Draft lottery
The Draft Lottery is being televised by TSN, but wont be "live", as they will
just be announcing the selections as they are done.
Here is more info about the important dates involving ratification of the NHL CBA.
JUly 21- NHLPA will vote on CBA
JUly 22- NHL to vote on CBA, also announce rule changes, and draft
lottery will take place.
-July 23: Buyout period begins; also begins the period to negotiate with 2003 draft picks and teams' own free agents.
- July 28: 5 p.m. EDT deadline for signing 2003 draft picks (otherwise they re-enter 2005 draft); deadline for exercising club/player options for 2005-06 season.
- July 29: 5 p.m. EDT deadline for player buyouts.
- July 30: NHL entry draft in Ottawa. Modified version with only top prospects invited and cut down from nine to seven rounds.
- July 31: 5 p.m. EDT deadline to extend qualifying offers to clubs' own free agents. Qualifying offers are needed to retain rights of restricted free agents.
- Aug. 1: Official free-agent signing season begins.
- Aug. 10: Players notify teams whether they've elected salary arbitration.
- Aug. 11: Clubs notify players whether they've elected to bring them to salary arbitration.
- Aug. 12: NHL and NHLPA schedule arbitration cases.
- Aug. 15: Qualifying offers expire automatically.
- Aug. 22-Sept. 1: Salary arbitration hearings.
