Who Will Be Tanking For Gavin McKenna in 2025-2026?

[Hockeyville USA]

Nashville needs it.

Interested to see if everything goes this badly for them next season. Same with Boston

 

[Jared Grayden]

To tank with the intention of icing a bottom 3 roster requires owner, GM, HC to be aligned and confident that they still have a job after the tank.
Does the HC/GM still have 3 years or more on their contract after 25/26 season? That signals that they have time to recover after a terrible season.

Nashville has been bottom three this year and definitely had no intentions on tanking.

 

[Divine]

Nashville has been bottom three this year and definitely had no intentions on tanking.

Nashville actually has good advanced stats this year. They just couldn't score and had poor goaltending.

They're likely better next year unless they sell.

 

[MoneyManny]

Anyone except Boston and Chicago pretty please.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Anyone except Boston and Chicago pretty please.

Pittsburgh it is then

 

[StreetHawk]

Nashville has been bottom three this year and definitely had no intentions on tanking.

Correct. But the thread is about who will tank for McKenna. Stuff happens and teams do under achieve.

So while your club may tank, another just might have a terrible season and come up the lottery winner.

 

[frontsfan67]

Feel like the Montreal powerplay will prevent them from bottom 5, or even bottom 10

Like I said never know with teams and what happens.

Everyone thought Nashville would be a top 5 team this year and look at them now. Doesn’t matter. Too far away right now.

 

[Jared Grayden]

Nashville actually has good advanced stats this year. They just couldn't score and had poor goaltending.

They're likely better next year unless they sell.

I agree but I meant that teams unintentionally are way worse than they expect to be. New York Rangers and Boston Bruins are other examples from just this year that will be lotto teams despite playoff teams last year.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

Penguins, Rangers 1-2. Pretty please and thank you.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Like I said never know with teams and what happens.

Everyone thought Nashville would be a top 5 team this year and look at them now. Doesn’t matter. Too far away right now.

Fans thought they had a good off season, I don’t think many had them top 5, let alone everyone.

 

[frontsfan67]

Fans thought they had a good off season, I don’t think many had them top 5, let alone everyone.

Point still stands. Too far out to see. Lots of moves could be made in off season and one of the bottom teams now could be a middling team. A middling team could lose a couple good players and become a bottom team etc

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Pittsburgh it is then

Pittsburgh needs to tank in the worst way. They've had two brilliant players going for them for the past two decades and Lemieux and Jagr before that. I get them wanting to have Crosby end his career there but they'd be way better off trading him for the assets and then tanking hard for Mackenna. Imagine them landing another superstar of that caliber... insane.

 

[Some Other Flame]

Flames need this more than anyone but they'll 100% find someway to screw it up. He'll go to Pittsburgh or Chicago

 

[Golden_Jet]

Point still stands. Too far out to see. Lots of moves could be made in off season and one of the bottom teams now could be a middling team. A middling team could lose a couple good players and become a bottom team etc

Well I don’t think the point still stands., since you thought everyone thought they were top 5, which wasn’t true.

 

[Darren McCord]

Pittsburgh needs to tank in the worst way. They've had two brilliant players going for them for the past two decades and Lemieux and Jagr before that. I get them wanting to have Crosby end his career there but they'd be way better off trading him for the assets and then tanking hard for Mackenna. Imagine them landing another superstar of that caliber... insane.

Nah they just need the Rangers pick.

Penguins retool this summer make the playoffs and still get Mckenna at number 1 because of the Rangers.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Nah they just need the Rangers pick.

Penguins retool this summer make the playoffs and still get Mckenna at number 1 because of the Rangers.

More picks you have the better.

The right way to rebuild is to stockpile picks/prospects. The more you have the better your chances at getting a superstar and speeding up the process.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

More picks you have the better.

The right way to rebuild is to stockpile picks/prospects. The more you have the better your chances at getting a superstar and speeding up the process.

Dubas has actually done a good job of that. Pens have the most picks in the first three rounds over the next three years than any team.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Pittsburgh. Lemieux to Crosby to McKenna its gonna happen.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Dubas has actually done a good job of that. Pens have the most picks in the first three rounds over the next three years than any team.

Imagine the haul they'd get if they dealt Crosby and Malkin. And trading them ensures last place finishes.

 

[Doublechin]

The most obvious teams besides the Sharks and the Blackhawks by default are

The Penguins, will they? Not sure. Should they? Absolutely. They're one trade away from being tank contenders and that's Crosby gone. With Crosby they're wasting two to three years where they're bottom dwellers but not bottom 3.

The Islanders IMO have everything to do the perfect rebuild, whatever they got going on ain't it but they have Dobson, Sorokin, Horvat and Barzal which they could trade and get tons of solid assets back while tanking for 25-26

The Red Wings are also a mess, every year, we think this is it but they keep staying where they were at. I'd consider trading Larkin if I was them but not sure that's gonna be enough for them to suck bad

Nashville absolutely should, they're extremely old, prospect pool packing, just blow it, no reason not to

Boston IMO could try and sign a Duchene, if I was them I'd also consider trading their pick assuming they don't win lotto, I think Konecny could be a realistic target. If they do that they suddenly have a core consisting of Pasta, McAvoy, Lindholm, Swayman, Duchene and Konecny. They'd be back in the playoffs next year

 

[karltonian]

last place finishes.

Oh ho ho, Karlsson being The Guy again will put up 100 point seasons and get them to at least 4th-5th.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Oh ho ho, Karlsson being The Guy again will put up 100 point seasons and get them to at least 4th-5th.

Its amazing how every team Karlsson goes to becomes bad.

 

[karltonian]

Its amazing how every team Karlsson goes to becomes bad.

I know it's been a lot of years but it's only been twice and it's some unfortunate luck caused by his contract and profile. The Sharks were on the verge of contract hell when he joined and suffered major player declines and situations (Kane) that absolutely wrecked the team; every single risk Wilson took at the end of his tenure absolutely blew up in his face. Karlsson actually was a great addition to the Sharks and took them to the final 4 without much issue playing on one leg but that injury (and St Louis headshots, and Ref Jose) prevented them from going any further.

Then he signed a huge contract with San Jose, which wasn't movable except to one team that also had a lot of question marks, possible player declines, and looking to make a similar swing to SJ.

Personally I think he has been misused in Pittsburgh because of the presence of and their history with Kris Letang. They need to sell off Letang and Malkin and restock with better defensive talent.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Imagine the haul they'd get if they dealt Crosby and Malkin. And trading them ensures last place finishes.

I'd rather they not go scorched earth like Chicago. Bedard is on an island with no talent or experience on the roster. Very difficult to climb out of once you're that bad.

I think there's value in these guys mentoring the next generation, and they want to retire in Pittsburgh. They'll likely be bad enough to get high picks even with them anyway.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I'd rather they not go scorched earth like Chicago. Bedard is on an island with no talent or experience on the roster. Very difficult to climb out of once you're that bad.

I think there's value in these guys mentoring the next generation, and they want to retire in Pittsburgh. They'll likely be bad enough to get high picks even with them anyway.

I don't blame fans for not wanting to lose Crosby/Malkin. Legendary players. Personally, I'd go the rebuild route but I get it if they don't want to go that far.