WWYDW: Sweep
5 years ago
It’s the story everyone is talking about. In a shocking upset, the Columbus Blue Jackets have swept the President’s Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning after a 7-3 victory last night at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
It’s a familiar story for Canucks fans, who watched the home team suffer a similar fate six years ago, as they were quickly dusted off by the Los Angeles Kings in five games mere weeks after being crowned the league’s best team in 2011-2012.
We all know what happened after that. That incarnation of the Canucks was never the same and quickly imploded after firing head coach Alain Vigneault and replacing him with current Blue Jackets bench boss John Tortorella. If Tampa overreacts this offseason, they could be headed for a similar fate.
That having been said, it clear something is up in Tampa after watching them pull off arguably the worst choke job in Stanley Cup Playoff history. What changes would you make to the Tampa Bay Lightning organization this offseason to insure they don’t suffer a similar fate next season?
Last week I asked:
Are you satisfied with the current Draft Lottery system? If not, what changes would you make?
Ragnarok Ouroboros:
I don’t feel sorry for the Avalanche right now. They are in the playoffs right now. Even getting the 4th overall pick is awesome for them, considering it was Ottawa’s pick.
They should have the draft lottery, but limit how many places they can move up in the draft. IE limit it to moving up 4 spots. Teams on the playoff bubble, shouldn’t be able to win top pick. It’s too unfair for the teams rebuilding to be beat out by a team who missed the playoffs by a couple of points. Let a team like Chicago move up 4 spots instead of 8-10 spots. The other change I would make is that if a team wins the draft lottery in a previous year, that they automatically drop a spot in the following year before the lottery. IE if you win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd over all, then the team finishes in the 6th worst spot the following year, then they should automatically drop to 7th spot, and get the 7th spot odds for winning the lottery. I’m tired of Buffalo, New Jersey, and Edmonton always getting the best draft picks year in and year out.
Fred-65:
The concept of the draft ie an attempt for teams throughout the league to rebuild and compete is IMO a good one. I’m looking at it from a fan perspective. Amateur hockeey players are not forced to join the NHL, it’s their choice. They know in advance the system that is offered to them prior to their commitment. Indeed a lot of youngsters are choosing education rather than the CHL. Good for them it’s their choice. But how the draft works now compared with the original concept is way to far apart, IMO. Teams that did better in the league play are being rewarded over those that were far worse, Chicago who ended the season at the # 20th spot ends up getting the 3rd O/A pick. To me that’s undefensible. I’m not sure how much actual tanking has gone on in the past but nothing justifies the Chicago leap up the draft order. If a lottery is needed ( ? ) then the odds of success must be changed. I hope it’s just a consequence that major US TV markets seem to be favoured in the lottery but it’s not a good look for the NHL. What do they say if it quacks and waddles when it walks chances are it’s a duck … if major TV markets are the beneficiary of the lottery that maybe it is rigged. Those benefitting from a 1st round pick due to the lottery are automatically excluded from the top 3 spots for the next 3 years. The teams ending the season should at least hold a combined 50% chance of success however you split it.
Burnabybob:
Even-odds lottery of all non-playoff teams. Teams that pick in the top three are ineligible to pick in the top three the following year.
Goon:
Eliminate the lottery all together. Pro sports is the only industry in the world that colludes to control the lives of its employees from the time they’re teenagers until they’re in their late-20s. When you actually spend the time to think about what’s being done here, it’s grotesque.
Allow teams to sign players to contracts on their 19th birthdays. Limit teams in the number of contracts they can sign. Leave it up to teams to scout players and develop talent. If you’re bad, well, fire your scouting staff and hire more competent scouts.
Dan the Fan:
Use the “Gold Plan,” Canucks Army has discussed this before, and/or
Limit lotto wins to once per X years, and/or
Have a win mean you can move up X spots, IE Chicago wins a spot and moves up 3 spots, or
Possibly the best of all, eliminate the lottery and allow tanking. Obviously the current format hasn’t eliminated tanking, it’s only made it slightly less appealing. And the cost has been that teams on the playoff cusp are getting lotto wins, which isn’t at all fair to the true bottom-dwellers.
arjay:
Add some credibility to the lottery by at least making the lottery selection process public re the ping pong selection process.
That would help eliminate a lot of conspiracy theories around the process…..transparency is a good thing.
Spiel:
The point of the entry draft is to provide a way for the worst teams to get better, not punish them.
Two ideas. One uses simple math, one uses no math.
Two ideas. One uses simple math, one uses no math.
Idea #1. Instead of only using the standings from the current season, use a weighted average of previous seasons.
For example, current season counts for 50%, current-1 counts for 33.3%, current-2 counts for 16.7%.
The order with this system would have been: Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit, Van, Arizona, NJ, NYR, LA, Edmonton, Chicago, Philly, Florida, Montreal, Anaheim.
For example, current season counts for 50%, current-1 counts for 33.3%, current-2 counts for 16.7%.
The order with this system would have been: Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit, Van, Arizona, NJ, NYR, LA, Edmonton, Chicago, Philly, Florida, Montreal, Anaheim.
Idea #2. Assemble a panel of experts which could be media and former NHL executives and players. That panel ranks the teams in the NHL based on the overall talent state of the organization: NHL roster, prospects in the system, etc. The worst ranked teams pick first. Have a show where your reveal and discuss the rankings. This system would generate lots of discussion and generate a ton of heat for management teams around the NHL. You get the first pick, but are also recognized as the worst team in the NHL!
KearnsScoredOnHimself:
Get rid of the lottery, eliminate tanking, provide fairness and certainty. Here’s how:
Have one big lottery now to randomly assign each teams first round picks for the next 32 years.
Each of the 32 teams pick once in each of the 32 first round positions.
So over the next 32 years each team gets the first overall once, the second overall once, 3rd overall once, etc.
This provides certainty — each team can see when they get #1 overall and can plan accordingly.
It provides certainty for trades because you know exactly which pick is getting traded.
Eliminates tanking and doesn’t reward failure because picks are predetermined.
It’s fair — every team will get #1 once over the 32 year cycle.
Have one big lottery now to randomly assign each teams first round picks for the next 32 years.
Each of the 32 teams pick once in each of the 32 first round positions.
So over the next 32 years each team gets the first overall once, the second overall once, 3rd overall once, etc.
This provides certainty — each team can see when they get #1 overall and can plan accordingly.
It provides certainty for trades because you know exactly which pick is getting traded.
Eliminates tanking and doesn’t reward failure because picks are predetermined.
It’s fair — every team will get #1 once over the 32 year cycle.
What’s the downside of my idea??
TheRealPB:
I agree entirely with Goon — we should get rid of the draft altogether. The model of pro sports in North America is entirely suspect, with all of the four major pro leagues and the minor league systems and NCAA participating in the wholesale exploitation of athletes (less than 2% of whom actually make it to the big leagues). It is ludicrous that athletes have to make it to their late 20s to be able to get free of being literally owned by franchises.
Outside of North America, what sports employ drafts? Cricket in its pro leagues has them in India and I think the KHL and I think Phillipines basketball. But soccer, the biggest sport in the world doesn’t use drafts. I don’t want to romanticize those sports — there’s more than a little corrupt and problematic about the youth programs and the selling of players through transfer fees. But it would be interesting to see how the European hockey leagues outside of the KHL operate without drafts, even with their best talents being poached by the NHL and KHL.
