A majority of NHL teams voted in October in favor of decentralizing the draft.

That means no more draft tables. No more team representatives announcing picks onstage. The NHL will move to a format similar to what the NFL and NBA do, where teams call in their picks from separate locations, like the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters.

Mayer and Bubolz hope The Sphere makes the NHL reconsider.

“I’m hopeful enough of the right people from the league … after this event that they say, ‘Hey, maybe we should rethink this and continue it in its existing format.’ If not, that’s part of the evolution,” Bubolz said. “I lead with (the) fan when I think of the NHL’s opportunity. If it’s more fan-friendly to do it this way, then I think we should keep doing it this way, but I also respect the hockey side of this piece.”

Mayer believes this draft has a chance to be one to remember. He said it’s possible the in-person draft is going out with a bang.

“I do think, personally, that it will make people think about the decision,” Mayer said. “We haven’t decided on where we’re going next year. We haven’t made that call yet, and we’ll hear the reaction when it’s all done.”

Hockey town

The draft isn’t the only NHL event coming to Las Vegas this week.

The league’s annual awards show will take place Thursday at BleauLive Theater inside Fontainebleau. The event is back in Las Vegas for the 11th time since 2009 but the first time since 2019.

The packed schedule is just another sign of how much hockey has grown since Bettman awarded Bill Foley a franchise in 2016. It’s also a significant milestone for the Knights, who have wanted to host the draft for years.

“Truly, I think we’ve become a real hockey town, and that’s been fun to watch develop,” Bubolz said. “I think we believed from Day 1 that we could win here and build a special situation here in Las Vegas. I think we all would admit that it happened faster than anyone would’ve believed.”

Mayer said Las Vegas has turned into a place NHL fans want to visit because of the endless number of theaters and venues at its disposal.

The Knights’ on-ice success has helped. It’s made the city a place the NHL has chosen to visit time and time again.

“It used to be the event capital and entertainment capital of the world,” Mayer said. “Let’s face it. It’s slowly becoming a sports capital.”

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