The problem is not a one year tank job, it is teams that are consistently bad year after year. I would not want to cheer for a team that tanks but for one year it is not the end of the world for either the team or the league. Consistently being bad should not be rewarded. I would prefer to go back to the when there was no lottery and you just drafted where you finished with one exception. I would say over the previous 5 years (including the existing draft year) your teams first round pick could not add up to more than 20.
That would literally not affect any team this year other than the Oilers because they are the only team that has consistently tried to suck year after year. Even Buffalo (if they would have had this system in place) would only have 22 points going into next year. They could tank again next year and still get the first overall pick. However for the 2017 draft they would not be able draft lower than 9th overall (assuming they were dead last next year as well). The Oilers are bad in a way that no team in NHL history has been over the past 6 years.
A system like this would have allowed the Oilers to draft number one overall for the three years that they did (although they would have drafted second in the Yakupov year if it had been in place). However this year they would not be able to draft lower than 8th overall. It would actually provide an incentive for teams to try to win eventually, because as perverse as that sounds you apparently have to do that in the NHL.
The Islanders proved this year that you can improve if you do not have an incentive to lose. The league has to figure out a way to eliminate the incentive to lose.
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