Draft Lottery Night!!! (Devils win, move up to #4)

[Freudian]

The GM will put the team in the right situation to tank. Coaches and players for the most part are playing for contracts or jobs.

The teams that unloaded most good players (Ottawa with Fisher, Campoli, Ruutu, Kovalev and Kelly and Florida with McCabe, Wideman, Stillman and Allen) did pretty well down the stretch.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

I don't think we tanked on purpose here in Ottawa, we had an amazing amount of injuries and we would have never traded for a better goalie if we truly wanted to tank.

Here's to the 8.1% chance we win the lottery tonight, yeee!

 

[danishh]

i expect edmonton to keep 1st, but man, if ottawa gets it, the post-deadline season couldnt have gone more perfectly for us.

 

[Freudian]

Yes, going into the season with a top line of Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk NJ thought to themselves....Larsson would look might fine on the Devils. Nobody sets themselves up for failure at the start of the season....late in the season they most certainly do.

It is as realistic as your implied theory that Avs, despite being in the top of man games lost all season, decided when they were in a playoff spot early January to go for Larsson when Fleischmann went down for the season.

 

[boredmale]

I actually have a good feeling for tonight. But I'm gonna say that Oilers keep it, even if I think it's unlikely that they'll keep it again. I wish the other teams good luck tonight, it's gonna be exciting.

Well there always is the chance the Oilers keep it via team 6 -> 2 or team 7 -> 3, etc. Been years since that has happened(and only twice in 15 years that a top 5 team didn't win)

Statistically speaking a team 6 or lower winning should happen once every ~4 years

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

It is as realistic as your implied theory that Avs, despite being in the top of man games lost all season, decided when they were in a playoff spot early January to go for Larsson when Fleischmann went down for the season.

Actually it isn't, not even freaking close. There are plenty of teams in the playoff race who realize it just isn't their year and trade off assets at the trade deadline.

 

[AwesomePanthers]

Well there always is the chance the Oilers keep it via team 6 -> 2 or team 7 -> 3, etc. Been years since that has happened(and only twice in 15 years that a top 5 team didn't win)

Statistically speaking a team 6 or lower winning should happen once every ~4 years

Statistically, since Chicago won, the worst team should only won 2 of the 4 times too. Oilers got a 48.2% of keeping their selection, so there's a bigger chance that they lose it than keep it.

 

[Freudian]

Actually it isn't, not even freaking close. There are plenty of teams in the playoff race who realize it just isn't their year and trade off assets at the trade deadline.

Like Arnott, you mean?

 

[Brooklyndevil]

Only if you are prone to conspiracy theories. Some of the bad teams went on winning streaks late and some didn't. Expecting all of them to have a great second half to somehow prove that they aren't tanking is unrealistic. Remember, we are talking about the worst teams in the league here. Chances are a few of them will be the worst down the stretch too.

I'm not talking about the JFK assassination here, just saying that certain organizations seem to stop playing once they've been eliminated from the playoffs. I believe that to be sound analysis and not a conspiracy theory.

 

[Gwyddbwyll]

Good luck to Florida and the Isles.

Colorado is not the 2nd worst team in the NHL, far from it.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

Like Arnott, you mean?

And Lagenbrunner as well and we still didin't tank. There, I used the T-word.

 

[Freudian]

I'm not talking about the JFK assassination here, just saying that certain organizations seem to stop playing once they've been eliminated from the playoffs. I believe that to be sound analysis and not a conspiracy theory.

I believe that to be a construct for you to feel better about Devils season.

Ie, when Devils are really bad for half a season it's just because they are bad. When other teams are bad for half a season they are in reality doing it to purposely lose, because they clearly can't just be bad for half a season. That can only happen in the first half of the year.

Feeling smug about winning more in the last half of the season than the first is of course the prerogative of any fan base. I'm just pointing out how silly it is.

 

[R8Devs]

Like Arnott, you mean?

lol Arnott had somewhere around 2 points in the like the last 15 games he played, he was playing on the third line and wasn't a crucial part to our run as we continued it for a long time without him, he didn't want to be in NJ also he wanted to go to a team guaranteed to make the playoffs which is the caps.

 

[Freudian]

lol Arnott had somewhere around 2 points in the like the last 15 games he played, he was playing on the third line and wasn't a crucial part to our run as we continued it for a long time without him, he didn't want to be in NJ also he wanted to go to a team guaranteed to make the playoffs which is the caps.

And if I point out that the only trade deadline deal Avs made was Anderson (who had 89.7% saves and 3.28 GAA) for Elliot (who had 89.4% saves and 3.19 GAA), would you agree that the notion that Avs somehow tanked at the deadline and Devils didn't is absurd?

 

[MPStoEberletoHall*]

RNH or Larrson... cant go wrong as an Oiler fan. So 1st or 2nd doesnt really matter to me... Hoping we get RNH though

 

[Big McLargehuge]

And Devils first half was filled with normal ratios, you mean?

It's only tanking when other teams do it.


Shockingly bad teams are going to be bad, especially after being sellers at the trade deadline.


Hell, in Edmonton's case they were sans their top 5 scorers to end the season (4 injuries and the Penner trade) and their #1 defenseman. Considering this team couldn't win much with those players how exaclty are they supposed to win without them when practically everyone else in the conference is pushing for a playoff spot?

 

[boredmale]

Good luck to Florida and the Isles.

Colorado is not the 2nd worst team in the NHL, far from it.

If you want Colorado to draft 3rd you could add Ottawa and Atlanta to the list of teams that could overtake them

 

[Charlie Milles*]

Go Oilers.

 

[Warden of the North]

I'll be cheering for Colorado to win.

 

[umwoz]

Ottawa, Colorado, Edmonton. That's my prediction, as unlikely as it is. Although Edmonton might be upset to see RNH and Larsson gone before they pick.

 

[boredmale]

Ottawa, Colorado, Edmonton. That's my prediction, as unlikely as it is. Although Edmonton might be upset to see RNH and Larsson gone before they pick.

Well if Edmonton loses one of those 2 guys(if not both) will still be on the board.

 

[smokes lets go]

I have a gut feeling that florida wins it, of course i said the saem thing last year lol. If they do, cue the "Lottery rigged for South Teams"

 

[smokes lets go]

Ottawa, Colorado, Edmonton. That's my prediction, as unlikely as it is. Although Edmonton might be upset to see RNH and Larsson gone before they pick.

edmonton can only drop one spot so the worst they can land is #2

 

[BrinkOfGreatness*]

edmonton can only drop one spot so the worst they can land is #2

.yup.

 

[umwoz]

.yup.

How didn't I remember this? I could have swore it was 2.