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Do The New Jersey Devils Tank For The Rest Of The Season?

By Nick Villano

Mar 4, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Joseph Blandisi (64), defenseman Jon Merrill (7) and defenseman Steven Santini (34) stand on the ice after giving up a goal to the Boston Bruins during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Joseph Blandisi (64), defenseman Jon Merrill (7) and defenseman Steven Santini (34) stand on the ice after giving up a goal to the Boston Bruins during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a weekend where the New Jersey Devils lost two games, making it seven losses in a row, many think the team should only play to lose. Should the team oblige?

The New Jersey Devils brought nothing to the table in a 3-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This was the sixth time this season that the team was shutout.

What makes it worse, the last time the Devils played the Jackets, when they were still clinging on to playoff hopes, they won 5-1.

So what now? Does the team do what some wanted them to do from the start, and tank?

The issue with tanking is the reason you look to lose games is a better chance at winning the lottery.

Right now, the Devils pick is somewhere between fifth and seventh in lottery odds  depending on how one looks (remember the Vegas Golden Knights are guaranteed the third-best odds). There really is no chance the team could catch (is it catch when you’re trying to lose to make up?) the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes. That means, the best odds the Devils could reach is fourth.

Say the Devils get all the way to the fourth worst record in the league. According to tankathon, that would give the Devils a 10.3% chance at winning the lottery. The difference between fourth and ninth is less than 5%.

It’s also hard to figure out what the Devils could do to tank. The team could shut down players like Mike Cammalleri and Pavel Zacha, who have dealt with injuries as of late. Cory Schneider could play much less games in net, maybe as a way to give Keith Kinkaid a way to showcase himself before hitting the free agent market.

With head coach John Hynes not exactly a lock to come back next season, there is no reason for him to call for a tank job. If he wants to build confidence with the organization, then he needs to show he can make this team a winner. He built a lot of good graces with how the team played last season, but most of that is forgotten at this point. Hynes really can’t afford to tank and expect to be back in 2017-18.

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Honestly, the Devils don’t need to tank. The best case scenario right now is for them to go on a late-season run that gives players like Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri reason to come into next season with confidence. No matter what, with how the team has been playing, it won’t fall further than seventh in the draft. Trying to find some positive towards the end of the season may prove much more important to the future than a slightly better draft pick.

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