Should the NHL change the Draft rules

[Pens1566]

curious as to why?

So if a team continues to suck after 6 years of picking first overall, they should continue to get the 1st pick. The system should be changed to the NBA type lottery as said.

It's fine the way it is. I mean the pens only got Daigle reincarnated with last year's first pick.

 

[Kvashinator12]

It's fine the way it is. I mean the pens only got Daigle reincarnated with last year's first pick.

This thread has nothing to do with the Penguins, but teams continuously sucking in a cap era of hockey. With a level playing field not team should continuously suck.

 

[#66]

This thread has nothing to do with the Penguins, but teams continuously sucking in a cap era of hockey. With a level playing field not team should continuously suck.

To a point I agree but thats the reason that I hate the 18 year old draft age. Teams have to pay for developemental years or wait for players to finish school. If you look at the Pens highly drafted rookies this year alot were called up out of nesessity and not because they were finished products. They didn't start the season in Pittsburgh and IMO only should have seen a handfull of NHL games. Of coarse Crosby is the exception to the norm and pretty much only comes around once every so often.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

The Blues went to the playoffs 25 years in a row before Bill Laurie pulled the plug on the team this season in a pissy fit over losing (through his own actions) $60 million over the last 2 seasons. (Or $90 million over the last 3, pick whichever set of numbers you like.) The last time St. Louis picked in the top-10 was in 1989; every other franchise has had at least 2 top-10 picks since then. The Blues haven't even been eligible for one in that timeframe, much less been able to use one. (This includes the 5 1st-round picks sent to Washington for Scott Stevens.) They've now sucked for one whole season.

Solution? Lump 'em in with Pittsburgh, Chicago, Columbus and Washington and accuse them of intentionally sucking and claim that they shouldn't suck in the era of the salary cap.

I understand it's apparently cool right now to hate on the teams in the league basement, but c'mon. Please understand that not everyone has been bottom-feeding the last however many years, and a few teams could actually use some help getting back to at least where they've been for the last 2 decades.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

The Blues went to the playoffs 25 years in a row before Bill Laurie pulled the plug on the team this season in a pissy fit over losing (through his own actions) $60 million over the last 2 seasons. (Or $90 million over the last 3, pick whichever set of numbers you like.) The last time St. Louis picked in the top-10 was in 1989; every other franchise has had at least 2 top-10 picks since then. The Blues haven't even been eligible for one in that timeframe, much less been able to use one. (This includes the 5 1st-round picks sent to Washington for Scott Stevens.) They've now sucked for one whole season.

Solution? Lump 'em in with Pittsburgh, Chicago, Columbus and Washington and accuse them of intentionally sucking and claim that they shouldn't suck in the era of the salary cap.

I understand it's apparently cool right now to hate on the teams in the league basement, but c'mon. Please understand that not everyone has been bottom-feeding the last however many years, and a few teams could actually use some help getting back to at least where they've been for the last 2 decades.

Though I agree with you about the Blues, why slam the rest of us?

Rebuilds take time, when are people going to get that through their heads? Columbus was built from scratch and has not wasted their opportunities and should be good sooner rather than later. Washington tore themselves down and rebuilt only a couple of seasons ago. Pittsburgh is in the fourth real losing season, fifth year of a rebuild and were in the conference finals before that. Chicago hit bottom but will emerge too. Remember as well that the economics of the game had become so whacked the last few years before the new CBA that mediocre players were becoming millionaires FORCING teams like Pittsburgh to give up an all-star team of talent for nothing. Imagine if Pittsburgh could have kept that talent, they would be cup favorites right now. Instead we get blamed for where we are, which is like getting held up by gun point and while we are handing over the money being told that we brought this on ourselves.

Long and short of it is, defend the Blues, I agree with your pemise there entirely. But you need not slam the rest of us to do it.

 

[St.Louis sports fan]

wouldn't it figure that the one year the Blues get a top 5 pick that people want to change the process that would potentially take it away? This is a new era in hockey where alot of talent is going to move to the "BOTTOM" teams from year to year so it may be a moot point to want to do away with the current system.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Though I agree with you about the Blues, why slam the rest of us?

It's not a slam at anyone. I'm pointing out that when people throw out the unimaginative, "they're tanking the season" statement, they're not bothering to look at who's done what in the last several years.

Besides, was there any of this talk when the Rangers were missing the playoffs perpetually? Was anyone concerned about the fairness of the draft when Carolina was struggling after moving from Hartford?

Changing sports: I haven't heard anyone complaining that the Houston Texans have the #1 pick in this year's NFL draft even though they've sucked all of their existence, or that San Francisco has been lousy the last few years and has yet another high draft pick, or that Arizona is getting yet another top-8 pick after yet another season of 6-10 or worse. I don't remember anyone saying the Los Angeles Clippers shouldn't get another good NBA draft pick after yet another 27-55 season, or that the Chicago Bulls shouldn't have gotten good pick after good pick when Jerry Krause decided to dismantle the 2nd "Jordan and Company" three-peat.

Why is the NHL so special in needing to "fix how the draft is done"? If it's so bad and if it's so unfair, why haven't fans in the other 3 major sports leagues stood up in protest? Because they realize what the draft is supposed to do - help the bad teams to once again become good and help the league try to achieve parity.

If it takes a team 7 years to get good again, it takes 7 years. Christ, the Arizona Cardinals have had one season better than 8-8 in the last 18 seasons despite continually picking high in the NFL draft, and no one's saying they've had enough turns at the "get better for free" cafe, that it's time to help teams like the Steelers, Patriots, Colts, Seahawks, Panthers and Eagles get a shot to improve so they can have a chance to win a league title at some point in their existence.

If anyone here doesn't like how the draft is put together, tough. It's not going to change anytime soon, no matter how much you stamp your feet and complain about how much you think teams are abusing the system.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I certainly can not disagree with a word of the above IB.

 

[ShadowFax]

People make these threads out of jealously pure and simple. They see how Ovechkin and Crosby etc are doing and they want a player like that on their team. Its not enough that they are already in the playoffs. They have to have good draft pics as well. This is like the 20th thread on this topic in the last 3 months. You would think the point would have been made by now....

 

[Wisent]

I'd like to see them do the lottery type thing that they did for the 2005 draft. That was a really fair system they had in place and it also means that teams can no longer be bottom feeders and will actually have to compete but there is no guarantee that they will even get a pick in the top 10. It's a great concept and it forces every team to be competitive. No more crap about intentionally tanking to be possibly rewarded with the first overall choice. It also means more competitive and better hockey. Everyone wins in the end.

The last time a team tanked to get a first rounder was the Sens in 94 I believe. Isn`t it very bad for a team to tank anyways? They lose many fans and the arena will be empty during that bad season. I imagine a team tanking is economically a desaster. They tank not for the first draft pick but because they failed to get competitive by signing free agents (Washington).

 

[Ted Hoffman]

The last time a team tanked to get a first rounder was the Sens in 94 I believe. Isn`t it very bad for a team to tank anyways? They lose many fans and the arena will be empty during that bad season. I imagine a team tanking is economically a desaster. They tank not for the first draft pick but because they failed to get competitive by signing free agents (Washington).

It was '93, and the Sens got Alexandre Daigle.

 

[HockeyCritter]

or just about as dumb as Pens fans touting their team to go to the playoffs easily, and possibly the Cup. Teams shouldnt be rewarded for sucking every year.

They’re not rewarded for “sucking†--- high draft picks are compensation for having an abysmal season much as going to the playoffs is a reward for having a good season. In theory “sucky†teams should be able to improve by adding a high draft pick or two to their prospect pool. Now, why some teams continue to wallow in the basement might have more to do with inadequate scouting and the inability to effective develop talent – and that is a completely different story.

 

[Seph]

It was '93, and the Sens got Alexandre Daigle.

Would've been better off not tanking quite so hard and getting the #2 pick.

 

[HockeyCritter]

curious as to why?

So if a team continues to suck after 6 years of picking first overall, they should continue to get the 1st pick. The system should be changed to the NBA type lottery as said.

Or perhaps the owner should look to his scouts, GM, and coaching staff and figure out why they are still “sucking†after six years of top picks? If a team is picking that high that many years in a row (short of expansion) it seems (to me anyway) to indicate a problem with the franchise and not the league.

 

[HockeyCritter]

This thread has nothing to do with the Penguins, but teams continuously sucking in a cap era of hockey. With a level playing field not team should continuously suck.

Continually sucking in a cap era of hockey?

Unless I’ve pulled a Rip Van Winkle, this is the first year of “cap era hockey†----- to say the Pens, Hawks, or Caps have “continually sucked†is erroneous. If these teams continue to haunt the bottom of the NHL ranks in three or so season, then and only then you might have a point.

 

[Kardi]

The Penguins didn't finish last last year...there was no ****ing season last year. We got Crosby on pure luck and draw.

no.. it was more of a 'which team needs crosby the most to survive'

 

[Burgh32]

IMO, a lot of this backlash comes from people just being a tad bit jealous of the circumstantial situation that the Penguins find themselves in. They were in the right place at the right time to take Lemieux and Jagr, two legends in hockey history. Now, they seem to be in the right place at the right time to do the same thing again. You may hate the fact that it's happening to the Penguins again, but that doesn't meant that the draft system is messed up. Do people really hate the system? Or is it something else?

BTW, whoever said it before is spot on - mediocrity is the only thing that is not rewarded in hockey. You'd better be real good and have a shot for the cup or flatout suck. If you're mediocre, you're rewarded with a shot at selecting a potentially marginal player.

 

[Chainshot]

Since when is losing games considered a blessing?

Teams go through bad times, often the result of previous front-office or previous ownership decisions. If a team loses games, they lose games. If that means they draft high -- even first overall -- more than one year... so be it. In the land of competitive balance, teams go in cycles. It's the nature of sport.

 

[boredmale]

no.. it was more of a 'which team needs crosby the most to survive'

If you are implying it was a fix that the penguins won it, I would counter by saying if the league was worried about it's best interests he would have went to the Rangers.

 

[Transported Upstater]

personally i wish they did it NBA style. Put all 14 teams that don't make it into a draw that each has an equal chance and pick 3 teams to pick 1-3. Make an event out of it.

For teams that continually suck they should still get good picks with the 4th and 5th picks.

The NBA lottery is weighted.

 

[boredmale]

The NBA lottery is weighted.

even if it is weighted, the NHL should seriously consider doing this. Even if it's only 1 team that gets to move up to spot one, the NHL should make an event of it. Imagine how many fans will tune into the 2nd intermission of an NBC game just to see if there teams get a better pick(that's 14 teams fans).

It's all about the entertainment, and for teams with bad records, they still would get a decent pick no mater what.

 

[StrBender]

I think the Bruins should get the first pick The way that they have (su$ked) played this year it would only be fair to the Jacob family.

 

[GoPenguins]

Rather than moan about the teams like the Pens being rewarded for sucking, why not be thankful that your team might have a shot at the playoffs, and the Cup? If you asked Pens fans which they'd rather have, another top 5 draft spot, or to be competitive and winning enough to be in contention for a playoff berth, you'd get a pretty strong response for wanting to see team success over a 'rewarding' draft pick.

After all, that is what all NHL teams compete for - the Stanley Cup - not draft position.

 

[A Good Flying Bird*]

I'm drafting a rule that states that no team is allowed to win the cup twice in a row.

Difference is, you EARN the cup.
You don't EARN anything when you finish last.

I'd like to see a draft formula where everyone gets a chance at the first round pick. We've got a salary cap to keep things even. We don't need to give teams the first shot at a superstar every year.
I think it's a disservice to the game to see teams sell off players and tank on purpose once they realize their playoff chances are slim to none.

Every year, people complain about about top teams resting players in the playoff drive. But do you here fans complaining that a top team sold off it's top scorers with a month to go?

I'd like to see the worst team get 30 names in the hat and the best team get 1 name in the hat. And you go from there.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Difference is, you EARN the cup.
You don't EARN anything when you finish last.

I'd like to see a draft formula where everyone gets a chance at the first round pick. We've got a salary cap to keep things even. We don't need to give teams the first shot at a superstar every year.
I think it's a disservice to the game to see teams sell off players and tank on purpose once they realize their playoff chances are slim to none.

Every year, people complain about about top teams resting players in the playoff drive. But do you here fans complaining that a top team sold off it's top scorers with a month to go?

I'd like to see the worst team get 30 names in the hat and the best team get 1 name in the hat. And you go from there.

Ann Arbor Michigan? Another Detroit Fan I assume who is sickened by the idea that they get to go deep in the playoffs and have to draft near the bottom year in and year out, eh?

God, how I wish some of the ones whining about this could get their way. The Pens, who this is aimed at because they got lucky and their 4% chance at Crosby came through last August, are very unlikely to be drafting anywhere near the lottery for the next decade or more. Detroit and some other teams are mostly old as the hills and will have to be rebuilding soon just like St. Louis, Toronto, and other teams who had been used to playoff spots year in and year out found out this year. So by all means change the lottery rules so my Pens have a chance at a number one pick when they are in the playoffs and contending for a cup in a couple of years. Then see how you feel when we add a number one pick to Malkin, Crosby, Johnson/Kessel, Fleury, Whitney, Orpik and on and on AFTER we finish first in the conference. Be careful what you b*tch for, you might get more than you bargained for.