The NHL’s offseason is always a hotbed of anticipation, speculation, and, at times, controversy. But this year, the league has managed to ignite a firestorm unlike any in recent memory. As the dust settles from the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles—a night that was supposed to celebrate the league’s future stars but instead left fans frustrated and bewildered—the hockey world is reeling from yet another jaw-dropping decision.

With criticism still echoing through arenas and social media feeds, Commissioner Gary Bettman and league officials have doubled down on a format that many argue has stripped the draft of its excitement and tradition. Instead of heeding the overwhelming backlash, the NHL appears determined to stick to its guns, setting the stage for a 2026 draft that could prove even more divisive.

Across North America, players, coaches, and fans are left wondering if the league’s leadership truly understands what makes hockey great—or if they’re simply out of touch with the very people who keep the sport alive. As the countdown to the next draft begins, one thing is clear: the NHL’s latest move has everyone talking, and the stakes have never been higher.

Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 2025 NHL Draft was widely criticized after being slow, long and awkward, but now Gary Bettman and the NHL have made the shock decision to keep the same format for 2026.

The NHL Draft is one of the most highly anticipated events on the league calendar, but in 2025, the NHL failed mightily as they tried to switch things up for the first time in league history.

In 2025, they went to a decentralized draft, meaning that no one from the front office was present to greet their draft picks, and while there was a chance that this could be a hit, the event was widely criticized for being long and boring.

On top of that, draft picks had to have video interviews with the front office just after being picked, and with technical difficulties and very awkward moments, this made for horrendous viewing for fans.

The belief was that after this backlash, things would change for 2026, but now, TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that things will go back to exactly the same format for next year, and unless big changes are coming, it could backfire in a big way.

It’s well known that General Managers and owners in the league care more for themselves and their teams than the fans, and if there was any doubts about that, this latest ruling has personified exactly that.

Ultimately, the hope is that there can be enough changes made so that the draft can be somewhat enjoyable for fans, because if the league try to make the event the same in 2026 as it was this past season, it will be seen as nothing but a horrendous decision for the National Hockey League.