The NHL will not delay the upcoming 2021 draft and it will proceed as scheduled in July, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The league was reportedly considering pushing the draft as late as the summer of 2022 and potentially even holding back-to-back drafts. Many general managers supported the idea.

Due to COVID-19, many hockey leagues around the world have either been playing modified seasons or haven't been playing at all. Evaluating eligible players has become much more difficult for NHL teams as a result.

"We've had different issues associated in Europe as well," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said last week, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "And that is compounded by the fact that the club scouts, who are charged and employed to scout these prospects, to learn about them and to advise their clubs on those prospects, haven't been able for the most part to travel or watch them in person."

The 2021 NHL Draft is scheduled to take place July 23-24.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.