As I have said since last year, we do not need to tank. We are one of the best teams in the league when healthy. We have desperately needed Markov back, and now that we have him I am all for a run at the Cup. We should see who might be available at the trade deadline to help put us over the top (try and get Clowe from San Jose) for a Cup run, and then let Timmins work his draft day magic. We have four picks in the first two rounds. Timmins will find us some gold.
We actually have the pieces to make a good, solid Cup run, guys. Let's think about winning #25 rather than tanking and hoping to win it in 3-5 years from now. Seriously, get a Ryan Clowe type of forward and a crease clearing defenceman who can hit and protect Price, and we will be in the Finals.
Even as sellers, the odds of drafting another Chucky this season are close to zero...
1) The 3rd worst team last season had a historically high amount of points. I had made the calculation last year. If my memory serves me right, some seasons, with the same record as last season, we can draft close to 10.
2) We lost an incredible amount of Shootout games.
3) We had ridiculous injuries.
4) We had bad coaching.
5) Chucky doesn't fall to 3 if he isn't injured last season.
All the stars were aligned...
Edit: With 78 points, 2011-12 is the only season we would draft as high as 3rd (if our lottery pick stays same) since the Shootout was implemented... In 2006-07 we would have drafted 9th.
Last edited by Erik Estrada: 02-26-2013 at 10:52 AM.
while the goal should always be to make the playoffs, i prefer a top prospect this year. last place finish last year, expiring contracts and whatnot, seems like the best time to do it.
Threads like this should not exist on a team's board when said team is at the top of the Conference near the half-way point of the season.
Seriously, it's just incredibly sad to see threads like this even exist here at this point.
Some people here are so insanely focused on upcoming picks and prospects that they can't even enjoy the here and now when the here and now involves a top team in the Conference!
We don't automatically get MacKinnon, Drouin or Seth Jones if we miss the playoffs.
Picking top3 requires an abnormal amount of suckage that we just don't have this year. We did it last year but it doesn't mean it was easy.
I'd rather make the playoffs than pick 8 to 14 overall. Big time. Timmins is good enough to find us a good player in the later part of the first round. We might have the chance to select a great prospect even then that might turn out better than one of the top 3 even, stranger things have happened.
We got 4 picks in the top 60, thats already pretty awesome, and with Timmins & cie at work, we'll find a couple of top/good prospects.
Im happy happy happy we got Galchenyuk, and had a quick turnaround. It only proves that we werent a last place team but that management was the problem.
I'd prefer a top-prospect over simply "making the playoffs'. But the team right now looks like they can make a run for the cup, and I'd choose that over either.
I think some people underestimate the development value of making the playoffs. As fans, there's big entertainment value for some of us. But I think making the playoffs also helps the team building process more than some credit. Building isn't just getting draft picks. It's also exposing the players, and particularly the younger ones, to winning, and to what it takes to win in the playoffs. It also raises how players perceive the organization, which can help in contract negotiations and FA signings, which can also help build the team. Making the playoffs, especially with a young team that ought to be considered on an upward trajectory, should always be the preferred outcome.
If I can pick make the playoff this year, or draft top 3 next year (let's say you get what you wish for), I'd take top 3 next year. Because it'll be a longer lasting satisfaction then making the playoff this year. Look at last year, we missed the playoff and we forgot about its pain already. And look at how we're enjoying Chucky this year, and the MANY more to come.
So since this is a short year, I'd think long term this time. However, after this year, I want playoff every season.
