2024 “Tank” Thread

[CrazyDuck4u]

We are year 3 of the Verbeek rebuild. So expect 2 more years of missing playoffs before we push to be competitive.

I expect we improve next year placing about 20-25 with another improvement the following year before we properly compete for playoffs.

This is to much time.. There wont be anymore fans going to the games

 

[Terry Yake]

hard to believe we're going on 6 straight seasons of missing the playoffs. this drought has really reminded me how competitive this franchise has been for the majority of its existence. previous longest playoff drought was 3 seasons

unfortunately, doesn't seem like it's going to end anytime soon either. i'm not even going to bother rooting for losses or hoping other teams win. they're going to pick anywhere around 3-5 and i'm 99.9% certain of that

 

[Rasp]

This is to much time.. There wont be anymore fans going to the games

I bet they return when we are a legitimate chance of winning the cup

 

[dracom]

I wish this draft had a bedard level player. Tanking this season doesn’t really even seem worth it.

 

[Ducks]

More like the tank began when the onslaught of injuries to key players did.

Sure, but Tanking implies that you're doing it on purpose. Injuries may have forced Verbeek's hand, but ultimately trading Drysdale was giving up on winning now in order to win in the future.

 

[tomd]

I wish this draft had a bedard level player. Tanking this season doesn’t really even seem worth it.

Celebrini would be close enough...he's really good.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

I bet they return when we are a legitimate chance of winning the cup

Ehhh.. I gotta see it to believe.. Right now.. I have doubts..

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Ehhh.. I gotta see it to believe.. Right now.. I have doubts..

There have been times this season where the crowd seemed electric and engaged (at least on TV, not sure how the atmosphere is in person). It just isn't very consistent because how could it be. There is nothing really entertaining about the team outside of Leo this year. The team is awful, Zegras has been out for a while, McTavish appears to be playing with an injury and they dealt Drysdale (who was also out for a while when he was here)

I think if the team is good, the fans will be back.

 

[GunnarStahl]

In the next couple days I’m going to add edits to the OP to reflect more recent developments that occurred in the month of January, however I have to say it’s kinda wild that it seems this team could very likely not leave the 3rd best odds for the rest of the season, I’d say it’s 50/50 they end out with the third best odds, Ottawa and Columbus are the only catchable teams but I suspect they will extend or at the very least maintain their distance. Below them are sharks and Hawks, and it’s just hard to think this team (with a decent amount of talent, when healthy at least) could finish below them. But then again this is the team that lost 13 straight at the end of last year to plummet from 4th best odds to 1st.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Tank started when all the injuries piled up, trading Drysdale was more about the GM acquiring a player they really covet and avoiding a potential bad long term investment in Drysdale. He's injury prone at a younger age than Vatanen was and Vat didn't suddenly become more durable as he aged.

Suppose in an alternate universe Verbeek keeps Drysdale and he has another bad injury, they wouldn't have been able to get a player anywhere near Cutter and then people would be complaining why didn't they trade him sooner.

 

[GermanRocket7]

This year just flat-out sucks. My hometown team has to fight relegation for the first time in close to 90 years of existence, the Ducks are yet another mess and there's no silver lining whatsoever as of now. I'm not even sure Celebrini would be much of a consolation price for yet another season as catastrophic as this, honestly. I know for sure anything below Celebrini won't, anyways.

 

[Dryish]

I, for one, am nowhere near the defeatism of last year. Last year we looked like shit, full stop. This year we were in a playoff spot before the hockey gods opened the injury flood gates. We lost Drysdale and that's a gamble, but we got a very talented scoring prospect in return and are in prime position to draft someone really good yet again.

As long as the media mouthpieces are wrong and we don't actually deal Zegras away, whatever happens going into the deadline and the draft are likely going to finalize our rebuild. I welcome a high draft pick, but for once it happens with some semblance of realistic expectation of better to come.

As long as Cronin shows he's actually a good NHL coach, that is. We can't have another coaching disaster.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

Couldn’t be any more excited really. Hoping for either a Celebrini, Silayev or Dickinsen. Not as high on Levshunov

 

[Kalv]

There is a distinct bottom-5 now.

With 36 games left, we'd have to win 7 more games than Buffalo to get out of it (even more with MTL, MIN, etc). Which seems highly unlikely given our lineup and injuries. Even if I think a winning streak will come at some point.

One could argue the bottom-3 is also distinctive as Ottawa has played 4 less games than others. Pretty much, we're in a shit-tier with Chicago right now. SJS are even worse.

So, a top 5 pick seems very likely. Top 7 almost inevitable. Note that, we can fall back 2 spots from the position we finish

 

[AngelDuck]

adding Celibrini or Dickinson to this group of young players we have is enticing.

I’m very bullish on the ducks future but it’s going to be rough next 2 seasons

The Drysdale trade is a lot more palatable if we replace him with Dickinson

 

[Anaheim4ever]

There is a distinct bottom-5 now.

With 36 games left, we'd have to win 7 more games than Buffalo to get out of it (even more with MTL, MIN, etc). Which seems highly unlikely given our lineup and injuries. Even if I think a winning streak will come at some point.

One could argue the bottom-3 is also distinctive as Ottawa has played 4 less games than others. Pretty much, we're in a shit-tier with Chicago right now. SJS are even worse.

So, a top 5 pick seems very likely. Top 7 almost inevitable. Note that, we can fall back 2 spots from the position we finish

I'm not sure who SJ can even sell off at this point given contracts to Hertl and Couture.
That is good because the Ducks can sell off Henrique, Lybush and possibly even Vatrano if a team made a offer we can't turn down, the Ducks could move up to 2nd best odds at #1 with those trades.

 

[dracom]

Celebrini would be close enough...he's really good.

lets be honest, we're never gonna get 1st overall.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

This is to much time.. There wont be anymore fans going to the games

unfortunately I don’t think it’s PVs fault…. Team shoulda been committed to rebuild long before he was here and unfortunately they didn’t.

That being said I think if we can cut some more fat and make right offseason moves we could see a big move up next year

 

[GermanRocket7]

lets be honest, we're never gonna get 1st overall.

Usually I would agree with you. However, the lack of this year's draft class makes it more palatable for the league to have a franchise such as ours pick first overall. After all, they need to find a way to gift Misa and possibly McKenna to the Blackhawks in the next years.

It's not as if Celebrini is that high-end elite player in the mold of a Matthews or Kane (let alone the higher tier of Crosby, McJesus and Bedard), but more of an average or even slightly below-average first overall player. He's undoubtedly going to be an All Star at one point barring injuries, but he'll never be a Franchise-changing prize.

 

[tomd]

Usually I would agree with you. However, the lack of this year's draft class makes it more palatable for the league to have a franchise such as ours pick first overall. After all, they need to find a way to gift Misa and possibly McKenna to the Blackhawks in the next years.

It's not as if Celebrini is that high-end elite player in the mold of a Matthews or Kane (let alone the higher tier of Crosby, McJesus and Bedard), but more of an average or even slightly below-average first overall player. He's undoubtedly going to be an All Star at one point barring injuries, but he'll never be a Franchise-changing prize.

I heard one analyst on NHLN describe Celebrini as a faster version of Brayden Point. I'll take that.

 

[darkwingduck]

If Anaheim wins the lottery, they’re locked out of it for a couple years no?

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

If Anaheim wins the lottery, they’re locked out of it for a couple years no?

don’t think so

I think the rule you’re talking about specifically uses the word “advance in the draft lottery”…. Last year we didn’t technically advanced so I don’t think it counts as us winning…. I thought i remember reading confirmation of this on twitter somewhere also

 

[Leonardo87]

Do we really need Celebrini though?

Will have Zegras, Leo, Mac, Terry, and Gauthier in our Top 6 next season, along with some vet support.

I'd rather get the best D player available, will help soften the blow from losing Drysdale.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Do we really need Celebrini though?

Will have Zegras, Leo, Mac, Terry, and Gauthier in our Top 6 next season, along with some vet support.

I'd rather get the best D player available, will help soften the blow from losing Drysdale.

Push comes to shove id take celebrini and move zegras at the draft for a top 10 pick and go dmen there.


If we did win the lottery would you guys consider moving down to 2-4 with Chicago or San Jose?

Sharks 1st + penguins 1st for #1 overall( right now it looks like 2nd + 18th pick)

Chicago 1st + tampa 1st for 1st overall(looks like 3rd + 14th right now)

I think you could get even more than those 2 picks, as I think celebrini is significantly better than anyone at 2 3 or 4

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Do we really need Celebrini though?

Will have Zegras, Leo, Mac, Terry, and Gauthier in our Top 6 next season, along with some vet support.

I'd rather get the best D player available, will help soften the blow from losing Drysdale.

I think if they end up with Celebrini they may end up moving Zegras for a Dman.
I wouldn't be shocked cause he may want a change of scenery after how this season went and his best buddy traded away.