The NHL’s Board of Governors met on Thursday, and while they discussed matters big and small, they’ll need to hear the NHLPA out before making any significant changes.
Maybe the most important - or at least most timely - issue was tweaking the draft lottery to discourage “tanking.” Here’s an explanation regarding how the league would do so, via TSN’s Pierre LeBrun:
The league has proposed smoothing or compressing the odds among the 14 non-playoff teams for the 2015 draft and then increasing the number of selections determined by the lottery in 2016.
That last part might be the most important piece of information, but teams shouldn’t go all-not-in to win Connor McDavid just yet, as it sounds like there’s a chance the changes could be implemented by 2015:
Apparently there is a chance that NHL draft lottery changes could be in place for '15 draft. Depends how fast NHLPA gets back to league.
— Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) June 26, 2014
Either way, the alterations would need to pass the NHLPA’s vote, so it’s too early to get hyped up about that. Sportsnet’s Damien Cox points out some other changes that needed union approval before going through, including the curious continued fixation on spin-o-ramas in shootouts:
NHL govs still waiting to hear back from NHLPA on new rules on embellishment and banning spinarama for shootouts.
— Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) June 26, 2014
It sounds like several notions were approved, though:
NHL board approved 7 minor rule changes today, including expanding trapezoid and going with long change for regular season OT.
— Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) June 26, 2014
No word on the five other minor tweaks, but we’ll pass any news along if it surfaces.