NHL draft in Montreal postponed, could be moved to conference-call event

The NHL draft and its lottery for non-playoff teams were postponed and will be held on new dates, the league announced Wednesday.

The league cited the uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus as the reason for the postponements.

The draft was scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal. New dates and the location will be announced in the future.

There is a possibility the draft will be held via a conference call between the league and its 31 teams, but that has not been determined.

The draft lottery determines the order the non-playoff teams will pick, but its date can’t be determined because the regular season has been suspended by the coronavirus outbreak.

In addition, the league said its scouting combine, scheduled to be held in Buffalo from June 1-6, and its June 18 awards show in Las Vegas were postponed. Those events may not be rescheduled this year.

The scouting combine gives scouts a chance to evaluate players based on physical testing and interviews.

Brent Flahr, a Flyers assistant general manager who supervises the club’s scouting department, said he and his staff have a strong read on the 2020 draft class even without the combine.

When the regular season was suspended, the Flyers had 89 points, the sixth-highest total in the NHL, and had 13 games left.