The NHL floated a “trial balloon” earlier this week with the idea that the 2020 Entry Draft could be held in June, before a potential restart for the 2019-20 season. That brought up all kinds of questions about how the draft order would be determined and if teams would be able to complete trades, something draft day has been known for in the past. On yesterday’s edition of Insider Trading for TSN, Pierre LeBrun explained that he asked around front offices to gauge their response to the idea.
LeBrun states that 15 teams gave him a “hard no” on the idea of a June draft, with only five open to the idea. That kind of response certainly won’t help the plan get off the ground, meaning we may have to wait until after the season concludes to get the draft over with.
- One player that won’t have to wait for the draft to find out where he’ll play next year is Mathias Brome, a 25-year old forward that has spent the last three seasons in the SHL. Rick Dhaliwal of TSN reports that the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings are “in the mix” to sign Brome once the new transfer agreement comes into place. With 17 goals and 43 points for Orebro HK this season, Brome ranked sixth in league scoring and could be considered an option to step directly into the NHL.
- Max Martin didn’t get drafted when he was eligible either, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be playing professional hockey. The Kamloops Blazers standout has signed a one-year contract with the Texas Stars of the AHL for the 2020-21 season, giving him a chance to show what he can do at the next level. The 20-year old defenseman had 14 goals and 58 points in 57 games after an early-season trade from Prince Albert. The Blazers just so happen to be owned by Tom Gaglardi, who also owns the Dallas and Texas Stars.