Draft position - Tank/Win? Upcoming Schedule, etc.

[Vinny Boombatz]

To be fair, we've been playing teams we should be able to win against. The schedule coming up will be difficult to continue winning.

3/16 - Detroit (winnable)
3/18 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/20 - Nashville (unlikely)
3/21 - Tampa Bay (unlikely)
3/23 - Florida (unlikely)
3/25 - Washington (unlikely)
3/27 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/29 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/31 - Washington (unlikely)
4/2 - Los Angeles (winnable)
4/4 - Dallas (winnable)
4/6 - Vancouver (winnable)
4/8 - Minnesota (unlikely)

it seems likely that we win 4 out of the remaining 13. We should remain in 29th place.

 

[Jakey53]

I'm not really mad. We seem to be doing better largely on the strength of guys like Domi, Dvorak, and Chychrun.

You have to add Rieder, Martinook and Perlini in that mix as well.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Some competence earlier in the season would have been nice. It's great that the kids have survived this (well, most of them) but the team didn't need to struggle as hard as it did.

Even though I have argued this so much, I practically am blue in the face...

You had 7 or 8 true 1st/2nd year players on the roster. They are learning how to compete as PROFESSIONALS. Not as players who are simply better than their peers. If you expected competence and perfection from the start, then you have way too high of expectations.

We were only slightly more competent to start last season, helped by some veterans who were not going to take the same risks as some of our kids did. Duclair and Ekman-Larsson were fantastic last year. Not the same this year.

 

[Jakey53]

Technically, we did the job that we were supposed to that year. The team with the 3rd best record actually won the draft lottery, and there is no way to control if another team wants to super tank it. I suppose we did have something like the 10th best PP, so we could have just ate **** on the PP.

Pho has it right - lots of ups and downs. Lots of new players. Instead of embracing why we don't suck enough or suck too much, just understand that this takes time and celebrate that we are doing well at a time when most teams start to pick up their games to make the playoffs.

Correct, and don't forget, we could be adding two or three blue chippers next year. Very exciting times ahead.

Some competence earlier in the season would have been nice. It's great that the kids have survived this (well, most of them) but the team didn't need to struggle as hard as it did.

Yeah, your right, bad coaching.

 

[SniperHF]

To be fair, we've been playing teams we should be able to win against. The schedule coming up will be difficult to continue winning.

3/16 - Detroit (winnable)
3/18 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/20 - Nashville (unlikely)
3/21 - Tampa Bay (unlikely)
3/23 - Florida (unlikely)
3/25 - Washington (unlikely)
3/27 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/29 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/31 - Washington (unlikely)
4/2 - Los Angeles (winnable)
4/4 - Dallas (winnable)
4/6 - Vancouver (winnable)
4/8 - Minnesota (unlikely)

I'd actually put the the Blues and Panthers in the winnable category. The Blues really aren't that great and the Panthers have been dreck lately.

There's even an argument for Minnesota/Washington but I think Minnesota's recent performance has clear explanations and I consider Washington a pretty horrible match up for us. So I wouldn't move them over but both of those team's recent play hasn't been up to their usual standards.

 

[Jakey53]

Even though I have argued this so much, I practically am blue in the face...

You had 7 or 8 true 1st/2nd year players on the roster. They are learning how to compete as PROFESSIONALS. Not as players who are simply better than their peers. If you expected competence and perfection from the start, then you have way too high of expectations.

We were only slightly more competent to start last season, helped by some veterans who were not going to take the same risks as some of our kids did. Duclair and Ekman-Larsson were fantastic last year. Not the same this year.

Agree 100% with ya. Also add in first year vets and I think we started the season with 12 new faces, and of course we lost Smith two games into the season.

 

[PhoPhan]

I certainly would rather have the first pick than the 15th, but the top 15 or so players in this draft would all occupy roughly the same spot on an organizational ranking of Coyotes players under the age of 23.

This is a weak draft because the guys at the top are not as enticing as the guys you can usually grab in the first few picks, but that weakness does not cascade all the way down the list.

 

[Spirit of Lindgren]

I don't mind if anyone within the organization decides to tank
As long as they rebate some of my ST money and go in on my gas to the arena.
I think they have been tanking all year.
What they really ought to do is to spread a rumor within the team that some new rule has been written to allow teams to look at them for trade purposes by the end of the first week of April..
That will insure 100% effort.

 

[cobra427]

I'm not really mad. We seem to be doing better largely on the strength of guys like Domi, Dvorak, and Chychrun.

I would say largely on Smith/Domingue(lately), but the team is better now.

 

[cobra427]

To be fair, we've been playing teams we should be able to win against. The schedule coming up will be difficult to continue winning.

3/16 - Detroit (winnable)
3/18 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/20 - Nashville (unlikely)
3/21 - Tampa Bay (unlikely)
3/23 - Florida (unlikely)
3/25 - Washington (unlikely)
3/27 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/29 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/31 - Washington (unlikely)
4/2 - Los Angeles (winnable)
4/4 - Dallas (winnable)
4/6 - Vancouver (winnable)
4/8 - Minnesota (unlikely)

it seems likely that we win 4 out of the remaining 13. We should remain in 29th place.

With Smith and Domingue playing well and the team playing better now, we could win 7 or more games. I think it will be more than 4 games for sure assuming we don't start mailing it in.

28 points in the last 24 games translates into a 96 point season, would get us into the playoffs just barely this year.

 

[rt]

Some competence earlier in the season would have been nice. It's great that the kids have survived this (well, most of them) but the team didn't need to struggle as hard as it did.

I meant mad about draft position. I am definitely mad that our coaching staff sucks ass.

 

[Sinurgy]

While it annoys the hell out of me that they have a knack for winning meaningless March games, I don't want them to tank. If there was a McDavid or Matthews available then absolutely but there's not so I'd prefer them to compete to the best of their ability.

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

Not sure how accurate this is, http://nhllotterysimulator.com/ But I just got

1.Detroit
2.NJ
3.Colorado

On my 5th try running it, the Coyotes made the top 3, getting second.

Edmonton will free-fall out of the playoffs and win the draft lottery.

 

[Matias Maccete]

Technically, we did the job that we were supposed to that year. The team with the 3rd best record actually won the draft lottery, and there is no way to control if another team wants to super tank it. I suppose we did have something like the 10th best PP, so we could have just ate **** on the PP.

Pho has it right - lots of ups and downs. Lots of new players. Instead of embracing why we don't suck enough or suck too much, just understand that this takes time and celebrate that we are doing well at a time when most teams start to pick up their games to make the playoffs.

IMO the job that year was to finish dead last to guarantee you get Eichel, so we didn't. Selling Yandle vermette and Z earlier would've probably ensured a dead last finish. Agreed on the second paragraph.

 

[rt]

Not sure how accurate this is, http://nhllotterysimulator.com/ But I just got

1.Detroit
2.NJ
3.Colorado

On my 5th try running it, the Coyotes made the top 3, getting second.

Edmonton will free-fall out of the playoffs and win the draft lottery.

It's exactly accurate.

And I just spun the wheel and got:

1. COL
2. ARI
3. NJD

 

[rt]

While it annoys the hell out of me that they have a knack for winning meaningless March games, I don't want them to tank. If there was a McDavid or Matthews available then absolutely but there's not so I'd prefer them to compete to the best of their ability.

Same.

 

[Rink Rage]

This teams possession numbers are still bad. I think they still have one more bad stretch in them.

 

[Rink Rage]

Not sure how accurate this is, http://nhllotterysimulator.com/ But I just got

1.Detroit
2.NJ
3.Colorado

On my 5th try running it, the Coyotes made the top 3, getting second.

Edmonton will free-fall out of the playoffs and win the draft lottery.

I got 1: Coyotes 2: Hurricanes 3: Red Wings

 

[BUX7PHX]

IMO the job that year was to finish dead last to guarantee you get Eichel, so we didn't. Selling Yandle vermette and Z earlier would've probably ensured a dead last finish. Agreed on the second paragraph.

Fair enough. There is a part in everyone that has enough pride to compete, even when the chips are stacked against. Even though that is a black eye when generational players are available, I would still prefer competing in that way, as opposed to actively trying to be as bad as possible. To-may-to, to-mah-to...

 

[Matias Maccete]

Fair enough. There is a part in everyone that has enough pride to compete, even when the chips are stacked against. Even though that is a black eye when generational players are available, I would still prefer competing in that way, as opposed to actively trying to be as bad as possible. To-may-to, to-mah-to...

I'd never want the players or coach to tank. Players and coaches losing intentionally would be disastrous long term. The GM should be the one who does it. I guess it's semantics at that point because I'm not sure it would be considered tanking, maybe more like just being set up to fail. Almost every other situation I wouldn't even want the GM to do that, I just think that year was unique. Fail hard enough and you get Jack Eichel, as a bonus you get a better shot at McDavid. I've said before that wasn't a tank for McDavid year, it was tank for Eichel. Even in a draft like last year where you had a great top 3 because of the new lottery IMO it wouldn't be worth it.

 

[Englishcoyote]

Would be great to put a good run together for the rest of the season and get guys like perlini, dvoark and Demi with more Pts under there belts and still grab a top 5 pick.

 

[Jakey53]

Fair enough. There is a part in everyone that has enough pride to compete, even when the chips are stacked against. Even though that is a black eye when generational players are available, I would still prefer competing in that way, as opposed to actively trying to be as bad as possible. To-may-to, to-mah-to...

For sure and the all the young players here and in Tucson know this team is rebuilding and spots will be available next year. It's up to the players to show they belong, so they never quit.

 

[WJF]

Tippet has a great track record in picking up wins when they least matter. He's cost us draft position in a number of years including the McEichel year. It's one of the reasons I detest him.

Management could have helped out by trading Vrbata but not sure it would have made a difference.

As long as Tippet is around these are the kinds of shenanigans we have to accept.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Tippet has a great track record in picking up wins when they least matter. He's cost us draft position in a number of years including the McEichel year. It's one of the reasons I detest him.

Management could have helped out by trading Vrbata but not sure it would have made a difference.

As long as Tippet is around these are the kinds of shenanigans we have to accept.

So, during our playoff runs, the February and onward push were wins that mattered the least?

I get what you are trying to say, but really? You pick out the McEichel year, but that is really the only year that we truly cost ourselves draft position, if it wasn't for a poor lottery outcome. One year out of his tenure that he picks up wins when they don't matter, but that means he "consistently" does that.

Pre-game Tippett speech tonight vs Wings: "Hey guys, this game doesn't really matter, so I want a win at all costs." Doubt it works like that...

 

[Murf]

To be fair, we've been playing teams we should be able to win against. The schedule coming up will be difficult to continue winning.

3/16 - Detroit (winnable)
3/18 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/20 - Nashville (unlikely)
3/21 - Tampa Bay (unlikely)
3/23 - Florida (unlikely)
3/25 - Washington (unlikely)
3/27 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/29 - St. Louis (unlikely)
3/31 - Washington (unlikely)
4/2 - Los Angeles (winnable)
4/4 - Dallas (winnable)
4/6 - Vancouver (winnable)
4/8 - Minnesota (unlikely)

it seems likely that we win 4 out of the remaining 13. We should remain in 29th place.

I could see the team winning 6 or 7 over that stretch. They are playing better now - an 8 game losing streak seems unlikely. Looking at the standings today, they could plausibly make it to 25th place, lul.