NHL GM Don Waddell claims decentralized draft played a 'big part' in lack of trades during Round 1 of 2025 event

Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell believes the decentralized setup of the 2025 NHL Draft was a major factor behind the limited trade action in the first round.

In previous years, team representatives would gather together in one arena for the draft. In past years, teams gathered in one arena for the draft, but this was the NHL’s first decentralized event (outside the COVID year), and it felt different.

Bettman addressed it pre-draft, asking for patience, but many hope the traditional format returns.

"This decentralized draft I think plays a big part of it. When you can't walk around the rink & just tap people on their shoulder and talk to them. When you're face to face, things always seem to happen better than on the phone," Waddell said as per The Hockey Writers' Mark Scheig.

With the 14th overall selection, the Blue Jackets chose defenseman Jackson Smith, followed by Russian goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov at No. 20.

The night’s most notable trade involved Columbus sending forward Gavin Brindley and two draft picks to Colorado in exchange for forwards Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood.

In total, only six trades occurred during the opening round on Friday.

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell's take on drafting Jackson Smith and Pyotr Andreyanov

GM Don Waddell expressed surprise that defenseman Jackson Smith was still available when the team picked 14th overall, as the Blue Jackets had him very high on their draft board.

“We had him really high on our list. I mean, we would have never, ever predicted he would be there at 14,” Waddell said of Smith. (per NHL.com)

Smith played the 2024–25 season with the Tri-City Americans in the WHL, where he topped all draft-eligible defensemen in the league with 54 points.

Waddell shared that selecting a goaltender in the first round had been part of their draft strategy all along. When Russian netminder Pyotr Andreyanov was still available, they grabbed him as he was the top goalie on their board and the next highest player overall they had ranked.

“Now I'm not a goalie expert ... but our goalie guys, (goalie coach Niklas Backstrom) and Brad Thiessen and Jimmy Viers all said, by far, they thought this was the best guy,” Don Waddell said.

Waddell praised Andreyanov's athleticism and competitiveness, noting that nearly every player surveyed said Andreyanov was the one player they would want to bring with them to their next team.