There seem to be a few mixed opinions on the wins. I guess a few things to consider.
We have a three game winning streak against the Western Canada teams, all of which are rebuilding/struggling. Edmonton pressured us a lot in the third period and we all know how Hank completely saved our asses against the Canucks and the Flames. I think against a better team (ie. basically the rest of the season...) it won't be as pretty. I guess for Team Tank, this will be a good thing as I think we can realistically drop in standings. That said, even though the idea is to get the best pick possible here, the kids can learn a lot from these wins, too. Not everything is about the pick.
And on that note, even if we're hoping for a higher pick, that isn't something we should completely bank our next few years of success on. I think Edmonton is a perfect example of what happens when you have top 5 picks for who knows how many years, but don't cover your bases well enough to actually create a supporting cast to help those elite players. Instead of drafting or trading well, it seems like they'd rather trade away roster players in these obscure 1:1 trades; pretty much have a 50/50 chance of make or break here. Whereas with us, Gorton has moved all these players in exchange for other things (other roster players, prospects, picks). So in case the top pick doesn't pan out, at least we have other things to turn to. Or, say we only end up with a first round top 15 pick -- who's to say we can't package this with something and trade up? Overall, I think the idea of this season is to ensure the team has options and flexibility by the draft deadline and even into next year. Having a top pick would be fantastic, yes, but to see it as the end-all-be-all would be unwise IMO.
Overall, I'm actually glad the team swept Western Canada. After the craziness that has been the past few weeks with the team, I think the few wins under their belt will give them a way to "reset" and move forward with where this team is about to go.
