2020 Playoffs - Potential 24 team tournament - can Habs make a run? Part 2

[WillysBeoulve]

I can confidently say that the NHL managed to screw up everything they had to do this year.

1. They could have held the draft lottery and done a virtual draft early on during the pandemic. This would have brought in a record number of viewers, a new audience, brought income while they figured out a better strategy, and removed any of the nonsense we saw today. I know there was concern about a team winning the lottery and winning the cup, but those odds are very small and the worst case scenario is you freeze their pick to the end of the first round next year.

2. Following the virtual draft, they could have come up with a return to play strategy that involved a proposal that involved the following:
2 hub cities, both housing 12 teams.
Those 12 teams are divided in two, leaving 4 groups of 6.
Those 6 teams would be given aggregate amount of points based on their likelihood to make the play-offs when the season was suspended.
This means that a team like Boston would have to go 0-5-0 in their round robin and have the bottom two teams have records of 4-1-0 to miss.
Top four teams in each grouping get promoted to the play-offs.

3. Should they have chosen not to have a virtual, early draft. They could have waited for the above scenario to play out before doing the draft lottery. This way they can assign the odds based to the way they were at the beginning of the year.
Even if they chose not to do that and wanted to do a 2 phase lottery, they could at least honor the weight based on their points percentage. There's no reason why Montreal and Edmonton should have the same odds in the phase 2 lottery.

This is what I don't get... What is the urgency of rushing an early draft BEFORE the qualifying round... Why not simply wait for the 16 playoffs teams to be determined... I don't get this...
Is it simply a way to create a happening, cashing ASAP on what the NFL did ?

 

[Kriss E]

Since players will not apparently be able to fight or even get into a scrum post-whistle, Weber's stare should come in real handy in these social distancing times.

I don't really get this decision. Like...if two people are negative...they can play tonsil hockey for 24h if they want, they're not getting the virus.
So if they test everyone before the games, who cares if they fight or do scrums? If they don't test before every game....then wtf are they doing????

 

[sheed36]

Went to the B's board to check out their feelings on the round robin format for the top 4 teams for seeding purposes and all I saw was whining and crying about the Habs being in this 24 team format worse that some of us here are whining about it. The Habs really do live rent free in the heads of some B's fans huh?

 

[The Great Weal]

When to the B's board to check out their feelings on the round robin format for the top 4 teams for seeding purposes and all I saw was whining and crying about the Habs being in this 24 team format worse that some of us here are whining about it. The Habs really do live rent free in the heads of some B's fans huh?

Goes to show you that we hate ourselves more than other teams hate us.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

If we had lost just one more game we'd be guaranteed a top 10 pick and have a significantly improved chance at Laf.

Glad we were riding Carey Price into the god damned ground when it was clear we were going to miss....

That is incorrect.

First of all, if we had lost 1 more game (by playing 1 more game), we would still have a better point percentage than the sabres, and would remain 8th.

Second of all, Price lost 9 of his last 12 starts and the habs lost 10 of their last 14 games. So clearly, playing Price was not ruining the tank.

 

[sheed36]

Goes to show you that we hate ourselves more than other teams hate us.

Nah some B's fans dislike the Habs way more than even the worst ones here do. The hate some of these B's fans have towards the Habs is unhealthy and comical as ****.

 

[tazsub3]

Nah some B's fans dislike the Habs way more than even the worst ones here do. The hate some of these B's fans have towards the Habs is unhealthy and comical as ****.

Hmmmm I hate them probably as much if not more .

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

I personally would have played out the season. What were there, 11 games left? Playing 5 “play-in” games saves you what 2 weeks? Shoulda just finished the regular season.

But alas, here we are. And it isn’t the end of the world. Wish we had Kovalchuk. People love to freak about draft position, but how about just drafting well? Good teams find great players picking later. We’ve picked top 3 twice in the last decade and blew both picks.

 

[CapSpace]

The tournament is a scam and the rigged lottery is even worst. Once again Bettman and the NHL f*** the Habs right in the f***ing **s.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

Nah some B's fans dislike the Habs way more than even the worst ones here do. The hate some of these B's fans have towards the Habs is unhealthy and comical as ****.

I have only hated one team in my life. When I grew up there were 3 soccer and 2 hockey teams in my hometown. I was an AIK (Common Athletic Club) fan and the other team that also played hockey was NSK (Nyköping Sport Club). AIK was mostly the better team but the derbys were always tough. Then they merged, I have not hated any teams since that.

The reason I believe that Habs are very hated among the Bruins fans might be a slight inferiority complex due to all the losses to the Habs (I know it wasn't yesterday but if you grow up and almost always lose to a particular team, it might be possible)? I doubt young Bruins fans hate the Habs very much, but who knows? Otherwise Bruins HF Boards are one of the best I have come across.

 

[MasterD]

I don't really get this decision. Like...if two people are negative...they can play tonsil hockey for 24h if they want, they're not getting the virus.
So if they test everyone before the games, who cares if they fight or do scrums? If they don't test before every game....then wtf are they doing????

You can be a carrier and test negative. In fact I think the current test can't test positive if you don't have symptoms/nasal secretions. I'm probably wrong on that on some level.

 

[MasterD]

The tournament is a scam and the rigged lottery is even worst. Once again Bettman and the NHL f*** the Habs right in the f***ing **s.

Trying to be objective, I don't understand why the NHL doesn't try to make Lafrenière a Hab happen. I know they don't give two ***** if we don't win a cup ever again, but can you imagine the league revenues if we got the next french superstar? The jerseys they'd sell? League revenues would skyrocket.

 

[Runner77]

I can confidently say that the NHL managed to screw up everything they had to do this year.

1. They could have held the draft lottery and done a virtual draft early on during the pandemic. This would have brought in a record number of viewers, a new audience, brought income while they figured out a better strategy, and removed any of the nonsense we saw today. I know there was concern about a team winning the lottery and winning the cup, but those odds are very small and the worst case scenario is you freeze their pick to the end of the first round next year.

2. Following the virtual draft, they could have come up with a return to play strategy that involved a proposal that involved the following:
2 hub cities, both housing 12 teams.
Those 12 teams are divided in two, leaving 4 groups of 6.
Those 6 teams would be given aggregate amount of points based on their likelihood to make the play-offs when the season was suspended.
This means that a team like Boston would have to go 0-5-0 in their round robin and have the bottom two teams have records of 4-1-0 to miss.
Top four teams in each grouping get promoted to the play-offs.

3. Should they have chosen not to have a virtual, early draft. They could have waited for the above scenario to play out before doing the draft lottery. This way they can assign the odds based to the way they were at the beginning of the year.
Even if they chose not to do that and wanted to do a 2 phase lottery, they could at least honor the weight based on their points percentage. There's no reason why Montreal and Edmonton should have the same odds in the phase 2 lottery.

Since it's a completely fabricated set up, they could have also went with a 3 on 3 format to ensure social distancing.

Nothing they could have done would have made it completely legitimate given namely, the long layoff and the X-factor regarding preparedness -- some more talented teams may well end up losing a series they would have otherwise won had the regular season and playoffs unfolded normally.

What is really a bummer is our President of Hockey Ops not raising hell and high water against this format, which essentially puts his top 10 pick in jeopardy just for the luxury of playing a few games. Complete chump.

 

[Runner77]

And they've been picking Top-10 every year since the 2013 draft, picking 2nd twice (Reinhart & Eichel) and 1st once (Dahlin).

At least they have a bona fide franchise player who is not a goalie. Which forward or D do we have in Dahlin's stratosphere?

Imagine their relief at not being included in this sham tournament.

 

[WatchfulElm]

Habs were supposed to get 1 top 10 pick + 2 more picks in the top 40. If both Montreal and Chicago win their play-ins, these 3 picks will drop massively, as well as many of their 11 other picks. And they will lose their lottery ticket. On a rebuilding team, that's a bad news. It's a pretty expensive price to pay, for one round of hockey. And I think the odds of beating the Pens is pretty good.

I'm not sure the management is thrilled about this.

 

[Gravity]

Optimistically hoping that the Pens crush us in 3.

 

[bcv]

Wait wait wait...


Phase 2 is another lottery? I thought it was just for revealing which team (if any) won the lottery.

I thought that team A would be the team with the lowest point %, team B the second lowest point % and so forth. Is that not it? Wtf is this shit. How simple, and logical, to do it that way? If a play-in ls team win the lottery simply say a team in the play-ins won the lottery. Don’t say which one and reveal it at the end.

God f***ing damn it. I can’t believe it.

this shit is making me want to stop watching any nhl games. The almost entirety of the season is gone and it means jack shit and the habs will draft 14th?!

 

[CapSpace]

Trying to be objective, I don't understand why the NHL doesn't try to make Lafrenière a Hab happen. I know they don't give two ***** if we don't win a cup ever again, but can you imagine the league revenues if we got the next french superstar? The jerseys they'd sell? League revenues would skyrocket.

Bettman is a salty spoiled little man.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Wait wait wait...


Phase 2 is another lottery? I thought it was just for revealing which team (if any) won the lottery.

I thought that team A would be the team with the lowest point %, team B the second lowest point % and so forth. Is that not it? Wtf is this shit. How simple, and logical, to do it that way? If a play-in ls team win the lottery simply say a team in the play-ins won the lottery. Don’t say which one and reveal it at the end.

God f***ing damn it. I can’t believe it.

this shit is making me want to stop watching any nhl games. The almost entirety of the season is gone and it means jack shit and the habs will draft 14th?!

Nope. Teams wanted a chance to still win a top 3 spot so this accommodates them. Edmonton could lose in 1st round and still win the #1 draft pick, so could Habs, but their chances have been greatly reduced.

If team A wins the #1 spot, Habs would have to draw team A in the second lottery (assuming they lose in 1st round).

If the top 3 spots go to the 7 teams NOT in the play-in then there is no second lottery and teams are awarded spots based on points percentage. If Habs lose in 1st round, they'd pick 8th in that scenario.

Theoretically, Habs can draft 1-3, 8-11 or 16+.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Nope. Teams wanted a chance to still win a top 3 spot so this accommodates them. Edmonton could lose in 1st round and still win the #1 draft pick, so could Habs, but their chances have been greatly reduced.

If team A wins the #1 spot, Habs would have to draw team A in the second lottery (assuming they lose in 1st round).

If the top 3 spots go to the 7 teams NOT in the play-in then there is no second lottery and teams are awarded spots based on points percentage. If Habs lose in 1st round, they'd pick 8th in that scenario.

Theoretically, Habs can draft 1-3, 8-13 or 16+.

8 if no one jumps up. 11 if three teams do.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

8 if no one jumps up. 11 if three teams do.

Right can't fall further than 11th. Not too terrible then.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Since players will not apparently be able to fight or even get into a scrum post-whistle, Weber's stare should come in real handy in these social distancing times.

As effective as the Carebear Stare

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Right can't fall further than 11th. Not too terrible then.

Unless we win *shudders*

16th pick, here we come, middle picks you are forever ours

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Bettman is a salty spoiled little man.

That's a very nice way of putting it.

 

[BLONG7]

The thing that makes this unpredictable is that Habs don't have a good enough team to make a deep run, but they have a good enough team to pull an upset in the Play-In Series, especially in a Best-of-5, effectively killing the high draft pick we feel they need more than anything else right now.

The current way the Habs are run, there is no guarantee that a high pick would do anything for us....MB and the Money Mol$on have made it impossible to get excited about our team.
Nothing these two clowns do make any sense....blaming the lottery system and Bettman is just an out.......the organization is poorly run with zero plan, and zero results.
Mediocrity and moving goalposts is all we have.