The value of the multi-year tank is on display this SCF

[WarriorofTime]

Contemporary Top 3 Picks for Each Team in the Finals:

Florida Panthers:

2010 - 3rd overall
2011 - 3rd overall
2013 - 2nd overall
2014 - 1st overall

4 Top Three picks in a five-year span

Edmonton Oilers:

2010 - 1st overall
2011 - 1st overall
2012 - 1st overall
2014 - 3rd overall
2015 - 1st overall

5 Top Three picks in a six-year span

The whole "tanking doesn't work!" argument always focuses on the unsuccessful rebuilds, but once again we see the familiar pattern in the Salary Cap era that this is the most reliable way to build a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.

Long-story short: if your team is no good, tank and tank hard, and don't be afraid to just keep on tanking if you don't have immediate results until you eventually do.

Click to read more...

 

[Oilslick941611]

...this is a take....


Tank.. and maybe in 10 years you'll get to the SCF, maybe

 

[WarriorofTime]

...this is a take....


Tank.. and maybe in 10 years you'll get to the SCF, maybe

Well yes you won't win the Cup when your picks are teenagers probably. What do you think is a better idea?

 

[Svencouver]

this strategy only works if you have an elite, all time great hof GM like Ken Holland to build the perfect team around your top end talent

 

[Satire]

You been waiting 14 years to post this friend?

 

[Sting]

It's not just about repeated tanking (which Edmonton in particular has done) it's tanking in the right season for either a generational star or in Edmonton's case, the ability to draft one of the best players of all time.

Hard not to respect teams like Dallas that more or less build through good drafting and management. Obviously there are other teams who have done the same (Boston).

I think in Florida's case it was more the great trades in recent years that put them over the edge, not their picks from tanking years.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

This should be good.

 

[WarriorofTime]

You been waiting 14 years to post this friend?

Colorado and Tampa both followed this model. Pittsburgh and Chicago before them as well.

It's the way to win in the salary cap era, outside of a couple exceptions or getting really lucky.

 

[Dust]

The saddest part is that stretch was actually the Oilers trying at the time. Buffalo and Arizona were the teams deliberately tanking in 2014-2015, Edmonton just sucked and got a lucky ball.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I think in Florida's case it was more the great trades in recent years that put them over the edge, not their picks from tanking years.

The tank got it started, and then the good management took it from there. Obviously Edmonton leans more on "keep tanking until you get a McDavid level talent" angle of it. But in Florida's case, you can't trade Huberdeau for M. Tkachuk if you never had a chance to draft Huberdeau high to begin with, know what I mean?

 

[North Cole]

Colorado and Tampa both followed this model. Pittsburgh and Chicago before them as well.

It's the way to win in the salary cap era, outside of a couple exceptions or getting really lucky.

So what your saying is that the value of the multi-year tank is not actually on display since you have the majority of previous winners also following this model?

Ok then.

 

[Ratsreign]

Contemporary Top 3 Picks for Each Team in the Finals:

Florida Panthers:

2010 - 3rd overall
2011 - 3rd overall
2013 - 2nd overall
2014 - 1st overall

4 Top Three picks in a five-year span

Edmonton Oilers:

2010 - 1st overall
2011 - 1st overall
2012 - 1st overall
2014 - 3rd overall
2015 - 1st overall

5 Top Three picks in a six-year span

The whole "tanking doesn't work!" argument always focuses on the unsuccessful rebuilds, but once again we see the familiar pattern in the Salary Cap era that this is the most reliable way to build a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.

Long-story short: if your team is no good, tank and tank hard, and don't be afraid to just keep on tanking if you don't have immediate results until you eventually do.

Tanking implies some kind of overall plan to eventually be much better...

FL high picks were the fruits of years of ownership not really giving a shit.
2010 was actually when it seemed to get a little better (hired Tallon). But it wasn’t until Viola/Cifu bought the team that it really started to change (as in owners committed to building winning organization, with championship goals)

 

[voxel]

2010 and 2012 1st overalls have no influence on the current Oilers. Larsson left for FA to the Kraken and Yak was traded for peanuts ages ago.

 

[Satire]

Colorado and Tampa both followed this model. Pittsburgh and Chicago before them as well.

It's the way to win in the salary cap era, outside of a couple exceptions or getting really lucky.

For every Colorado you have a Columbus, Arizona, or Buffalo. I don't think it's a reliable way to build a team, but the argument can be made that if you're a team that is stuck at the lower end of the league that it probably increases your chances a bit.

Florida isn't necessarily winning because of their own draft picks though - they're winning because of Calgary's... At least that's what put them over the top.

 

[WarriorofTime]

So what your saying is that the value of the multi-year tank is not actually on display since you have the majority of previous winners also following this model?

Ok then.

I don't think you know what "on display" means, with all due respect.

 

[Mez]

You been waiting 14 years to post this friend?

Well his username is WarriorofTime...

 

[North Cole]

I don't think you know what "on display" means, with all due respect.

I don't know why its so sensational if its something thats 'on display' every year lmfao.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Tanking implies some kind of overall plan to eventually be much better...

FL high picks were the fruits of years of ownership not really giving a shit.
2010 was actually when it seemed to get a little better (hired Tallon). But it wasn’t until Viola/Cifu bought the team that it really started to change (as in owners committed to building winning organization, with championship goals)

Doesn't matter if the tank is on purpose or by happenstance. Should also add it's really about having high picks, and theoretically you can be not that bad and more mediocre and still pick 1st or 2nd due to lotto balls. Basically, picking high matters a lot, no matter how you do it. Detroit tanked harder than anyone when Yzerman took over... but they lost the ping pong ball game and those Drafts don't look amazing. That's how it goes.

 

[La Bamba]

More like the value of acquiring Zach Hyman for nothing is on display

 

[WarriorofTime]

I don't know why its so sensational if its something thats 'on display' every year lmfao.

If a painting in a gallery is "on display", it's not... not on display just because it's there all the time.

 

[Gizmo Tkachuk]

Lol our 2010 and 2011 picks aren’t on the team. Gudbranson has been gone for ages

 

[WarriorofTime]

More like the value of acquiring Zach Hyman for nothing is on display

Yes, you need to make good free agent signings as well.

Tanking/making high draft picks is how you start it all off though.

Lol our 2010 and 2011 picks aren’t on the team. Gudbranson has been gone for ages

Exactly. If Florida had said (and succeeded) "well we drafted Gudbranson high, I guess we should not draft high anymore" they wouldn't be here today. No Barkov, no Ekblad. The fact that draft picks don't always hit is a big part of why it's a multi-year effort that gets you there. Just doing it once is rarely sufficient as you get your Cam Barker (Chicago), Gudbranson (Florida), Yakupov (Edmonton), Drouin (Tampa Bay) situations.

 

[snag]

So if Chicago makes the finals AGAIN following this model can we count on you to start the thread?

 

[Thirty Seven]

Lucky goals and lucky wins is all you need.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Florida Panthers:

2010 - 3rd overall - Erik Gudbranson
2011 - 3rd overall - Jonathan Huberdeau
2013 - 2nd overall - Alex Barkov
2014 - 1st overall - Aaron Ekblad


Edmonton Oilers:

2010 - 1st overall - Taylor Hall
2011 - 1st overall - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2012 - 1st overall - Nail Yakupov
2014 - 3rd overall - Leon Draisaitl
2015 - 1st overall - Connor McDavid



Seems to me the real lesson here is that it helps a lot to have a star #1 centerman (or multiple). That can be acquired through tanking, yes. It can also be acquired through an opportunistic trade (Thornton, Eichel) or through a lucky break in the later parts of the draft (Datsyuk, Point).