some teams are obviously a little better at strategic tanking than others given that potentially the 4 best players end up on only two teams.

i would make this modification: keep the lottery the same but add "chances" based on wins/percentage etc. that way a team that was competitive would be given a chance at the top picks (albeit slightly less than the 'worst' team).
i don't think it fair that a team that is already good enough to win the most games out of the non-playoff teams be given the 1st pick.

once a team is eliminated from the playoffs. then start counting there wins/2pts towards lottery. most pts get first pick

Not fair, this is the Wilds first tank job.

once a team is eliminated from the playoffs. then start counting there wins/2pts towards lottery. most pts get first pick
- c2rds

if you mean once any team is eliminated then start counting pts for all the teams from that point then that is brilliant! well done!

(except for teams often will have played up to 5 more games at that point and would be handicapped.....maybe like a hybrid pts/winning% equation??

Easy to write smack about because your team isn't good enough to win anything and not bad enough to secure a lottery pick. Have fun middling around 10th in the east for the next 5 years.

Not fair, this is the Wilds first tank job.
- MnGump

But it was fair last year when the Sabres did it once?

Easy to write smack about because your team isn't good enough to win anything and not bad enough to secure a lottery pick. Have fun middling around 10th in the east for the next 5 years.
- jackoc150

This is good analysis.

If you want to discourage tanking completely, just have a lottery to select the 1st to 14th picks. Every non playoff team would have a 7.142857% chance of drafting in any of those slots, including 1st overall.

If you want to discourage tanking completely, just have a lottery to select the 1st to 14th picks. Every non playoff team would have a 7.142857% chance of drafting in any of those slots, including 1st overall.
- The Shrike

that would do it. although the outright tanking is overblown to extent. there a few obvious examples but more often it is teams having to deal with bad trades, development, injuries etc that find themselves in that bottom third. i say once you're there it makes sense to trade assets to acquire prospects, picks etc so if the result is less on-ice success i think most fans understand it.
i am not sure i want the flyers winning a lot of games as my belief is that they are not good enough to go deep into the playoffs.......this was also my exact feeling in 2010 and they went to the finals so it is hard to predict what happens once the playoffs start

Ahh piss off. Some markets have a hard time getting great talent, because of weather, the media market, etc. How else do they build a winner?

In the old days it was ' unfair' to spend your way int free agency.


Show me a successful team in the last decade or 2 that neither tanked for picks or spent the cash on big name players?

This is good analysis.
- BINGO!

He's not wrong.

that would do it. although the outright tanking is overblown to extent. there a few obvious examples but more often it is teams having to deal with bad trades, development, injuries etc that find themselves in that bottom third. i say once you're there it makes sense to trade assets to acquire prospects, picks etc so if the result is less on-ice success i think most fans understand it.
i am not sure i want the flyers winning a lot of games as my belief is that they are not good enough to go deep into the playoffs.......this was also my exact feeling in 2010 and they went to the finals so it is hard to predict what happens once the playoffs start
- hogweed

Exactly. Buffalo and TO tanked last year...the Oilers tried to be better and sadly failed. Can't paint them all with the same brush.

This is good analysis.
- BINGO!

Did you mean "more gooder"?

He's not wrong.
- TheIronSheik

We'll be fine, thanks.

We'll be fine, thanks.
- BINGO!

Not that part, but the source of the bloggers issue is dead on from the perspective of the poster. Picking between 10 and 15 and missing the playoffs sucks from a building stand point, and I understand the bitterness.

Also, what do you consider ' fine' ?

So teams that are bad will just stay bad.

So teams that are bad will just stay bad.
- Blackstrom2

Yeah, I don't get how it helps league parity.

I know this might seem a little out there guys, but if a team is bad for the first half of the year, chances are they will remain bad for the second half of the year, regardless if they consciously tanked or not. Especially if they unload contracts for futures.

I know this might seem a little out there guys, but if a team is bad for the first half of the year, chances are they will remain bad for the second half of the year, regardless if they consciously tanked or not. Especially if they unload contracts for futures.
- Blackstrom2

The Blogger is just salty because his team has been in the same spot in the standings since they won the cup with zero progress. Had they been lower in the standings and won the lottery and McDavid he would be singing another tune.

Not that part, but the source of the bloggers issue is dead on from the perspective of the poster. Picking between 10 and 15 and missing the playoffs sucks from a building stand point, and I understand the bitterness.

Also, what do you consider ' fine' ?
- TheIronSheik

Like an 8/10

The Blogger is just salty because his team has been in the same spot in the standings since they won the cup with zero progress. Had they been lower in the standings and won the lottery and McDavid he would be singing another tune.
- TheIronSheik

No they haven't?

I'm going to be honest with you. After reading your opinion, I was wondering whether you're discussing the issue with tanking or just really upset with the Leafs and it's fans and it's media. I won't lie. You give off the impression that you really don't care about this topic as long as the Leafs lose the lottery in a triple bad way.
- systemtool

Edmonton fans are curiously bitter in a certain way about winning McDavid. The amount of articles I read with angry Oiler fans because they feel McDavid doesn't get enough attention or that their franchise is disrespected because of negative media attention to their current state is remarkable.

I feel maybe they expected with McDavid in Edmonton they were suppose to become the hockey apex given his hype the way Pittsburgh gets a ton of league attention with Crosby. The truth is McDavid gets plenty of press time and while he was injured there wasn't much to speak of because he wasn't healthy. Now he is back and great so its fun to watch. The other truth is because of Edmontons small market nature and years of getting #1's people are sick of them. Oiler fans congrats you got McDavid he is yours for a decade plus please put a decent team together. But the truth is McDavid in Toronto, a US market, or any where else would've been better then Edmonton, so the Oil will hear for a long time a sense of regret when media talks about McDavid there because frankly it sucks in a marketing perspective that's where he is. As a Sabre fan while I would've completely hated Toronto getting McDavid, for the sake of hockey and as a fan of the sport in general it would've been amazing to watch him there. There are a ton of other markets that would've been more fun and interesting also but such is life. In response to general fact that Toronto or any other major market probably was a better place for McDavid just about every Oiler fan I meet hopes fans of team X who were not happy the Oilers got McDavid don't win the lottery which leads to comments like the one you just referenced.

Really???? How successful would your backwater franchise have been if this system was in place before you won your cup??? Nobody was pissing and moaning like this when Pittsburgh was drafting phenoms left, right and center. Now that Toronto has a chance to draft 1st overall for the first time in 30 everyone starts complaining!! Deal with it.

The new weighted lottery more than addresses tanking. Edmonton finished 3rd last season & much to Buffalo & Arizona's she-grin picked 1st & the odds have been reduced again this season. This year the 1st 3 selections are 3 separate weighted lottery's. Below are this years odds & last years.

The team that finishes last; 30th overall, has an 80% chance of NOT picking 1st & a 55% chance of NOT even picking in the top 3. Those aren't great odds to justify tanking as you call it. Toronto isn't tanking their rebuilding & have a plan. Their working their asses off trying to win but simply don't have the personal to do so. The roster McDavid lit up last night in Edmonton would be hard pressed to beat 1/2 the teams in the AHL.

Here are the new & last years weightings. Any non playoff team; 14 teams, has a chance to select 1st overall.

1 20.0% 25.0%
2 13.5% 18.8%
3 11.5% 14.2%
4 9.5% 10.7%
5 8.5% 8.1%
6 7.5% 6.2%
7 6.5% 4.7%
8 6.0% 3.6%
9 5.0% 2.7%
10 3.5% 2.1%
11 3.0% 1.5%
12 2.5% 1.1%
13 2.0% 0.8%
14 1.0% 0.5%

Little too late for this, Edm is set for a decade or more now.

They should have fixed this 5 yrs ago...1 1st overall pick per decade or something.