Deen’s Daily: Decentralized Draft is Staying; Kovalenko’s NHL Stint Ends

One of the Avalanche’s more hyped prospects in recent memory is heading back to the KHL. Also, shockingly, NHL general managers seem like they want to give the decentralized draft another try.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — July 12.

Colorado Hockey Now

Remember how fun it was to follow Nikolai Kovalenko’s KHL last season when it was clear he was going to make the jump to the NHL? It was only 15 months ago that we saw him make his debut in the postseason with the Avs.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for him after the Avs used his value as part of the package that landed Colorado starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. I don’t think anybody is going to complain about that trade anymore. It looks like a huge win for the Avs.

But for Kovalenko, it didn’t do him any good. The Sharks coaching staff wasn’t a fan, and now he’s on his way back to the KHL.

Read More: Former Avalanche Forward is Heading Back to the KHL

Also, check out my trade targets to shore up the Avs’ center depth if you haven’t already.

Use promo code Deen10 to get 25% off an annual subscription to CHN+ content.

Read More: 7 Trade Targets That Could Solve the Avalanche’s 3C Hole (+)

Around The NHL

Decentralized Draft: Nothing is official yet, but it looks like we’re leaning towards another year of the decentralized draft. NHL general managers got to vote, and the overwhelming majority are still in favor of keeping it. This in itself is a surprised given all we had heard about how much harder it was to make trades and communicate with other teams in a remote setting.

I really thought most GMs didn’t enjoy the experience, but I guess the privacy of individual war rooms won them over. Let’s hope the NHL can do a better job of making this a more watchable product next June.

Reporting on this only because I’m a bit surprised by the outcome. Expect the NHL to give the Decentralized Draft model another try next year. Strong majority of GM’s voted in favour of the new status quo with some potential production tweaks to move the 1st round along.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 12, 2025

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dan Kingerski answered questions from Penguins fans on the current state of the team. This reminds me, it might be time for another Avalanche Mailbag soon.

Philly Hockey Now: Evaluating the Christian Dvorak signing. It was quite the head scratcher, I’ll admit.

San Jose Hockey Now: Ryan Reaves knows what his role is with San Jose. He also spoke about what went wrong with the Leafs.

Florida Hockey Now: The repeat champs had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. Now, the daily celebrations begin.

Vegas Hockey Now: The Knights are hoping Kaeden Korczak can take a big step in his game. Especially after the contract they gave him.