Teams Tanking
- Thread starter NHL Dude 120
- Start date
Pyrophorus
Registered User
I don't see any team doing a Buffalo for McDavid type tank.
Given the bottom teams from last season:
1) Toronto - could be injecting a lot of youth into their lineup, which is likely to result in a lot of bumps along the way. Part of the development process.
2) Edmonton - trying to be better. But, they have to prove that they can play well over a full 82 game season, which means surviving injuries
3) Vancouver - not planning on tanking, but a lot of things need to go their way. No one player needs to have a huge season, but a lot of players need to have good years for them, which is not likely to occur.
4) Columbus, not planning on tanking, but their mix isn't that great. Can't expect Dubois to step in and be a #1 centre yet.
5) Calgary - should be better. No tanking in Burke's world
6) Winnipeg - not planning on tanking. In fact, they should be aiming to make the playoffs and if they don't that should be considered a failed season. Have enough young talent in the system. It's go time for them.
7) Arizona - hard to say. They could have over $18 million of cap space in a retired/LTIR player to start the season. So, not exactly shouting out that they are aiming to make a run this season. Injecting youth and needing a goaltender to recapture old glory.
8) Montreal - don't acquire Weber with the intention of tanking
9) Buffalo - they should be aiming to make the playoffs. But, Lehner needs to stay healthy and play like a #1.
So, no one is aiming to tank. But I could see Columbus/Arizona doing so if they get off to a poor start in the first quarter of the season. Vancouver, simply because they need a lot to go right, could be in sell mode by the all-star break. Toronto, if their youth crumbles under the pressure of the spotlight. Same with Edmonton. Asking players to be consistent for an entire season. Kassian has never done that. Maroon was with a Cup calibre team in Anaheim, who felt they didn't need him to compete for the Cup and ate part of his salary to get rid of him. Says something. And so on.....
Definitely a bad team but they also tanked in the 2nd half of the season.
They shut down JVR instead of even trying to get him back to win a few more games. Playing Garrett Sparks for 12 of the last 22 games is tanking.
Management allowing a team to tank generally doesn't really happen till January onwards with the only real candidates being teams that are already bottom dwelling.
I could see Arizona or New Jersey tanking if they're in the basement because they've both fairly new GMs who've got the luxury of time in their tenure to pull off a move and still be around to see the benefits and the credit for it down the road (as opposed to the next GM taking the credit).
Zhamnov5GoalGame
Former Director of GDT Operations
Lessons learned from even thinking of tanking.
2015 - 16 was the first season where the Jets were in a position to finish near the very bottom. So, many fans jumped on the tank band wagon.
The logical argument of giving yourself a better chance at the top picks does make sense. But cheering against your own team is the dirtiest and WORST feeling for sports fans.
In the final week the Jets did a California road trip and swept the powerhouse teams; even coming from behind in the final game which knocked us down to 6th place.
In the end horseshoes fell out of our butt and we get the 2nd pick. Had we lost those last games as many people were cheering for we likely would have picked 4th, 5th or 6th.
Moral of the story... just cheer for your team.
2015 - 16 was the first season where the Jets were in a position to finish near the very bottom. So, many fans jumped on the tank band wagon.
The logical argument of giving yourself a better chance at the top picks does make sense. But cheering against your own team is the dirtiest and WORST feeling for sports fans.
In the final week the Jets did a California road trip and swept the powerhouse teams; even coming from behind in the final game which knocked us down to 6th place.
In the end horseshoes fell out of our butt and we get the 2nd pick. Had we lost those last games as many people were cheering for we likely would have picked 4th, 5th or 6th.
Moral of the story... just cheer for your team.
EichHart
Registered User
He said it in one of the last games of the year in his pregame interview. I believe it was the last game because that was the game to clinch last place. There was a thread about it at the time, but to lazy to go look.
Beukeboom Fan
Registered User
Just IMO, but tanking is only done on purpose and you can't have an "accidental tank". In that case, you just have a bad team, which is 10x as likely as a real tank job.
Son of Frostback
Registered User
- Nov 20, 2014
- 357
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Mcnotloilersfan
I'm here, I'm bored
Lots of teams lose 1 goal games... I never understand the point of bringing that up. Leafs could get better and win those next year. So could Oilers, so could every other team. Those games are done now and have no baring on the future.
Leafs are full on tank mode. If they are playing 18,19,20 year old rookies up the wazoo then they are expecting to lose.
Of course 1st overalls don't get sent to the minors... so Matthews will play with the Leafs. However, if they keep Nylander, Marner, and their young D in the AHL... maybe I will change my opinion.
They were not middle of the pack except by some meaningless stats. Near bottom goals for and goals against. Fewest points and fewest wins. They were bad... maybe not Sabres the year before bad.
Without vets, I suspect the Leafs will even be worse this season... like their last 20 games but extended to 80 games.
The management indirectly acknowledged they tanked last year.
It's not hfboards without everyone saying Canucks suck and will be 30th place. I'm one of the few who thinks we will sneak in this year.
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
Edmonton has never tanked they have had nothing but horrible luck on the ice. Last 5 years they have beer top 5 in players games lost to injury. Everything they did just failed in the greatest way. People over look they won the draft twice.suggesting a team has been tanking for ten years is silly
Aladyyn
they praying for the death of a rockstar
I'm with you, the Canucks roster is not close to being bad enough for bottom 5.
Poignant Discussion*
I tell it like it is
Hilarious.
The only good vets that won't be back last year were Parenteau with his 20 goals, Phaneuf with his experience and Bernier from february onwards.
Parenteau's goals are the only thing that this team will struggle to replace.
That's it.
They're not a playoff team, but they won't be last if the goaltending is decent.
Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
The new draft rules have really gutted the incentive to tank - ie the a leafs were like 1 ping pong ball away from taking 4th overall.
It's going to be harder for management to sell to fans without that near guaranteed last pick as a reward.
It's going to be harder for management to sell to fans without that near guaranteed last pick as a reward.
Beukeboom Fan
Registered User
A lot of that horrible luck IMO is due to just epic-level fail in ownership/management. You can't just blame it on injuries, even though that did play a major factor for last year's team. That injury factor doesn't explain away the terrible coaching, drafting and roster decisions.
I think the new lottery rules promote tanking more than the old system. It may eliminate the guarantee to get the top pick, but it also promotes losing for teams outside of the playoffs. It also makes the decision to sell off at the deadline easier as there is added incentive to make your team as bad as possible to improve your chances at a top pick.
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
they just failed at everything for ten year--everything they tried failed big time
did they trade for players that were injured or told not to report to the team(leafs and sabres did)
Were they the ones that kicked up a storm when the NHL first tried to make the rules that went in affect for this last draft to take place in the Mcdavid draft?(nope that would be buffalo)
We are talking about out and out no trying to win--oilers tried win--they just had idiots at the helm
In Hindsight the Eakins signing was the biggest mistake of all time--however-monday morning QBS--fail to recall the bidding was that took place that summer--every team that needed a head coach was after him--no one knew how HUGE of a disaster that was going to be
The brought Quinn is cause he was good with the kids--but he was passed his prime
Renney came in but buckled under the Lowe plan playing all the kids and giving them a sense of entitlement
Krugar was and is a good coach and got the best out of the line up--however--certain players did not like him and Lowe trashes him out
Eakins--only good thing he was so bad he got us McDavid
it took Katz ten years to realize the old boys network is only good for meet and greets and not actually running a team
Erik Alfredsson
Beast Mode Cowboy!
- Jan 14, 2012
- 13,074
- 5,113
Toronto seems to be the only team in the league that has no shame in tanking in consecutive seasons, so my money is on them.
underdog
Registered User
Vancouver doesn't have a loyal enough fan base for a tank, they just won't show up to games if canucks are losing every night.
