Win the Cup, Not the Draft

The NHL teams have, once again, voted for change. Thanks to the Detroit Red Wings, who argued that playoff success is the real formula for how well a team does each season, the NHL Entry Draft will reflect this idea starting with this year's draft in Columbus. Basically, the major change is that the Stanley Cup winner gets to draft 30th, and the Stanley Cup runner-up gets to draft 29th.

TSN reports that the new format will work as follows:

- The 14 non-playoff teams will be seeded in inverse order of regular-season finish, just as they used to be, with the draft lottery remaining the same.

- Teams that lose in the first round of the playoffs, except those that won regular-season division titles, will be slotted next in inverse order of regular-season point totals.

- Regular-season division winners that did not advance to the Conference finals will be slotted next, in inverse order of regular-season point totals.

- Teams that make the Conference finals will be slotted next, in inverse order of regular-season point totals.

- The two teams that make it to the Stanley Cup final will get the final two picks: No. 29 for the Cup finalist and No. 30 for the Cup champion.

Is this fair? It depends on who you ask. The six teams which voted against the change were the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals. The Montreal Canadiens abstained. All remaining NHL teams voted in favor of the change.

This should make positioning for the playoffs over the next few weeks even more interesting. Read the full report here from TSN. Keep your sticks on the ice!