Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
I like that teams could 100% try to improve all the time. Right now there's trades the Flames maybe could make but wouldn't because it doesn't make sense to try and earn 10 extra points in the standings and hurt your draft position (or at least you have to ask the question). With fixed draft positions, all teams don't have to ask the question.
|
Either I'm not following, or I really disagree.
The Flames are building for the future. I think they won't make a trade that sacrifices the future to gain 10 points now, but I don't agree that they'd hold off on trades that make sense for both present and future in order to secure a higher draft position. Just look at the Smid trade, which was all about improving the team this season as well as going forward.
No team should be punished for not having current success as the main priority. Tanking (i.e. not just having the future as the main priority, but actively trying to underperform) should be punished, but I can't think of a team in recent memory that has struck me as actually doing that.