The NHL’s chief content officer Steve Mayer told Puck Daddy’s Josh Cooper that the league will televise the Vegas Golden Knights’ expansion draft.
Such a TV event will take place in the same general location and timeframe as the 2017 NHL Awards in Vegas, according to that report.
This news comes on the heels of a report by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun that GMs wouldn’t disclose each team’s list of protected players. Such a report inspired more than a few people to wonder if the league was leaving a great opportunity on the table.
The big problem with the NHL is that it constantly forgets it's in the entertainment business.
— Jonathan Willis (@JonathanWillis) March 8, 2017
This is a short-sighted idea. Don't let GMs make this call. Expansion draft shrouded in secrecy does NHL and fans what good? https://t.co/f4MSxA8zzg
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) March 8, 2017
So, it sounds like the NHL will take advantage of the abundant TV potential of an expansion draft, even if some of the details need to be ironed out. Maybe the league could manage a way to take advantage of the expansion draft while also trying their best to avoid awkward and difficult feelings for players and GMs?
Either way, it’s heartening to hear that the league is looking to milk at least some of the entertainment potential out of this situation, even if the specifics feel a bit cloudy.
(Likely because those final decisions reportedly still need to be made.)