Finish strong or tank?

[dasnut]

In looking at our remaining schedule, do you hope they tank the remainder of the season and get a better chance of getting in the top 3 draft spots...OR...do you hope they finish strong in hopes of creating some chemistry to build upon for next season?

Just a thought I had and wondered everyone's opinion.  I'm truly tired of thinking of this very issue almost every season, I would much rather consider who we are playing first in the playoffs!  That was fun last year; until the thumping actually was handed down!

At this point, I'm torn between the two.  I will still watch and cheer them on, but if we lose the majority of our remaining games and get the #1, #2 or #3 draft spots I would be excited for the draft again.  In all honesty, if they got one of the top 3 positions and then revamped the entire scouting staff I would REALLY be excited.

[CanadianJacketsFan]

Tank, get inside the lottery.

I hate to do that, but honestly the jackets are a joke, no matter how well they play they can find a way to lose.

Also if we do get in the lottery it probably won't be our decision, we are actually that bad.

[jackets 4 life]

Effort is far more important in my mind than getting a high pick that is still an unknown.

I didnt spend 100 dollars for these last two games im going to so that I could watch a bunch of ragtag misfits not try hard. They may not have talent, but I would at least appreciate seeing the boys try their best. I mean I see Nash (and all the rest) take enough shifts off as it is, it would kill me as a fan to see us give up.

Enough fans are already abandoning their season ticket plans, tanking the season will just allow them to be sure of themselves and more to join them. If Howson has his ducks in a row and truly intends on keeping the team in Columbus, he better not allow this to happen.

I'm a realist, I know that our club is in danger more and more everyday of relocating, Bettman has been trying to cover up for a lot of teams about that for too damn long. I love the Blue Jackets, I've signed the petition at http://www.forwardtogethercolumbus.org/, and I hope they stay in C-bus forever, but if we start turning more fans away by doing this it's hard to tell what will happen.

It's not like we're going to be that much worse off in the draft if we keep trying, I'd settle for effort and a sixth or seventh pick rather than giving up and the third pick. I just think that trying to put a decent team on the ice now is more important for planning for something down the road that may be unsure of as it is. I know we suck, I'm not going to try and work around it, but effort is a quality that even Edmonton should maintain through it all, and they are assured the first pick.


"Don't give up, don't ever give up." Simple as that, as said by Jim Valvano himself

[CanadianJacketsFan]

That's true, if I were a fan attending games my opinion would be 100% different.

[CORUPTWJ]

I am sure there isn't a player in the locker room that will say, lets just give up.  You can't have that in any locker room or any professional athlete.  But after how they played againist the Kings, it is hard to believe that all of them are not thinking it.

[puckhogg]

looks to me like the same thing is happening when they traded douchebag ...team is starting to go thru the motions..as of today we are 1 point out of the top three for the june draft..with 1 more game played than the team in third...

[jackets 4 life]

That's true, if I were a fan attending games my opinion would be 100% different.

I can see why you think that way, I don't fault you for that. It must be even harder to follow this team from Canada, or easier, depending on how you look at it.

[JacketsFan19]

Never in the past have I cheered for the team to tank, in any of the previous "disappointing" years.

I am this year.

After seeing 8, 6, 6, 7, 6 turn into nothing, and watching Pittsburgh turn 5, 1, 2, 1, 2 into a SC Finalist within two years, and seeing the Hawks use the #3 and #1 picks two years in a row to help turn them into one of the NHL's elite teams, seemingly overnight, I've changed my tune.  (As a matter of fact, I have a friend that's a Penguins fan that tells me all the time "the problem with the Jackets in the past is that they've sucked, they just haven't sucked bad enough.")

And in case anyone's wondering, I live in Cbus and go to games.

I respect those who do want the team to win and completely understand, but IMO, a few wins at the end of this season will do nothing to keep the team in Columbus.  Maybe a player that is drafted in the top 3 and is elite will keep the franchise around, through future wins.  Similarly, I've seen them not tank in the past, and it's done nothing for the next year, so I don't buy the players "using momentum" for the next season.

Saying this, though, I do hope that the players are trying (it's pathetic if they tank on purpose), I just hope they don't do well.  And if we at any point are "locked in" a spot, with a few games left, then I hope we win after that, obviously.

[CanadianJacketsFan]

here's a decent plan, make every game played at nationwide go to OT, and possibly lose

and completley get dismantled during away games

but like I've said if we end up in one of the bottom 5 spots at the end of the year it won't be under our control, we are seriously just that bad/inconsistent

[JacketsFan19]

here's a decent plan, make every game played at nationwide go to OT, and possibly lose

and completley get dismantled during away games

but like I've said if we end up in one of the bottom 5 spots at the end of the year it won't be under our control, we are seriously just that bad/inconsistent

Good plan.  I like it. 

Though I wouldn't want us to get dismantled on the road.  Losses like LA are just embarassing and do no good, but 1-3 goal losses are OK.