Rumor Draft Lottery with be April 28th

[Weave]

If you ever wanna dissuade a team from tanking, screw the lottery and implement relegation

 

I would be so in for that.  No more losing on purpose for any of the teams in the league.  Fewer sellers and more real hockey trades at the deadline as well.

Edited March 7, 2018 by We've

[Randall Flagg]

So never then?  :doh:

 

Come on guys think positive. The odds are with us now. This is the one that turns us around. 

The odds are not with us - we have a 12 percent chance if we finish second last, regardless of our misfortune in years past

[Stoner]

The Gamblers Fallacy

[PromoTheRobot]

It also doesn't really work, as they are affiliated with NHL teams, so suddenly the Rochester Americans roster has Eichel and Reinhart on it and plays in the NHL

Didn't the EPL do away with that? How do you run a major league team then drop a level?

[MattPie]

I wish I could find MODO's post about relegation (as MODO (the team) was a few years ago). If I remember right, once the season ended, there was a whole playoff system where the bottom 2 teams facing relegation had to play a playoff series against the top two teams in the SHL-1 league, while teams #3 through 8 or something of SHL-1 played their own playoff brackets. If one of the relegation teams lost their series, they were relegated and I think all the contracts on the team were voided. After, the SHL-1 top-2 played the winners of the 3-8 series for the SHL-1 championship.

 

In NA terms, the Sabres and Coyotes would play the Marlies and whatever other good team right after the regular season ended in a series with an NHL berth for next season on the line.

Edited March 8, 2018 by MattiPaj

[SwampD]

I wish I could find MODO's post about relegation (as MODO (the team) was a few years ago). If I remember right, once the season ended, there was a whole playoff system where the bottom 2 teams facing relegation had to play a playoff series against the top two teams in the SHL-1 league, while teams #3 through 8 or something of SHL-1 played their own playoff brackets. If one of the relegation teams lost their series, they were relegated and I think all the contracts on the team were voided. After, the SHL-1 top-2 played the winners of the 3-8 series for the SHL-1 championship.

 

In NA terms, the Sabres and Coyotes would play the Marlies and whatever other good team right after the regular season ended in a series with an NHL berth for next season on the line.

The only problem is the Sabres or Coyotes would kill,the Marlies. Edited March 8, 2018 by SwampD

[carpandean]

The only problem is the Sabres or Coyotes would kill,the Marlies.

 

There would be problems even if they couldn't.  What happens if the Marlies win and move up?  Their team is made up of Leafs' prospects and career AHLers.  Do they go to the NHL with just the latter?  Do they get the contracts from the relegated team?  A parent team having a strong prospect pool doesn't mean that the minor-league team is better run than the NHL team that they would be replacing.

[Brawndo]

Once there are 32 teams, a tournament of the 16 teams that did not qualify for the playoffs should be established. The format would be single elimination games with a bracket similar to the NCAA. The first 8 teams to lose would have Picks 8-16, with the team with the lowest season point total drafting 8th. The next four out would draft 4-7. The eventual winner gets the first overall pick.

[bunomatic]

Vancouver will win this one. As far as I know they've never had a #1 overall pick.

[Drunkard]

On the bright side we're in sole possession of last place thanks to Phoenix having a game in hand over Buffalo. If the season ends that way, we're guaranteed one of Dahlin, Svechnikov, Zadina, or Tkachuk.

[sabills]

There would be problems even if they couldn't.  What happens if the Marlies win and move up?  Their team is made up of Leafs' prospects and career AHLers.  Do they go to the NHL with just the latter?  Do they get the contracts from the relegated team?  A parent team having a strong prospect pool doesn't mean that the minor-league team is better run than the NHL team that they would be replacing.

You can't have relegation with affiliated teams, at least not like that. In the EPL teams don't have affiliates; instead they have U23 and U18 teams (U=under the age of, though people over those ages also still play in them somehow? I'm not really sure how it works). So there would be an Under 23 Sabres team that you would send guys down too, but theres no waivers or anything, they can just play for the younger club, who plays against other younger clubs.

 

There are a lot of problems with changing Hockey to be like European soccer, but not the least of it is that there are WAY more people world wide who play soccer than play hockey. This creates a huge talent pool that allows all of these teams and leagues to exist. I support Everton so I looked at their roster; between the first team and the U23 team (I didn't look at the 18s because I figure those kids aren't in the NHL yet if its hockey) they have over 70 players (including some that are on loan to other clubs). There are 20 teams in the EPL. There are 8 levels of English League soccer. And thats JUST ENGLAND! 

 

EDIT: Quick look up, there were around 2 million hockey players registered with the IIHF in 2013. There were over 240 million soccer players registered with FIFA in 2014.

Edited March 8, 2018 by sabelvilhelm

[MattPie]

Once there are 32 teams, a tournament of the 16 teams that did not qualify for the playoffs should be established. The format would be single elimination games with a bracket similar to the NCAA. The first 8 teams to lose would have Picks 8-16, with the team with the lowest season point total drafting 8th. The next four out would draft 4-7. The eventual winner gets the first overall pick.

 

Good idea. I look forward to teams in the 14-16 spots throwing games at the end of the season to be able to wreck the B-league playoffs and get the number 1 pick. I also look forward to teams that are legitimately terrible (like Buffalo and Ott'wa this year) drafting 8-16 forever and only the hope of hitting on franchise-changing players in the middle of the first round to get them out of the basement.

[Drunkard]

Good idea. I look forward to teams in the 14-16 spots throwing games at the end of the season to be able to wreck the B-league playoffs and get the number 1 pick. I also look forward to teams that are legitimately terrible (like Buffalo and Ott'wa this year) drafting 8-16 forever and only the hope of hitting on franchise-changing players in the middle of the first round to get them out of the basement.

 

Yep. A system like that would destroy league parity.

[Brawndo]

These are good points, but there are some merits to it as well. Teams would be less likely to strip their rosters down at the trade deadline. Fan bases would actually have rooting interest all season even after their team is eliminated from the SC Playoff Race

 

As the system is comprised now, any non playoff can move into the top three spots. At the end of the day the where teams ultimately end up drafting still comes down to chance and not skill or lack there of.

 

And sure teams can tank their last few games to miss out on the playoffs and be the top seed in the consolation bracket, but they are still single elimination games, but the fact that the Sabres are 5-2 against the Atlantic’s Best proves anything can happen.