Belarus

Please, Ducks. DON'T MAKE ME PUKE!!!

"Bigger is better" is fine as long as you include the phrase, "All things being equal," which is never the case. Example: Chris Pronger (6'-6") HOF'er Andrej Šustr (6'-8") Uhh, not yet... (Another fine example of Belarus' expert cherry-picking.)

Exciting day indeed! Remember, even if Columbus loses today, they still have another game tomorrow!

I have a theory... I suspect, three or four games ago, Bettman had a conference call with Anaheim, Chicago and Columbus. And said something like, "I believe your organizations are tanking on purpose. If I can prove it, there will be repercussions in the off season." And just like that, the three teams in question are collecting points.

My prediction: Chicago and Columbus will each win one of their remaining games, dropping us back in last place. However... In an inspiring flash of cross-town rivalry, we will beat the Kings in our final game - putting us right back in 3rd worst again. (Note - I'm going to puke if I'm actually correct on this one...) 🤮

Hmm. I was looking for a thread about goal differential, but can't find it. Anyhoose, what would you'all rather have for them Duck's team: 1 - More goals for 2 - Less goals against 3 - Better grammar from Belarus

Wow, a lot of great posts here! Especially about what happens with the drawing for 2nd overall. The nice thing about the Duck's current situation is that regardless of where they finish at the end of the season (i.e. worst thru 4th worst), the Ducks can get the first overall pick at the draft lottery. (The preceding statement has not been evaluated by the NHL. Due to conspiracies or "acts of hockey gods," your results may vary. Use caution, and always consult someone who actually knows what they're talking about.)

Ahh, after researching a bit to make sure my comments weren't inaccurate, both Gorb and I are correct, but using different ways to explain. Some sources refer to each round of ping-pong balls as "lotteries", but other sources call them "drawings." The real problem, the one that causes much of the confusion, is that the word "lottery" is used two different ways: 1 - The results of each "ping-pong ball drawing" as Gorb correctly indicated. The NHL draft will use two drawings or "lotteries" in this case. 2 - The entire process of determining the draft order. As in, "Team A won the draft lottery by getting the first overall pick." If someone is explaining the lottery using definition 1, but the reader is using definition 2, it can cause some head-scratching!

In case you're all curious, with this fourth straight post I'm simply doing my best bufbarnaby impression...

Me neither - until a few hours ago -ha ha!

Oops - forgot this one. Again, what Gorb55 meant was "wins the ping-pong ball drawing for #1 overall." Remember, in Gorb's example, a team that does win the first ping-pong ball drawing can only move to the 2-6 position. (Sorry Gorb, if I'm stepping on your feet here...)

No, that is incorrect, but a understandable misunderstanding. (Like my grammar?) Gorbachav55 meant "win the 2nd ping-pong ball drawing" but said "win the lottery." Also, one shouldn't confuse the terms "finishing in last place" and "winning the lottery."

From the Tankathon site: The 1st overall pick is awarded by a drawing of ping pong balls. A team can only jump ten spots, so only the top 11 teams are eligible for the 1st pick. If a team in the 12-16 range wins the first drawing, the first pick will remain with the worst team. The 2nd overall pick is awarded by a drawing of ping pong balls. If a team in the 12-16 range won the first drawing, the worst team keeps the 1st pick and is excluded from the second drawing. Like the first drawing, the second winner can only jump ten spots.

I hope I didn't jinx us and have the eleventh worst team win the lottery... 🤐

For quite some time now, it seems lost on many of us that we don't need to finish last in the standings to win the draft lottery, Under the current rules, the team that finishes anywhere from worst to eleventh worst in the standings can still win the first overall pick Sure, the odds are the best for the last place team, but Anaheim can still win the "Bedard Sweepstakes" wherever we finish, which realistically seems to be no higher than fourth worst.

Hmm, how about that Patches O'Houlihan guy from the movie Dodgeball? You know, the guy who throws wrenches at everyone?

Let me stir the pot here. Considering the supposed depth in this year's draft, if you were the Duck's GM... Would you trade Troy Terry for a first round draft pick if the pick was 1st thru 10th overall?

Conversation in Chicago's locker room: GM - "Hey Slavin, we just traded you." Slavin - "Oh good, I get to play for a team that's not in last place!" GM - "We traded you to Anaheim." Slavin - "AUUUGGGHHHHH!!" ------------------------------------ Note - Identical conversation in Anaheim's locker room...

AND, in seven seasons from 10-11 to 16-17 the Avs only made the playoffs once. They've made the playoffs every year after 16-17. Is there a similar future for Anaheim?..

If I may add some food for thought here (and to give everyone a chance to tell me how naive I am), let's look at the current Stanley Cup Champions - five and half seasons ago: 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche 22W 56L 4OT 48 points, last place in the NHL, -112 goal differential. Kinda like the Ducks this season...

Time for a direction adjustment! I'll start... With a handful of teams racing towards the bottom and the uncertainty of the draft lottery, if the Ducks don't get the first overall pick... 1 - Who would you draft? 2 - Why? (Here's Moose's earlier opinion)

"And in other news, Russian sources have confirmed that Putin has called for permanent cease fire in Ukraine and is currently withdrawing his troops. The Kremlin has also confirmed that Putin will be apologizing to the United Nations and has offered reparations to all combatants involved. When asked about why the sudden and unexpected change of heart, Putin replied, 'We have been holding our own with Ukraine and their allies for months. But we simply can not survive Gary Bettman, a man I personally fear, joining their cause. We therefore surrender at midnight tonight.'"

Short article from a year ago - to refresh our memories about the newest draft rules. https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-draft-lottery-changes-announced-for-2021/c-322838154 Food for thought. The Stanley Cup champion would be ineligible for the lottery of course, but in theory they could make a blockbuster trade with the lottery winner for the first pick, however unlikely that would be.

Megna's agent: "Hey Megna, you're leaving the Avs and joining the Ducks!" Megna: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

I was going to start a new thread just for Gibson, but decided to resurrect this thread instead. A quote from NHL.com today: "Gibson, who leads the NHL with 603 saves this season, has faced at least 40 shots in a game seven times this season, the most among all goaltenders." Three questions: 1 - Any goaltender will look bad on a lousy team. How well would Gibson do on a team who's top ten in the standings? 2 - Do you think Gibson is sick of losing and wants a trade, and/or are the Ducks looking to trade him? 3 - How would you rate Gibson among all the Ducks goaltenders since 1993? The best? Top three? Top ten? Bottom half? Top half?