Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Guest Blogger #10: To Tank is Not a Four Letter Word

By Rick F.

What is wrong with the idea of a couple of losing seasons? Now wait and hear me out before answering.

When you consider the idea of finishing in the eighth spot and securing the playoff position, a first round exit and the subsequent 15-17 draft pick. Compare that to finishing in the bottom five and securing a top rated draft pick - maybe even the first overall pick and you have Gordie Clark doing the evaluations instead of Glen Slather.

Besides the culture shock, the idea of the Rangers actually floundering near the bottom to replenish and become a strong team should be a welcome alternative.

We don't have the GM to play in the free agent market when considering his 10 year track record so why not embrace a plan that gives us the alternative to control cap spending with the influx of new, young, and talented players. This plan already has a proven track record of success if done properly.

What do we have to lose? Our reputation? One cup in 69 years reputation?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well i strongly disagree. First of all - teams that pull such stunt are like roches in my book. Its diffrent that you suck because you suck and totaly another story if you choose to. Immagine this - if you assessment would be right we could expect to see drop in production in many teams if some supper star ( tavares ) showes up in draft line up. So there would be games that both teams are trying to loose on purpose. You would ultimatly see goiles putting puck in their own net and fans would bolt to a sports that are not rotten like hockey would be ( lacrosse comes to mind ).

ag_blue said...

I also disagree . . .
This scenario has been kicked around since the end of last season. Sounds like a loser's strategy to me. I would much prefer that this team work on establishing a habit of winning. It takes a lot to win and part of that is attitude. I want a winning attitude even as a fan.
The draft will not save us. Hard work and dedication to winning is the only way.

"This plan already has a proven track record of success if done properly."

... there is no proven track record here, because it generally is not done successfully (I think "successfully" is a better word than "properly" here; it's almost always done "properly" (though the Jessiman debacle stands out)), and a successful draft doesn't necessarily spell "Stanley Cup." Draft picks are something of an unknown commodity; not all of the top picks can make it in the NHL.
Besides drafting and the free agent market there is developing young talent, which we've been hearing much about, and many of our guys were not drafted (though we did acquire some through trades).

No. I want to win. Period.
And I want my team to think about winning. Period.
If this means we miss the playoffs or make another first-round exit, I'll be satisfied as long as I've seen a good effort and development in the organization.

AnnoyingJoe said...

Yeah, I don't think this theory washes anymore. Look what Philly and Montreal did last year. There is so much parody nowadays that any team can win a best-of-seven series, all you need is timely scoring and a hot goalie. (Hank?)

It's really a moot point anyway because the Dolans would never willingly forfeit 2years of playoff revenue.

Anonymous said...

Detroit and other top teams never tank to improve. They draft well and build winning cultures.

cmc402 said...

So sick of reading nonsense like this. How exactly does a team tank on purpose??? Does Hank let goals in on purpose while Gabs shoots only at his own net? No offense, but totally moronic idea and completely the opposite of how athletes know how to play the game.

raggsfan said...

you are not a real hockey fan if you want to see your team produce losers to become winners....this post was a complete yawner, nothing interesting at all. i think that if you are going to write up a rant at least do so with an intelligent solution ...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...oh and btw ask atlanta, toronto, florida, columbus, pheonix (aside from this year) the list goes on, how losing every years has worked out for them.. stop using Pittsburgh as an example and washington and chicago. because A) Chicago sucked terribly for almost 20 years before they produced a contender, pittsburgh got lucky with the Sid lottery and happened to have malkin stall and fleury in the years prior to and after as for washington well how long did they suck?

andrewfromsherb said...

you are an idiot,your title makes no sense... to tank IS a four letter word and its dumb and not a part of sports...get a clue guy..if you are a fan you aren't a very knowledgeable one.. thumbs down to the person who deemed this worthy of this normally interesting blog site...

Kevin DeLury said...

Wow you guys are tough this morning. While I have no problem disagreeing with the guest blogger there is no need for the name calling.

John said...

Even if this were a viable strategy with a "proven" track record. You contradicted yourself by saying we don't have a GM that can adequately play in the free agency market. What makes you think he would do any better in the trade market? I would bet the farm that if the Rangers had 2 or 3 top picks, he would eventually turn them around for some scorer or defenseman on the downside of his career with a ridiculous contract. I'm shocked that we have many kids right now that are promising, but I'm not holding my breath that they will be here by year end. This team already has a problem instilling a winning mentality, a strategy like this would turn them into a complete joke! Plus the fact that the Dolans don't give a rat's #$% about winning, all they care about is playoff revenue, even if it is only 1 round.

andrewfromsherb said...

sorry for the name calling but wow bad idea,,this is completely rediculous.

Chris said...

Do I 'want' losing season? No. Might it be good for the future of the club? Maybe.

Im going to go out on a limb here and say that maybe Guest Blogger #10 wasnt clear in his post, resulting in the backlash here in the comments.

Perhaps he meant, rather, to pull the GM away from the FA market and as other contracts expire, fill the roles with youngsters/rookies instead of signing aging vets. I know the GM talks about doing that, but we have yet to see him actually do it. And with every new signing, the likelihood of any young guys seeing the ice at NHL level becomes even thinner.

By playing such an inexperienced roster, while letting the Staals/Dubis/Callys mold into Veteran leaders, you will inevitably have a 'losing' season (or a couple if you stick to it).

Doing so you end up with better draft picks while letting your current crop of prospects get experience at the NHL level. By the time, the draftees (resulting from the 'losing seasons') are ready to play, the current prospects are now seasoned NHLers and you have a young, talented squad.

Granted, this is a multi-year plan and is not guaranteed to work well. But I believe this is more of what the Blogger was getting at versus NYR 'intentionally' tanking a season or two.

wonderin said...

Perhaps we should give Rick a break here and recognize this as his way of expressing his frustration...

LI Joe said...

he is not wrong. but dolan will never agree hence we are stranded in mediocrity. not intentionally putting puck in our own net. but a few well placed trades and not signing guys who will bring us up to mediocre level should be the way to go.

wonderin said...

Good assessment Chris...

Anonymous said...

Oh, so now you ranger fans are on board for rebuilding? You don't think you can buy cups anymore? you're not too good for a rebuild process? well, I've got news for you, even if you do rebuild, YOU WILL SUCK AT IT! DYLAN MCILRATH LMFAO!!!!

This is the new chant from Isles fans to taunt you rags fans:

CAM FOWLER! CAM FOWLER! CAM FOWLER!