Dead last is locked up.

[Bench]

Can we just cancel the last 11 games now? Nobody wants to watch them, we've got last locked up, and coronavirus is starting to take off here in the states. I don't see any sense in playing those games.

Literally the only reason to play these games out is as scrimmages for the kids. There's value there at least. It's difficult for me to remember a time when the games mattered less. Having last locked up with so much time remaining... yikes.

 

[Barry Amsterdam]

nice to know we have three players to choose from now. so who do we want rossi/drysdale or Raymond

 

[Hen Kolland]

No you're not. 4th pick doesn't mean that's the 4th best player. Go revisit any draft to prove it to yourself. For the record I would be devastated if we didn't get a top 3 pick. We are clearly the worst team in the league over 20 points LOWER than the second worst team! This season has been very painful to watch and we never get lucky I'm so sick of all of this bs....

Fourth best player on our draft board doesn’t mean they will be the fourth best player. I’m not even suggesting that.

 

[ArmChairGM89]

I'm not. That's our worst case scenario. Which I'm fully expecting based on our past lottery luck...

I like 3 guys pretty equally after lafreniere so I don’t feel a lot different picking 4th - 2nd

 

[ThankGord]

Literally the only reason to play these games out is as scrimmages for the kids. There's value there at least. It's difficult for me to remember a time when the games mattered less. Having last locked up with so much time remaining... yikes.

Most of these guys are RFAs and playing for their next contract so these games matter with regard to their future at least.

 

[Henkka]

Can we just cancel the last 11 games now? Nobody wants to watch them, we've got last locked up, and coronavirus is starting to take off here in the states. I don't see any sense in playing those games.

No..?

They are playing their best hockey right now, when the tank-mode is off.

 

[odin1981]

I'm hopeful for the #3 pick.

 

[Bench]

Most of these guys are RFAs and playing for their next contract so these games matter with regard to their future at least.

Earning more money is always a nice incentive!

 

[ThankGord]

Earning more money is always a nice incentive!

I'm just out here rooting for 20 wins ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[SirloinUB]

I'd love to get to 49 points. It would be fun to be better than Colorado during peak years as well as the rebuilding years. Poetic even.

 

[Retire91]

Can we just cancel the last 11 games now? Nobody wants to watch them, we've got last locked up, and coronavirus is starting to take off here in the states. I don't see any sense in playing those games.

Hahaha but then all the remaining opposing teams won't get their Bye.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Can we just cancel the last 11 games now? Nobody wants to watch them, we've got last locked up, and coronavirus is starting to take off here in the states. I don't see any sense in playing those games.

So is that why the games have been half empty most of the season? Covid-19?

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

I understand the league wants to solve a tanking problem (that isn't even that bad) but it's absolutely asinine for a team on pace to be one of the worst teams ever and only have an 18.5 chance at 1st overall.

Theses leagues (NHL and NBA) hate tanking but created a system that this is the only way to become good.

 

[MabusIncarnate]

It's good to secure a top 4, i'm really trying to control my hype and expectations. I can't help but to keep thinking about the hype for Hughes and Kakko, and the season they are both having right now, and the expectations versus reality.

I am not, at all, declaring bust, or even hinting, but the moves New Jersey made in the offseason, people were pretty high on the team they were taking into this season, some thought they had a chance to compete for a bottom playoff spot.

Point being, even if it is first overall, it doesn't mean we are all of a sudden going to be better in the short term. There's still a lot of work to do to improve this team, and there's a couple years ahead similar to this season. I'm trying to remain realistic, and keeping my expectations in check. Having a talented player to help build around is exciting though.

 

[14ari13]

I did not know that the last 3 seasons we were bumped down each season.

This time we get 4th at worst.

 

[DetroitRed]

So, the draft lottery system doesn't discourage tanking after all, it's sole purpose. I'll set that up here. And actually, it's made tanking more imperative, because if they had better picks each round, the last few times they got bumped, then there would be less need for better picks now. The drafty lottery encourages tanking.

 

[13to40]

Securing last... automatic top 4 draft pick... not a bad season after all.

In all seriousness though, if we don’t get Lafreniere or Stutzle I will be vastly disappointed. I’m not saying the other top candidates are in any means “busts” or don’t have the potential to be superstars of their own, but since prior to Christmas those have been the players I have been watching closely (lafreniere by default since he’s always being talked about) and I think it would be a travesty if the worst team doesn’t get one of the best players...

 

[14ari13]

Securing last... automatic top 4 draft pick... not a bad season after all.

In all seriousness though, if we don’t get Lafreniere or Stutzle I will be vastly disappointed. I’m not saying the other top candidates are in any means “busts” or don’t have the potential to be superstars of their own, but since prior to Christmas those have been the players I have been watching closely (lafreniere by default since he’s always being talked about) and I think it would be a travesty if the worst team doesn’t get one of the best players...

Yzerman was picked 4th and had a much better career than the 3 picked before him.
Forsberg had a better career than Lindros.

 

[Run the Jewels]

The goal when you are terrible is to maximize your chances of acquiring young, cheap elite talent. We did everything we could this year and have positioned our team to acquire an elite talent at the draft. The closest we came to tanking was trading off Tatar, Nyquist and Athanasiou. That's not tanking, none of those guys are true difference makers. Sure if we overpaid for all of them and kept them around we would have missed the playoffs at a much later date but hey we already went down that path with Holland signing our RFAs and UFAs to terrible contracts and look where that got us.

We've maximized our chances at eventually being good again in 4-5 years. Now it is up to our scouts. Thank god the NA scouting department was revamped this season.

 

[Killerjas]

The goal when you are terrible is to maximize your chances of acquiring young, cheap elite talent. We did everything we could this year and have positioned our team to acquire an elite talent at the draft. The closest we came to tanking was trading off Tatar, Nyquist and Athanasiou. That's not tanking, none of those guys are true difference makers. Sure if we overpaid for all of them and kept them around we would have missed the playoffs at a much later date but hey we already went down that path with Holland signing our RFAs and UFAs to terrible contracts and look where that got us.

We've maximized our chances at eventually being good again in 4-5 years. Now it is up to our scouts. Thank god the NA scouting department was revamped this season.

I still have nightmares about the horrible NA focused 2017 draft.

 

[Oddbob]

Annoying on the main boards hearing lots of crap from playoff teams fans that the lottery should be equal like it was in 2005 because 70 games isn't enough to determine a fair draft lottery setup! Not only that, but we literally already took home dead last. If this ends up being anything close to reality I would call conspiracy BS!

 

[14ari13]

Annoying on the main boards hearing lots of crap from playoff teams fans that the lottery should be equal like it was in 2005 because 70 games isn't enough to determine a fair draft lottery setup! Not only that, but we literally already took home dead last. If this ends up being anything close to reality I would call conspiracy BS!

The main board is nothing to worry about. They are always wrong.

 

[Shadywing19]

Still think the draft lottery needs tweeking. There is no way a team that missed the playoffs by a point on the last night of the year should have a shot at 1st overall. Max a team should b able to move up is 5 spots or something. I mean it is what it is, and we'll end up with a great player regardless.. but if a team just outside the playoffs wins the laf lottery, imma be piiiiiiiissssed..

 

[Pavels Dog]

Still think the draft lottery needs tweeking. There is no way a team that missed the playoffs by a point on the last night of the year should have a shot at 1st overall. Max a team should b able to move up is 5 spots or something. I mean it is what it is, and we'll end up with a great player regardless.. but if a team just outside the playoffs wins the laf lottery, imma be piiiiiiiissssed..

You know the lottery system will be tweaked eventually, it just sucks that the Wings are a bottom feeder right in the moment in time where being a bottomfeeder gives you the worst odds at high picks.

 

[Oddbob]

Imagine an Avs fan on the main board of all fans complaining that the Avs are getting screwed if the season is scratched and not getting to be part of the draft lottery. Would he have that same issue in 16-17 when the Avs were our level of bad? Not bloody likely!