A guide to remedy tanking
It was meant as a fun diversion. Something web developer Rob Zaenglein created to help long suffering hockey fans “get over the misery” of watching a losing team.
But depending on whom you are cheering for, the NHL Lottery Simulator, which predicts who will get the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, can go from entertaining to infuriating in the time it takes to click a mouse.
For NHL general managers, the real thing has been just as frustrating.
While the draft lottery was devised as a way to discourage teams from tanking in hopes of securing the No. 1 pick, the system is broken. The 29th- place Edmonton Oilers have selected first overall in four of the past six drafts and as of Sunday night had a 13.5% chance of selecting top prospect Auston Matthews in this year’s draft.
That’s a problem. Or well, some general managers believe it is.
The NHL plans on addressing t his at t he GM meetings i n Boca Raton, Fla., this week. One suggestion is what some are referring to as the “Edmonton Rule,” where t eams t hat pick first overall would have to wait five years before doing the same. It’s a novel idea, but whether a team is picking first, second or third overall, it does not address the main problem: the draft is a reverse meritocracy.
We reward ineptitude and punish s uccess. It i s why Buffalo blatantly traded both its goaltenders in the middle of last season and why Toronto not only had a fire sale at this year’s t rade deadline but also shut down any player who had an injury worse than a paper cut. It is also why the race for a chance at a prime lottery pick is more heated than the races for the final wild card spots.
If the NHL really wants to have teams compete all season long, they need to make drastic changes to the draft order. Here are five ways to discourage tanking:
EDMONTON RULE
Part of the problem with tanking is that teams don’t just do it once, but for years. The Oilers are worst offenders of this, but look at the draft history of the Penguins, Blackhawks, Lightning, Panthers and Sabres. Everyone does i t. A way around this is to limit the amount of times a team can pick No. 1 to once every five years. But if you want to go even further, limit teams from picking in the top- 3 to once every three years. You would not only force teams to make the most of their picks ( cough, Edmonton, cough), but also force them to rely on other means to improve the roster.
HUNGER GAMES
Think the Stanley Cup playoffs are exciting? How about a single- elimination t ournament f or t he 14 teams that don’t make the playoffs? The winner would get the No. 1 pick, with the runner- up selecting second and so on. Give home- ice advantage to the top nonplayoff teams, so that there is incentive in not finishing near the bottom. And maybe offer a cash bonus to players, who otherwise have no reason to play in extra games for a draft pick that is ideally trying to take a job away. Fans would love it. Owners, who get “playoff ” dates, would love it even more. Who knows? It could be more entertaining than the actual playoffs.
JUST OUT OF REACH
Instead of rewarding the team that finishes with the worst record with the No. 1 pick, why not reward the team that just misses the playoffs? This immediately solves the tanking issue and creates a win- win situation for bubble teams and the league. Either the team squeaks into the playoffs or it comes up short and gets a top pick. Both are advantageous. And in the process the undesirable no man’s land finish — not good enough to contend for the Stanley Cup and not bad enough to contend for the No. 1 pick — suddenly becomes desirable. Maybe more bubble teams would become buyers at the trade deadline.
LUCKY LOSER
This year’s lottery is for the top-3 picks, which means that the team finishing last is guaranteed at selecting no worst than fourth overall. But why stop there? Make the first 14 picks subject to a draft lottery. After all, what is the difference between a 30th place team and a 17 th place team? Both are not good enough to make the playoffs. But only one truly gave up on the season and finished last. If nothing else, you wouldn’t have the embarrassing situation where fans cheer for the home team to lose so that it can improve its odds at picking high at the draft.
RANDOM RESULT
The best part about the 2004-05 lockout was the draft lottery that following summer. For one, Sidney Crosby was the crown jewel. But because there was no hockey played the year before, every team had a chance at him ( although some had better chances than others). It was possible that the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had won the Stanley Cup in 2004, could have picked first. And while that seems a bit unfair, consider this: the last time the Detroit Red Wings drafted in the top-5 was in 1990. The last time they missed the playoffs was in 1990. In other words, you can have consistent success with or without the aid of top picks.