Who is going to tank for McKenna?

[rezero]

Based on the moves this year in FA, it looks like Chicago is working hard to tank in 2025-26. They did not use their $21M in cap space, they signed no significant help, and looks like they will not sign any of their pending contracts from 2026+. They are ranked 31st on moves this summer. At some point they risk losing some of their young players simply because they have been tanking for a decade and some players want to be on winning teams.

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/nhl-su ... p_catchall

[BalotelliMassive]

Chicago should he the 3rd youngest team next season - they're following a plan and doing it right.

[bud white]

Golly Gee Willikers, Mister, I really don't know why we have to even bring this up for debate..

Geno Malkin is retiring after this season ...

Sidney Crosby is rumored to be traded this year ...

McKenna elected to go the college route to Penn State ...

Hmmmmmm.....


"With the Number One pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins select ..."

[netboy65]

Chicago should he the 3rd youngest team next season - they're following a plan and doing it right.

They are following a plan. Time will tell if they’re doing it right

[rezero]

Chicago should he the 3rd youngest team next season - they're following a plan and doing it right.

They are following a plan. Time will tell if they’re doing it right

Agree, They are 1-2 years away from their young core becoming RFA, and 4-5 from UFA. At some point you need to pivot before that young core walks.

[STL fan in MN]

Pittsburgh for sure is tanking hard. Big sell off there. Chicago and SJ will still suck. The Isles don’t look very good IMO. Philly, Boston…maybe Seattle. But PIT, CHI and SJ are who I expect at the way bottom.

[kimzey59]

Pittsburgh for sure is tanking hard. Big sell off there. Chicago and SJ will still suck. The Isles don’t look very good IMO. Philly, Boston…maybe Seattle. But PIT, CHI and SJ are who I expect at the way bottom.

Don’t forget Nashville.
And I could see the League “weighing” the lottery to get the Bedard/McKenna rivalry to pump those market(because we all know the League would never do that).

[Old_Goat]

Golly Gee Willikers, Mister, I really don't know why we have to even bring this up for debate..

Geno Malkin is retiring after this season ...

Sidney Crosby is rumored to be traded this year ...

McKenna elected to go the college route to Penn State ...

Hmmmmmm.....


"With the Number One pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins select ..."

It really would be the best fit. What's the point in all of those other Top 5 picks that some of the teams have accumulated during the past few years of fan torture. But I do believe that they keep Crosby and that he signs team friendly extension to not only contribute, but mentor and retire as a Penguin and one of the top-two Penguins all time. And Pitt will then target some of those early-20s aged talented prospects that the long-term "tankers" can't hold onto.
Pitt's playbook could in reality be a successful short-term tank.

[TAFKAP]

Pittsburgh for sure is tanking hard. Big sell off there. Chicago and SJ will still suck. The Isles don’t look very good IMO. Philly, Boston…maybe Seattle. But PIT, CHI and SJ are who I expect at the way bottom.

IMHO, the only way Pit gets near a #1 OA pick is trading Sid. Crosby doesn't know how to lose. As bad as they were last year he puts up 91 points.

[TAFKAP]

Pittsburgh for sure is tanking hard. Big sell off there. Chicago and SJ will still suck. The Isles don’t look very good IMO. Philly, Boston…maybe Seattle. But PIT, CHI and SJ are who I expect at the way bottom.

Don’t forget Nashville.
And I could see the League “weighing” the lottery to get the Bedard/McKenna rivalry to pump those market(because we all know the League would never do that).

I can't see the league doing that for Nashville. I honestly believe the only draft the league actually rigged was Sid to Pittsburgh. They didn't want the Pens to move, and the team was failing financially. Getting Sid fixed all that.

If I'm the league and I have an opinion on where I'd like to see McKenna land, it would be Detroit or Utah. Probably Utah. The NHL really wants "Rivalries" adding that kid to the Utah roster will make for some great games against Vegas. If he goes to Detroit, Chicago vs Detroit becomes something again.

Just my $.02 anyway.

[rezero]

For the first time ever this year they had the draw in front of the camera instead of behind the curtains. It was funny that he even showed the front page of the WSJ and NYT before the pick to show it was legit. Just that one move tells me they have been getting slack about doing it behind closed doors.

[Pierre McGuire]

Have to think its gonna be Buffalo, San Jose or Pittsburgh. I feel like the Hawks are gonna turn the page a bit this year..there is a lot of good young talent there, they will have a shot in the lottery for sure but but I think they will picking in the 5-7 range. Buffalo might be at the point where it just finally all blows up if they get off to a bad start.

[kimzey59]

Pittsburgh for sure is tanking hard. Big sell off there. Chicago and SJ will still suck. The Isles don’t look very good IMO. Philly, Boston…maybe Seattle. But PIT, CHI and SJ are who I expect at the way bottom.

Don’t forget Nashville.
And I could see the League “weighing” the lottery to get the Bedard/McKenna rivalry to pump those market(because we all know the League would never do that).

I can't see the league doing that for Nashville. I honestly believe the only draft the league actually rigged was Sid to Pittsburgh. They didn't want the Pens to move, and the team was failing financially. Getting Sid fixed all that.

If I'm the league and I have an opinion on where I'd like to see McKenna land, it would be Detroit or Utah. Probably Utah. The NHL really wants "Rivalries" adding that kid to the Utah roster will make for some great games against Vegas. If he goes to Detroit, Chicago vs Detroit becomes something again.

Just my $.02 anyway.

I’m willing to buy that the League has only rigged the Draft for Crosby. But even doing it once is too many times.

As for Nashville, they don’t really have anything going for them right now. Old team, no real rivalry, haven’t been relevant since Weber left. They have a good fan base but that’s a club that definitely needs a spark. Give them McKenna and you put them on the map again because of Bedard and McKenna being cousins.

[seattleblue]

Conspiracy theories about who's rigging the lottery to favor a team are always really sad. There's nothing you can say to the person who chose that path

[TAFKAP]

Conspiracy theories about who's rigging the lottery to favor a team are always really sad. There's nothing you can say to the person who chose that path

If you're referring to me, I never said I was convinced that the NHL rigged the Crosby election. I said I THOUGHT that IF they did rig a draft in favor of one team, due to the situation in Pittsburgh at that time, I'd believe it to be that one. You say "There's nothing you can say to the person who chose that path". Yet you tried. Even if it wasn't directed at me, you tried. Good on ya! The group has noticed, a +1 to your Charisma.

[Pierre McGuire]

That Rangers winning the lottery a few years ago was pretty sketchy. Don’t see how anybody could argue that it wasn’t.