertainment corporation and not a loose-knit gathering of extraordinary gentlemen, it doesn’t necessarily need the protected/unprotected lists to be revealed to the hockey world to ensure it starts out on the right foot in Las Vegas and to keep fans in the current 30 markets up to speed regarding their own team. Moves franchises make over the coming weeks will give sharp-eyed observers a very good indication of the plans each organization has for its players, and hey, in a world where spoilers happen left and right, a surprise or two very well could benefit us all.
That said, there are ways the NHL and its 31st franchise can ratchet up the enjoyment factor, both for Vegas fans themselves and fans of the sport in general. Here are three ways the league can optimize the expansion draft experience:…¨…¨
1. Vegas celebrities announce each pick. No offence to Golden Knights GM George McPhee, but he’s working in a city that is one of the top entertainment destinations on the planet. Rather than having him reveal, in a monotone voice, which players he’s selected, why not bring in a musician, group, comedian or actor with a connection to Las Vegas to announce each pick? Instantly, you’d have more buzz, a more pronounced hit on social media, and a permanent link between the performer and athlete that can be reflected on for years.…¨…¨
Britney Spears currently has a residency in Vegas. So does Jennifer Lopez. So does Celine Dion. Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Martin and Martin Short will be playing the city this year, and a myriad of name-brand celebrities like them could probably be persuaded to take an hour or two out of their day to step in front of a camera and be part of hockey and Nevada history. It’s a terrific way to promote both the new team and the acts that already are in town. Thirty players chosen, 30 celebrities to announce them.
Everybody wins, which is something you can rarely say in that city. And if any team should be taking advantage of the glitz and glamor side of athletics, it’s the Golden Knights; franchise owner William Bill Foley should do all he can to make his club’s biggest roster moves resonate inside and outside of the NHL world.…¨…¨
2. Instant interviews with selected players. Even if the public isn’t aware of which players could potentially be joining the Golden Knights, the players and their agents will be. How about coordinating with those players and having them sit near a computer or a camera during the broadcast so that, in the event they are selected, the league can interview them right away?
…¨…¨Sure, the team will fly in players for formal press conferences in Vegas in the weeks that follow the draft, but presenting them immediately – and not just over the phone in some quickly-orchestrated interview – would provide instant eyeball gratification to a fledgling fan base. You might even want to ship them a Golden Knights jersey to keep on hand and pull over their head during the interview in the event they’re selected. Every bit of momentum helps, and if you can build it right out of the gate, where’s the downside? There is none.
3. Include the fantasy element in the draft show. With the fantasy hockey industry still growing, there’s good reason to bring aboard a few experts on the broadcast who can weigh in with projections on how Vegas’ newest players will perform in the 2017-18 campaign.
A good debate on which NHLers will step up and generate points on what likely won’t be a playoff team in its first season will help drive interest in the expansion product, and a state that welcomes legalized gambling is a natural home for the fantasy hockey world.