Idea to stop teams from tanking

[WesMcCauley]

Turn the picks/lottery around between the teams that miss the playoffs. Team with the 17th best record gets the best chance at the #1 pick, worst record gets the 15th best chance or what it is now. That way if you miss the playoffs by very little you get rewarded with a high chance at a top pick, teams will do more to get into the playoffs and try to be competetive because they know if they barely miss, they very likely get a top pick. You still get a top 15ish pick if you finish last and if you want a better pick, try to improve your roster other ways.

Its just stupid to see teams give up on the season in january and this system would fix that....

 

[LamorielloAndSon]

Every time something like this comes up I want them to get rid of the lottery entirely and make it so last place always gets first pick

 

[Whiston532]

I don’t follow other teams too closely. But I REALLY think people think tanking is a much bigger/more common thing than it really is

 

[Soundgarden]

Again, people seem to think "Tanking" is something that happens annually, it does not. What does happen every year is that a team will be last place, it's reality, they most likely aren't trying to lose, they just suck. Tanking is when you lose on purpose.

Starting your AHL back up over your healthy starter so New Jersey can jump over you and you can draft Mario Lemieux is tanking, winning ten games in a whole season because your starting goalie is Peter Sidorkiewicz is NOT tanking it's just sucking. Someone has to be last, that does not mean they are cheating the system.

The system is, for the most part, fine. You can debate whether the lottery is good or not, I like the randomness, but the main purpose of the draft is to get the worst teams competitive.
If you really want to stop "tanking" then you put a cap on how many 1st overall picks you can have in an allotted time. If you draft no.1 this year then you can't draft no.1 again within the next three, or whatever.

 

[Name Nameless]

I don’t follow other teams too closely. But I REALLY think people think tanking is a much bigger/more common thing than it really is

Even it is not as big for the teams as we think it is, it is really annoying when you hear people start to root for losses. Just don't count the last games, and the problem is solved.

 

[sabremike]

Turn the picks/lottery around between the teams that miss the playoffs. Team with the 17th best record gets the best chance at the #1 pick, worst record gets the 15th best chance or what it is now. That way if you miss the playoffs by very little you get rewarded with a high chance at a top pick, teams will do more to get into the playoffs and try to be competetive because they know if they barely miss, they very likely get a top pick. You still get a top 15ish pick if you finish last and if you want a better pick, try to improve your roster other ways.

Its just stupid to see teams give up on the season in january and this system would fix that....

So here's a fun hypothetical your system creates: say a team enters the last day knowing a win sneaks them into a playoff spot but a loss means they get the 1OA and a Matthews/Crosby/Ovie ect. level franchise changing talent. That would open up one hell of a Pandora's Box.

 

[StoneHands]

These are the teams with the first pick in the draft recently. Where is there a tanking problem? The only thing I'm seeing is that it's not close to a guarantee that the last place team picks first.

2018: Last
2017: 3rd to last
2016: Last
2015 3rd to last
2014: 2nd to last
2013: 2nd to last
2012: 2nd to last

 

[Name Nameless]

So here's a fun hypothetical your system creates: say a team enters the last day knowing a win sneaks them into a playoff spot but a loss means they get the 1OA and a Matthews/Crosby/Ovie ect. level franchise changing talent. That would open up one hell of a Pandora's Box.

Seriously, OPs suggestion must be one of the worst suggestions I've read around this, essentially turning draft positions 1 to 15 upside down from where they are now. Throwing the bottom 10 teams in the deepest well you can find. I don't mean to sound mean... OK, I don't care if I sounds mean. It's a horrible proposal.

(Edit, I see I now extrapolated it to be last 15 teams, instead of the last 5 teams. But that's the next step, isn't it. ;-))

 

[LeafsNation75]

These are the teams with the first pick in the draft recently. Where is there a tanking problem? The only thing I'm seeing is that it's not close to a guarantee that the last place team picks first.

2018: Last
2017: 3rd to last
2016: Last
2015 3rd to last
2014: 2nd to last
2013: 2nd to last
2012: 2nd to last

I would only use the examples starting from 2016 since that was the first year where they had drawing for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd picks. In 2012 and 2013 only the bottom 5 teams had could win the 1st overall pick. It was not until 2014 and 2015 where all teams in the lottery could win the 1st overall pick.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

The team that finishes last should be forced to play in Russia for a year. Relegation.

Or firing squad.

There you go. Fixed.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

So far under the current draft lottery rules where they have three drawings for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd picks, these have been the results.

2016

Toronto retained 1st overall.

Winnipeg moved up from 6th overall to 2nd overall.

Columbus moved up from 5th overall to 3rd overall.

2017

New Jersey moved up from 5th overall to 1st overall.

Philadelphia moved up from 13th overall to 2nd overall.

Dallas moved up from 8th overall to 3rd overall.

Colorado dropped from 1st overall to 4th overall.

2018

Buffalo retained 1st overall.

Carolina moved up from 11st overall to 2nd overall.

Montreal moved up from 4th overall to 3rd overall.

I think that works just fine.

Those teams weren't even tanking. They were just bad.

Tanking almost never happens.

 

[Broad Street Buddies]

A relegation system like European football would be awesome.

It wouldn’t solve everything but you can bet your ass that Melnyuk wouldn’t need to study the AHL profitability for long before lining up the big bucks to keep Karlsson.

 

[StoneHands]

I would only use the examples starting from 2016 since that was the first year where they had drawing for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd picks. In 2012 and 2013 only the bottom 5 teams had could win the 1st overall pick. It was not until 2014 and 2015 where all teams in the lottery could win the 1st overall pick.

The point stands that there isn't a tanking problem. Teams can't simply lose and get the #1 pick.

 

[LeafsNation75]

The point stands that there isn't a tanking problem. Teams can't simply lose and get the #1 pick.

That's why the NHL has added the current lottery system. Under the previous one if you finished last place overall you were guaranteed no worse than the 2nd overall pick if you did not win the 1st overall pick. So when Tim Murray was the Sabres GM he knew 2015 was the last year under the old lottery rules and he did everything possible to have the Sabres finish last place overall to guarantee getting at least Jack Eichel. Plus Murray was the only GM who did not like the current draft lottery format when it was announced.

NHL changes draft lottery rules, punishes worst teams

Tim Murray isn’t going to like this.

The Buffalo Sabres general manager already registered his dissatisfaction with the NHL’s changes to its draft lottery, which were approved by the Board of Governors earlier this year.

The issue? The immediacy: They were due to go into effect for 2015, when super-rookies Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are available and when the Buffalo Sabres are expected to be abjectly terrible.

“You know who you’re affecting, that’s not fair,” said Murray.

The changes have now been approved by the NHLPA, and the NHL announced how the system will work for the most highly-hyped lottery since Sidney Crosby was the prize.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Teams don't tank. It's happened less than 5 times in history. This just punishes the bad teams that could use a boost to help get out of the basement.

 

[StoneHands]

That's why the NHL has added the current lottery system. Under the previous one if you finished last place overall you were guaranteed no worse than the 2nd overall pick if you did not win the 1st overall pick. So when Tim Murray was the Sabres GM he knew 2015 was the last year under the old lottery rules and he did everything possible to have the Sabres finish last place overall to guarantee getting at least Jack Eichel. Plus Murray was the only GM who did not like the current draft lottery format when it was announced.

NHL changes draft lottery rules, punishes worst teams

I get it and I know the history of the lottery system. My point remains that tanking is not an issue TODAY and hasn't been an issue for years because teams cannot simply tank and get the first overall pick.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I get it and I know the history of the lottery system. My point remains that tanking is not an issue TODAY and hasn't been an issue for years because teams cannot simply tank and get the first overall pick.

I agree and I'm only bringing up the lottery history because a lot of people claimed the reason for the current system was the Oilers getting the 1st pick in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015. However in terms of tanking for the best odds to get the 1st pick I say the reason for the current system is what the Sabres and Tim Murray did.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

No matter what happens, somebody's going to end up last. I don't know why people get so paranoid over this.

 

[sabremike]

That's why the NHL has added the current lottery system. Under the previous one if you finished last place overall you were guaranteed no worse than the 2nd overall pick if you did not win the 1st overall pick. So when Tim Murray was the Sabres GM he knew 2015 was the last year under the old lottery rules and he did everything possible to have the Sabres finish last place overall to guarantee getting at least Jack Eichel. Plus Murray was the only GM who did not like the current draft lottery format when it was announced.

NHL changes draft lottery rules, punishes worst teams

Of course the other GM's wanted the change because instead of 2 teams having skin in the game now 15 teams do. This wasn't some virtuous act, it was naked self interest disguised as a virtuous act.

 

[Daximus]

Outside of Toronto and Buffalo recently, I don't think tanking is an issue like these forums would suggest. There are a few really bad teams like the Oilers, but they never tanked, they were just really bad. I dont know why HF boards pushes this teams tanking narritive, but it just doesn't happen.

It has though. I don't see it as an issue though.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Of course the other GM's wanted the change because instead of 2 teams having skin in the game now 15 teams do. This wasn't some virtuous act, it was naked self interest disguised as a virtuous act.

Except no other teams were as obvious with their tanking like the Sabres were doing.

 

[pabst blue ribbon]

Except no other teams were as obvious with their tanking like the Sabres were doing.

Is that supposed to be bad?

 

[Cotton]

Outside of Toronto and Buffalo recently, I don't think tanking is an issue like these forums would suggest. There are a few really bad teams like the Oilers, but they never tanked, they were just really bad. I dont know why HF boards pushes this teams tanking narritive, but it just doesn't happen.

Get out with that, Buffalo and Arizona tanked, Leafs didn't tank.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Is that supposed to be bad?

It is when Murray actually lied that all the moves he made was so they would not tank, even though they obviously were tanking moves.

 

[sabremike]

Except no other teams were as obvious with their tanking like the Sabres were doing.

Which has nothing to do with what I just said. The Sabres were a pretext to get a system that literally gave half the league a shot at 1OA. 13 extra teams now have skin in the game, which was the real reason almost everyone wanted the lottery.