The NHL Needs to Embrace the Gold Plan

[TheScorpion]

If you've never heard of the Gold Plan, here goes...

In 2012(?), then-student Adam Gold proposed a plan at an analytics convention to help fix the NHL's tanking problem. His plan drastically changes the way in which the draft order is determined.

First, you eliminate the weighted lottery system. It rewards losing and thus encourages tanking. It has to go.

Then, you implement Gold's plan. His plan:

The NHL should determine the draft order by looking at how many points a team accumulates after they're eliminated from the playoffs.

This system still rewards the worse teams, because they're eliminated from the playoff race earlier and have more time to accumulate points. However, it also encourages winning. The Gold Plan would provide an incentive for fans to cheer for their teams' success. We wouldn't need to feel mixed emotions after crushing the Canucks; we'd have increased the gap between us and them in the Gold Plan race.

There would be no more cheering for losses. Instead, we'd be cheering for wins. The league would benefit from this, too: tomorrow's Buffalo/Columbus matchup - those two teams are both in the top three in the Gold Plan standings this year - would be a huge game! Instead, no one will watch it, because hey, the lottery!

What are your thoughts?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

I absolutely HATE how I'm conflicted about winning/losing at the end of a lost season. If sucks for part of me to want the Flames to win while another part wants them to lose. I'm all for any ideas that get rid of this issue. This sounds pretty solid overall to me.

[Alberta_Beef]

I think this is an absolutely stupid idea. All it will do is have teams throwing in the towel at Christmas rather than the deadline just so they have more time to accumulate points.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Do current roster players care about lottery standings at all? The entire Gold Plan hinges on that. A team like the Blue Jackets have been checked out for the majority of the season, they aren't going to get pumped for one higher slot in the draft.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I think this is an absolutely stupid idea. All it will do is have teams throwing in the towel at Christmas rather than the deadline just so they have more time to accumulate points.

Right now, teams are tanking entire seasons.

Even if they throw in the towel at Christmas, they'd still be playing meaningful games for four months after that!

[saillias]

Nope.

For there to be elite teams there has to be weak teams that have sub .500 records.

Yet for some reason everyone is worried about tanking these days more than ever.

Everyone's trying to fix something that isn't broken. Trying some reverse-reward system to punish teams for not being good in an arbitrary timeline is *guaranteed* to be a disaster.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I think this is an absolutely stupid idea. All it will do is have teams throwing in the towel at Christmas rather than the deadline just so they have more time to accumulate points.

Well that would just be effing sad. We can try to fix tanking, you can't fix pathetic.

I like this idea.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Do current roster players care about lottery standings at all? The entire Gold Plan hinges on that. A team like the Blue Jackets have been checked out for the majority of the season, they aren't going to get pumped for one higher slot in the draft.

Yeah, but do players really tank, either?

This whole system revolves around the fans. They'd be cheering for their teams to win, instead of having mixed emotions every game.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Right now, teams are tanking entire seasons.

Even if they throw in the towel at Christmas, they'd still be playing meaningful games for four months after that!

Meaningful is a stretch. The only way to stop tanking is to stop rewarding futility. Randomly select picks 1-14 in an unweighted system. It helps non-playoff teams and eliminated any desire to tank

[Itse]

That plan has been discussed numerous times on the board already. Not a huge fan, and anyway not going to happen anytime soon. They've already fiddled with the draft system several times.

Besides, I don't think there has been much tanking this season. Teams at the bottom mostly just suck.

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I think this is an absolutely stupid idea. All it will do is have teams throwing in the towel at Christmas rather than the deadline just so they have more time to accumulate points.

Isn't that contradictory?

Option 1: You accumulate points by winning. If you don't win enough times, you don't make the playoffs, but those wins (and future wins) count towards the draft.

Option 2: You accumulate points by winning. If you don't win enough times, you don't make the playoffs, but those wins (and future wins) count against the draft.

We have option 2 right now which means throwing in the towel.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by saillias

Nope.

For there to be elite teams there has to be weak teams that have sub .500 records.

Yet for some reason everyone is worried about tanking these days more than ever.

Everyone's trying to fix something that isn't broken. Trying some reverse-reward system to punish teams for not being good in an arbitrary timeline is *guaranteed* to be a disaster.

There is more tanking than ever in recent years, ever since drafting and development became more important under the cap system. It most certainly is broken.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

Isn't that contradictory?

Option 1: You accumulate points by winning. If you don't win enough times, you don't make the playoffs, but those wins (and future wins) count towards the draft.

Option 2: You accumulate points by winning. If you don't win enough times, you don't make the playoffs, but those wins (and future wins) count against the draft.

We have option 2 right now which means throwing in the towel.

in this system teams will do option 2 sooner so they are officially eliminated earlier

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

Meaningful is a stretch. The only way to stop tanking is to stop rewarding futility. Randomly select picks 1-14 in an unweighted system. It helps non-playoff teams and eliminated any desire to tank

That's worse than the lottery. Imagine you're a bubble team with some very good players but you suffer some injuries and miss the playoffs by one point. Why should you get a budding superstar over the true worst team in the league?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Do current roster players care about lottery standings at all? The entire Gold Plan hinges on that. A team like the Blue Jackets have been checked out for the majority of the season, they aren't going to get pumped for one higher slot in the draft.

It doesn't have anything to do with player motivations. Seems to be thought out to benefit fans and media of crappy teams. Players never purposefully tank IMO.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

That's worse than the lottery. Imagine you're a bubble team with some very good players but you suffer some injuries and miss the playoffs by one point. Why should you get a budding superstar over the true worst team in the league?

I don't see how that is worse, nothing is worse than seeing the abortion that is the Oilers take the ice every night and watching them try to reach double digit first overall picks.

[lambeburger]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I don't see how that is worse, nothing is worse than seeing the abortion that is the Oilers take the ice every night and watching them try to reach double digit first overall picks.

Simple solution, make a stipulation that a team cannot draft first overall more than twice in a given number of years.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I don't see how that is worse, nothing is worse than seeing the abortion that is the Oilers take the ice every night and watching them try to reach double digit first overall picks.

For what it's worth, the Oilers would guaranteed a pick lower than 2nd this year with the Gold Plan in place.

[DJones]

How about this scenario;

Team A does decent first half of the season, but their two best players get injured and they have the worst record in the league for the last half.

Team B on the other hand has their two best players hurt for the first half which results in them having the worst record in the league. The players get healthy and they have a decent second half.

Team A and B both have identical records but Team B would get a way better draft pick.

[Savvy27]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Do current roster players care about lottery standings at all? The entire Gold Plan hinges on that. A team like the Blue Jackets have been checked out for the majority of the season, they aren't going to get pumped for one higher slot in the draft.

The organization -and coaches in particular- are going to be very interested in the draft order though. I guess some star players might not be as worried about their job, but generally when the team has a goal (e.g. winning the gold plan standings) and there are players who aren't willing to work towards that, it reveals a lot about players.

There is a tangible reward for the organization and it generates excitement for fans. Strictly comparing that system to the current one, I don't understand the preference for the lottery system.