Ryan Wilson: Time For Drastic Changes In How Teams Acquire Young Talent In NHL Time For Drastic Changes In How Teams Acquire Young Talent In NHL

According to other teams posters on this site, the Pens will be the beneficiaries of a rigged Bettman lottery so we're good to go.

The Penguins are the original "tank" team, Mario anyone?

I've seen "the best non-playoff team should draft 1st overall" idea before. And I like it. Or put the bottom 14 teams in the league into some sort of quick 3 game series type playoffs during the first round to "playoff" for draft order. Either way still gives a stuggling team a good pick, but makes it competetive, rather than seeing full on tanks.

I still prefer a draft approach just to ensure even distribution of talent.

Opening up incoming players to all teams would create an unfair advantage to teams in big markets (LA, NY, etc..) and hurt teams like Winnipeg, Calgary, Edm, etc..

EDIT: Also, if you opened it up like RW suggested, this season you would have seen many NHL teams clearing cap space to throw big money at McDavid. Just look at the NBA to see what that has done. That is actually worse IMO than having a few (2-3) already bad teams tanking. You would have 10-15 teams altering their roster makeup for a chance to sign the best player.

The Penguins are the original "tank" team, Mario anyone?
- Stalemate

ok, so what? if that doesnt happen pittsburgh may not even have a team, let alone of been fortunate enough to witness multiple generational talents like mario, jagr, sid, geno, and of course francois leroux

so im glad they tanked to get mario, if we had gotten 2nd pick and lander kirk muller, as good as he was he wouldnt solely have been able to prevent the team from leaving the city

I still prefer a draft approach just to ensure even distribution of talent.

Opening up incoming players to all teams would create an unfair advantage to teams in big markets (LA, NY, etc..) and hurt teams like Winnipeg, Calgary, Edm, etc..


- 87_71_11_29

as far as edmonton goes, theyve had plenty of opportunity with all of their high end draft picks, why should they be allowed to continuously get top 3 picks and then proceed fail at developing them, my point being, a team could be terrible for ever, always get top 3 picks, and if their management/scouting/development is terrible then they could still potentially never become a contender or even get out of the basement

In no way can I support a no-draft system. However I very much like the idea of points accumulated determining the draft order. However, rather than a system that starts once a team is eliminated, I like the idea of the point clock starting from a fixed point like after the trade deadline. This would insure that the bottom-feeders have to play all out down the stretch as their main competition would be teams fighting all out to try and make the playoffs. This would add alot of intrigue on top of the playoff race intrigue and make every game meaningful down the stretch

Bottom 14 go into a single elimination playoff. the top teams 1-6 get a buy, 7 vs 14, 8vs 13, 9 vs 12, 10vs 11... winners of those play.. leaves 2 teams plus the top 6.. gives you eight..reseed another bracket of 8... single elimination again...13 games total and you've put together a totally exciting process for teams to get the first over all pick- and the non play off teams potentially get another couple home games... as far as draft order, when 4 team go out in the same round, jsut rank them based on their regular season fionish..best to worst.

You'll never see the draft go because owners and GMs know they need structures in place to control salaries, and young players are the easy place to start. They know they need

I absolutely support a system that does away with tanking and rewarding intentional failure, though. I don't care if it's a "best record after TDL/elimination from contention" arrangement, or something like the proposed wheel of picks the NBA considered. I'm just sick of sports teams being rewarded for failure.

All teams not making the playoffs should receive an equal chance to win the lottery. All playoffs teams should also have the opportunity to win the lottery albeit a very small chance. Remove the reward for tanking and hopefully it stops.

Shocked the Devils are so high on this list.

As far as the draft. I like the idea someone proposed of the draft order rotating based on some pattern, so every team gets the 1st overall every 30 years. Could be interesting.

ok, so what? if that doesnt happen pittsburgh may not even have a team, let alone of been fortunate enough to witness multiple generational talents like mario, jagr, sid, geno, and of course francois leroux

so im glad they tanked to get mario, if we had gotten 2nd pick and lander kirk muller, as good as he was he wouldnt solely have been able to prevent the team from leaving the city



as far as edmonton goes, theyve had plenty of opportunity with all of their high end draft picks, why should they be allowed to continuously get top 3 picks and then proceed fail at developing them, my point being, a team could be terrible for ever, always get top 3 picks, and if their management/scouting/development is terrible then they could still potentially never become a contender or even get out of the basement
- JLT168

No matter what approach is taken to disperse incoming talent, nothing can overcome incompetent management.

Also, a lot of it falls on luck. The Pens picked top 2 the 2 years 87 and 71 happen to be available. I am quite sure things would have played out differently if they were having to choose amongst RNH, Hall, Seguin, etc.. over a 2 yr period.

as far as edmonton goes, theyve had plenty of opportunity with all of their high end draft picks, why should they be allowed to continuously get top 3 picks and then proceed fail at developing them, my point being, a team could be terrible for ever, always get top 3 picks, and if their management/scouting/development is terrible then they could still potentially never become a contender or even get out of the basement
- JLT168

I don't understand why a team should be penalized for not drafting well. If an organization continuously fails at drafting then that is on the organization to make the necessary changes to fix the problem. If they don't then they will continue to put a poopty product on the ice which in theory would hurt the attendance and thus force ownership to make the changes. No matter how it works out that is for the teams to do, not for the NHL

ok, so what? if that doesnt happen pittsburgh may not even have a team, let alone of been fortunate enough to witness multiple generational talents like mario, jagr, sid, geno, and of course francois leroux

so im glad they tanked to get mario, if we had gotten 2nd pick and lander kirk muller, as good as he was he wouldnt solely have been able to prevent the team from leaving the city



as far as edmonton goes, theyve had plenty of opportunity with all of their high end draft picks, why should they be allowed to continuously get top 3 picks and then proceed fail at developing them, my point being, a team could be terrible for ever, always get top 3 picks, and if their management/scouting/development is terrible then they could still potentially never become a contender or even get out of the basement
- JLT168

So nothing, the blog is calling out teams for tanking and says NHL should change the draft rules. The current draft rules have helped the pens orginization more than any team in the NHL.

I personally have no problem with teams tanking.

So nothing, the blog is calling out teams for tanking and says NHL should change the draft rules. The current draft rules have helped the pens orginization more than any team in the NHL.

I personally have no problem with teams tanking.
- Stalemate

I didn't take it as a call out of teams, so much as calling out the status quo and system that rewards failure and intentional non-contention.

I liked some of the models I've seen that calculated the draft order based off a 5 year window as opposed to the previous season. That way you could include some metrics that value a teams "good" performance not just solely the bad part. So, for example, part of the formula could be the # of times in the last 5 years you made the playoffs. More playoff appearances equals a greater chance at the top pick. Combine something like that with the fact you had a poor record for say 2 of those years, add it all up, and spit the numbers out. Tiebreakers are the teams with the BEST record the previous season.

Also, you could have some hard rules in place where a team cannot pick in the top 3 in consecutive years, a team can only have the #1 pick a single time within a 5 year window, etc..

This shouldnt be a surprise to anyone. The Pens are hoping Kap and Sundquest are the difference makers in the playoffs. There is nobody in WB that is even 4th line NHL talent.

I like the draft, but I dont think very many 18 yr olds are ready for the NHL. Its pretty rare and you often forget the names of the draft picks by the time they can help out. A better entry program might be better to get players ready. The AHL isnt good for that.

There is a really good SI article a few months back about the Wings top Euro scout. Hes the one that found Dats. Its like a cold war game keeping players on the DL and trying to find how they might work in the NHL. The Wings seem to have it figured out and Grand Rapids has been a great farm system for them.

If Kap and Sund dont work out for the Pens, its going to be a long road to recovery.

The Pens are hoping Kap and Sundquest are the difference makers in the playoffs.
- sammy87

They are?

The Penguins should be more active in signing college FAs.

Wow what a brutal blog. The Penguins wouldn't even have a team right now had it not been for the draft saving their franchise. All high and mighty these days. You guys picked top 5 for 5 years in a row. What a joke.

The Penguins should be more active in signing college FAs.
- acdc1206

Indeed, being a contender should be all the more reason to creatively acquire talent.

This is the best solution, imho. Takes all human nature out of it. You know today where you'll be drafting for the next 30 years.

http://grantland.com/the-...ttery-hello-to-the-wheel/

Simple. Fair. Can't be rigged.

So is that how you felt before the Pens were good and they were tanking for guys like Fleury, Malking, Crosby & Stall? Or we're you one of those guys who became a Penguins fan AFTER they drafted Crosby?

I think the easiest way to do it is you can't have consecutive Top 3 draft picks. It would be very easy to do since starting next year the Top 3 draft picks are lottery anyways. This year the Top 3 looks like Buffalo, Edmonton & Arizona so next year they get omitted from the lottery all together. If Buffalo finishes last again then they get to draft 4th instead of in the Top 3.

It lets team rebuild but they don't get as big of an advantage with drafting 3 1st overalls in a row like Edmonton, or those 4 Pittsburgh players we're all consecutive Top 2 picks. This chart really demonstrates the odds of a player succeeding in the NHL, and you can see a big drop off after the Top 3 picks.

http://assets3.sportsnet....ploads/2015/02/chart4.jpg

This tanking word is annoying, can't a team just be bad?

Just makes the percentages relatively equal for all non-postseason teams in the lottery.