Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
It is an issue on just about any hockey forum you care to note (check out any given reddit thread about either the Oilers or this year's top two prospects, for instance.) But yes, the Oilers are a significant root cause of it. When you have a team whose plan basically amounted to failing upward get three #1 overalls in a row and are STILL drafting top five every year with a chance of getting another #1 pick, that is going to rankle anyone's feathers.
The Oilers are a league-wide embarrassment.
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I think the Oilers are a lightning rod for this sentiment because the #1 pick (consecutively and followed a couple years later by #3) is high profile, but they are not the first in a situation like this with top picks.
From 2002-2006 Pittsburgh drafted in the top 2 four times
2002 - Whitney (5)
2003 - Fleury (1)
2004 - Malkin (2)
2005 - Crosby (1)
2006 - Staal (2)
A couple other teams like Colorado and Florida have spread it out a bit more. Respectively:
2009 - Duchene (3)
2011 - Landeskog (2)
2013 - Mackinnon (1)
2010 - Gudbranson (3)
2011 - Huberdeau (3)
2013 - Barkov (2)
2014 - Ekblad (1)
A number of other teams have floated in those 3-7 spots for a few years consistently at times.
More to the original post, most of the points have already been covered (what is tanking vs incompetence?). When does a team accept reality and look for short term pain for long-term gain and should that be punished?
I think the current changes are a good step in the right direction. Open up the lottery for more picks, but still weight the worse teams to have the best chance (although reduced from the "old" system). The "new" system which allows all non-playoff teams to have a shot at number 1 is good. Even better when the top 3 picks are draws.
I also wouldn't mind opening up the top 5-10 picks to be determined by lottery, but would not want the teams to have roughly equal odds. Don't make the worse teams a lock for the top two or three, but don't make it so equal that the worse teams would only get lucky to get higher picks.