I will never cheer against a Flames loss. I hope the Flames make the playoffs. However, if they don't, I hope they finish very low this year. Shortened season (less pain!) and a very high-end draft.
It is definitely tempting. I have relegated myself to thinking: "If the Flames are out of it, trade some key pieces, play Taylor AND Irving in net the rest of the way to see if either of them are worth signing next season to an NHL contract (Taylor especially, as we really saw very little of him yet). Bring up some of our youth and start judging how they are playing in the NHL (Reinhart and Breen mostly).
It is really tempting to want to tank this season, but I still want the Flames to try and make a run - but just be realistic about their chances if they are out of it by deadline day.
Maybe they don't have to 'tank' - maybe if they are out of it, and sell a couple of assets and get more picks, you can use those to trade up into the top 5 or 6 maybe. The way I see it, a 'franchise player' is worth 4 picks. You trade 2 1st rounders and a 2nd, perhaps you creep into 'franchise territory' at the draft from maybe 10th - 14th place. Of course, you hold onto however many 1st round lottery-eligible picks until the lottery is over!
Imagine the Flames trading one of their 1st rounders away to move up, and then one of those ends up winning the lottery (small chance I know, since it is almost guaranteed that the teams they end up selling assets to will actually make the playoffs - Bouwmeester curse be damned!).
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