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Several NHL Scouts Believe Gary Bettman is About to Make a Shocking Move Involving the Draft

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 6:35 PM ET

Several NHL scouts believe that there could be a major additional change for the upcoming 2025 NHL Entry Draft, which has already undergone a major change.

Months ago, the National Hockey League announced that the upcoming 2025 NHL Entry Draft would take place from June 27-28 at L.A. Live's Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

It would also mark the NHL's 1st decentralized draft, using the same format that NFL and NBA teams have used for years.

But given the current unrest involving multiple protests there remains a chance that the Draft could be moved to a new location.

If the Draft was moved, could a Canadian University with dormitory space be utilized?

Months ago, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman explained that this original idea of a decentralized NHL Entry Draft was supported by the teams.

And remember, the clubs asked for this. I wasn't looking for any more exposure. I have more than enough. But this is what the clubs told us they wanted, and we're going to try it. And we'll see after this year whether or not everybody likes it better.

The 2024 NHL Entry Draft was a successful event held at The Sphere in Las Vegas, and many fans would have liked to League to continue holding future Drafts in the venue.

But Bettman said it wasn't a practical thought for many reasons, including cost.

It wasn't practical to keep going back to the Sphere for a whole host of reasons, including what it cost. It was extraordinary. We spent multiples, maybe exponentially, of what we normally spend for a draft. But if we were going to finish off the way we did it under the old format, we were going to do it as big as we could.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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