Losing on Purpose? What the Experts Say About Tanking

To tank or not to tank? That is the question. (You can never get enough Shakespeare in your life.) As a fan, nothing gets me madder than teams taking a dive, which leads them to oblivion. General Managers have to do this delicately; no one wants to lose.

What they want is players who are willing to put in the effort. This is why I strongly believe The Flames should not tank on purpose. Officially. Wink, wink.

I went to the draft experts to see what they had to say.

Russ Cohen

General Managers who want to position themselves well in the draft can maneuver their rosters to get themselves in position to get a high draft pick without hurting the development of their young players.

You can find Russ on Twitter @sportsology. He is a prospect writer at Sportsology.com and http://NHLdraftbuzz.com. A terrific follow on Twitter.

Colton Davies

I don’t think a team should tank on purpose. I understand the need for a top-end prospect, i.e., Gavin McKenna, but purposely falling through the standings should not be something an owner should entertain. What kind of message does that send to your season ticket holders?

You can find Colton on Twitter @coltonrdavies. Be sure to follow him. He is a prospect writer for @DailyFaceoff @BlazerHockey and is a cohost on YouTube @gamedaytarps.

Daeden Comeau

Personally, I don’t think teams should tank unless they know they will be a front runner for Mckenna when the time comes. After Gavin Mckenna, I’m not sure there is a player that would be worth the risk of tanking for, similar to drafts in recent years, the first pick is a “standout” and the rest could go anywhere.

You can find Daeden at Twitter @ComeauDaeden is a great find at Twitter. Daedenh is a Bilingual Broadcaster and play-by-play Commentator. Waterville, NS - Toronto, ON. Editor/Producer at @gamedaytarps.

Steven Ellis

This is definitely the year to tank because of all the high-end talent. The real prize is obviously McKenna, but Keaton Verhoeff, Ryan Lyn, and all the other players near the top of the list this year make it a very intriguing draft.

It is still very early, and Lee always respects a great draft each year, but 2026 has a lot of high-end talent.

I wouldn’t say it’s a deep draft right now, mainly because it’s way too early to say that. But I like the group.

You can follow Steven on Twitter @SEllisHockey. Associate Editor and Prospect Analyst for @DailyFaceoff. He also does Leaf content for @TLNdc. He is an awesome follower.

There you have it; there are a lot of strong opinions on the topic of tanking. Should you tank? I will let you decide.