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

[nihlify]

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.

So tank for 4 years and hope you might be good in a decade? How many people had Oilers as the favorite to win anything the last few years, even with having two of the best players in the world?

 

[RogerRoger]

Congratulation Chicago and Columbus, in 10 years you'll make the SCF.

 

[SenzZen]

To be fair to the Panthers and Oilers, they didn’t have the luxury of terminating/awarding cap-circumventing contracts that some were able to.

 

[nihlify]

Good to know McDavid and Barkov aren’t considered important players…

If the argument is that having generational/elite players in your team makes you more likely to go far in the playoffs, you might be right. That's not what you said though. Someone is going to get them, that doesn't mean any future success is because of a tank.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

You still need a quality team/franchise.

The Leafs tanked for Matthews. Other than making them a slightly better regular season team, it didn't change much. They continue to be a SC pretender.

 

[WarriorofTime]

So tank for 4 years and hope you might be good in a decade? How many people had Oilers as the favorite to win anything the last few years, even with having two of the best players in the world?

They were the betting odds favorite to make it out of the west to start the postseason. Although Dallas was favored heading into the WCF. The dichotomy is that Dallas had a difficult path to get there at the start of the postseason.

 

[Canovin]

You could say your account was created when the Oilers tanking started

 

[JKG33]

Florida traded for/signed half their team.

And Vegas last year did too.

 

[Leafs87]

Floridas current success is attributed to great signings and trades. Two of those picks you mentioned aren’t even on the team….

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

No strategy to build a team is perfect. But I think the best odds to winning a cup(s) in the future is to "tank"/rebuild, if you will. And I would go with the odds.

 

[PhysicalGraffiti]

Oilers should sign Nail Yakupov for the rest of the playoffs, I'm sure he's available. Bring him back for nostalgia sake.

 

[GOilers88]

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.

Considering Taylor Hall, Adam Larsson and Nail Yakupov are all long gone, I don't see how the Oilers picks in 2010 or 2012 are at all relevant to the team now.

The Oilers are like the shining reason why people who think tanking is a good strategy are completely out to lunch.

 

[TooManyHumans]

Do people really dispute that the best way to get good in the NHL when you are not already good is to first get really bad? It seems kind of obviously true.

 

[Fishy McScales]

Do people really dispute that the best way to get good in the NHL when you are not already good is to first get really bad? It seems kind of obviously true.

I mean for every Tampa or Colorado there's a St Louis or Vegas.

The Oilers show that it doesn't necessarily work just as much as they show it does.

If you get to go first when there's a Kane, Stamkos, MacKinnon or McDavid available it's all good, but when the names are Nugent-Hopkins, Hischier or Lafrenière you have to be able to build around them even if you get a pretty good player. Same as for every GM in the league in other words.

And pray you don't get a Daigle or a Yakupov.

 

[Gorskyontario]

Good to know McDavid and Barkov aren’t considered important players…

Obviously they are, but almost every team has high draft picks at some point.

Your original point still makes less than zero sense. Were the pens cups because of tanking with 2 1OA and a 2OA?

Was the islanders dynasty because of tanking? 2 first overalls and Clark Gillies at 4?

 

[Coffey]

Your original point still makes less than zero sense. Were the pens cups because of tanking with 2 1OA and a 2OA?

Was the islanders dynasty because of tanking? 2 first overalls and Clark Gillies at 4?

You'll learn quickly that people don't use the same arguments for old teams that they used for current ones.
Far too much cognitive dissonance.

 

[WarriorofTime]

You'll learn quickly that people don't use the same arguments for old teams that they used for current ones.
Far too much cognitive dissonance.

What argument did I use differently for old teams?

 

[Coffey]

What argument did I use differently for old teams?

Not so much yourself, I just saw that dudes post and it reminded me of how many terrible arguments are used against current teams but people forget that it applied to old teams/players too. And yes, most SC winning teams have 1st overalls that helped them build. It just is what it is.

 

[WarriorofTime]

It just is what it is.

Exactly, hence the post. Some guys like Gorsky are having trouble understanding it, but that's on them, not me.

 

[Reality Czech]

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.

Good points. It seems less about tanking and more about drafting a McDavid, Crosby, MacKinnon type. I guess you have to stink to have a chance to draft those guys in the first place but it's far from a guarantee as you pointed out.

 

[AvroArrow]

Taylor Hall + Yakupov have been phenomenal, no chance the Oilers would have come this far without them. I think there is a legitimate case for him to win the Conn Smythe this year.

 

[thefutures]

But Gary hates the Oilers

 

[NVious]

Tanking works, people want to cope that it doesn't, but tanking works.

 

[Steven Toast]

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

I don't think that this is the right way to look at how to build a finals team. Many of these picks aren't even with their respective teams any more.

The Oilers key contributors are:

McDavid - 1OA 2015
Draisaitl - 3OA 2014
Bouchard - 8OA 2018
Hyman - Free Agent 2021
RNH - 1OA 2011
Ekholm - Trade Deadline 2023
Kane - Free Agent 2022

The Panthers key contributors are:

Tkachuk - Trade in 2022
Verhaeghe - Free agent in 2021
Barkov - 2OA in 2013
Reinhart - Trade in 2021
Forsling - Waivers in 2021
Bennett - Trade in 2021
Bobrovsky - Free agent 2019

The Oilers are built through the draft, but also have many key contributors that were signed/traded for.

The Panthers core was almost all signed, claimed, or traded for. The Panthers current roster demolishes the OP's initial claim IMO.

What does the makeup of these two rosters show? That a team needs a combination of strong drafting, good trades, and good signings to contend for a cup. Shocking news.

 

[Grifter3511]

I thought the tank to contender window was 5 years?