Claimed:The benefits of VHLM tanking [Final 6/6]

[CowboyinAmerica 2,840]

 

The benefits of VHLM tanking

 

The Saskatoon Wild are bad. And I don’t mean, “Oh, this will be a boring game” bad. I mean, “What is this sport that you are attempting to call hockey” bad.

 

Through 46 games, the Wild have managed to be leading or tied after 60 minutes of play exactly three times, an almost staggeringly impressive in its awfulness 6.5 percent of the time. Of those three games, two have come against the almost-as-bad Bratislava Watchmen, while I can only assume the Yukon Rush goalie 2 Gud ingested poison before allowing five goals to Saskatoon on Day 39.

 

But of course, this is all part of the plan. The Wild have two first round picks next season including Brampton’s, and at this rate, the team will be locked in to choosing first or second in what should be a loaded draft. All the struggles this season are geared towards a big run in Season 43.

 

Will that run actually materialize, however? A glance at the five worst last-place VHLM teams since Season 31 expansion reveals that the odds may be in Saskatoon’s favor – as long as the general manager is patient enough to keep building.

 

Season 33 Bern Royals – 23 points – S34 Finals 

 

It was a clear race to the bottom for the Royals, as they finished 11 points back of the similarly-tanking Oslo Storm, then an additional 29 points back of any other VHLM team. Perhaps the only player of note was goalie Vladimir Bodnar, who would go on to have a mediocre VHLM career. The next season, though, was indisputably better, with Bern finishing with 118 points, good for first in the European Conference and second overall behind the Yukon Rush. With the tank-given first pick in the draft, Bern selected Mikey Blade, who would finish with a league-leading 113 goals. Even though the team fell 4-1 to Yukon in the finals, it’s tough to call the previous season’s tanking a failed endeavor.

 

Season 37 Ottawa Lynx – 19 points – S39 Championship

 

The Ottawa Lynx were in an odd position in Season 37; the team was racing to the bottom, but it was joined in its endeavor by the Brampton Blades, who finished with 20 points. Once the team successfully tanked, however, it did not do the Bern strategy and muscle its way through the next season. Instead, it traded back out of the first pick of the Season 38 draft, instead gearing up for Season 39 by simply sneaking in to the Season 38 playoffs. It paid off; with guys like Aelred Leskowsky around for multiple seasons and five first round picks from trading back, Ottawa won it all in Season 39.

 

Season 38 Bratislava Watchmen – 15 points – S40, S41 Championship

 

The same season that Ottawa was building its team, Bratislava decided to undertake a tanking effort of its own. It certainly succeeded in that aspect; its 15 points trailed ninth-place Minot by 44. However, the team also finished with a near-perfect imitation of Ottawa’s two season strategy. After trading out of the Season 39 draft for more picks and tanking once again that year (26 points), Bratislava came back with a vengeance and four of the first six picks of the Season 40 draft. Thanks to guys who stuck around two years, it worked out nicely for the squad; they’ve won the last two VHLM championships.

 

Season 40 Turku Outlaws – 18 points – The one bust

 

Seeing Ottawa and Bratislava’s successes, Turku decided to take a similar tactic in Season 40, trading away the farm for a shot at the first selection. In fact, not a single player from Season 40 would be on Turku’s roster the next season. However, the franchise took a similar plan from Season 33 Bern, trying to muscle to a championship the very next year. It didn’t work. Despite the strong play of first round selection AC Savage, the team was not quite able to overcome the already-built Bratislava juggernaut. Then, when Bratislava fell in Season 42 (and with Savage and Sinclair going to the pros), the team hasn’t had quite enough in the tank to maintain success.

 

Season 41 Ottawa Lynx – 9 points – S43 Championship?

 

So, which will it be for Ottawa: the success of its previous teams from Season 38-39, or a flame out similar to recent Turku? If I had to guess, I’m going with the former. By trading back for extra picks and snagging still-active players such as Thomas Duddy and Jorma Ruutu who are likely to stay down for one more season, Ottawa may very well be the prohibitive favorite going into next season. All the team needs is a goaltender (which it will have the ammo to trade for), and we may be talking about this team in the exact same cycle as the Ottawa squad from just four seasons prior.

[eaglesfan036 4,593]

boo tanking

[boubabi 4,725]

Tanking is love, Tanking is life

[Laflamme 376]

boooo no shout out when mentioning Ottawa. 

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Content: 3/3 - Great article. Tanking is good for life.

Grammar: 2/2 - Nothing, really.

 

"“What is this sport that you are attempting to call hockey”" - missing a question mark

"an almost staggeringly impressive in its awfulness 6.5 percent of the time." - doesn't need 'an'.

"Instead, it traded back out of the first pick of the Season 38 draft, instead" - doesn't need the 2nd 'instead'

Appearance: 1/1 - Goooood. Looks solid.

Overall: 6/6

[CowboyinAmerica 2,840]

boooo no shout out when mentioning Ottawa. 

 

Because I think it's possible (if not likely) that you'll have too much TPE and not able to stay down another season...

[Baozi 1,658]

Boooo tanking.

We should make it so all teams that miss the playoffs have randomized pick order.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,840]

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