NHLers Admit to Actively Sabotaging GMs Plans This Season
Gary Bettman recently stated that tanking is a non-issue in the NHL. Hardly anyone truly believed him, but top marks for trying.
A handful of front offices around the league openly fielded mediocre rosters with no chance of having the remotest success. Everyone knows why: Connor Bedard. The young phenom playing in the Western Hockey League with 213 points in 111 games for the Regina Pats. He also set the Canadian record for points at the World Junior Championships with 23 in 7 games.
One such team who unabashedly iced a losing team is the Chicago Blackhawks. GM Kyle Davidson traded away Alex DeBrincat this summer and did next to nothing in trying to replace him.
The front office might be trying to tank, but the players didn't get that memo. Defenseman Seth Jones was asked his thoughts about tanking and said that the players are in it to win it each night:
Same goes for forward Mackenzie Entwistle:
These players couldn't care less about management's plans to tank. Players have future contracts and ultimately their careers on the line, so they are expected to perform night in and night out.
Chicago Blackhawks players seem to have a chip on their shoulder this season, trying to foil management's plan to secure the top spot. Still, the Blackhawks sit 31st in the NHL.
Which just goes to show how effective the front office's tanking measures have been this season.
Source: The Athletic
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 30 | 211 ANSWERS NHLers Admit to Actively Sabotaging GMs Plans This Season True or False: tanking is a legitimate thing in the NHL. | ||
| True | 156 | 73.9 % |
| False | 55 | 26.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||