It happened again.
As you know by now, the Detroit Red Wings did not have luck on their side as they slid all the way down to No. 4 when the NHL Draft Lottery was held on Friday night. What was even worse, is that the No. 1 overall pick will go to a playoff team, thanks to the NHL’s current lottery system.
On Monday, former NHL executive Brian Burke joined the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket and he bashed the league for their lottery setup.
“There should be five teams in the lottery each year, no more.”
“There should be five teams in the lottery each year, no more,” Burke, now an NHL analyst for Sportsnet, told the Jamie and Stoney Show. “This year there should (have been) seven, no more: the teams that are not participating in the play-in and the playoffs. Then you mitigate the risk of tanking, but you allow the worst teams to get the best players.
“This was a travesty. This was a disgrace. A team that may well have finished with 100 points or 95 points had we finished the season, might end up picking first overall. And Detroit was sitting at 39 points. And they didn’t tank, Detroit doesn’t tank. So this is a joke to me, and I’ve been pounding this drum for two years.”
Burke then explained how he believes Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will get the team back to where they want to be and how he “really likes” head coach Jeff Blashill.
“Detroit fans are fantastic, the franchise has been fantastic. They’re on their way back. Stevie will get them back there.”
“Detroit fans are fantastic, the franchise has been fantastic. They’re on their way back. Stevie will get them back there. I really like the coach, Jeff Blashill. But they could have used a boost this weekend and it was a tragic result. Just stupid and sad and unnecessary, that’s why it’s tragic. It’s not tragic because of the player they’re going to get. The way this draft is structured, they’re going to be fine where they’re picking now, ” said Burke. “They just should have had a good chance to do better.”
Nation, how long do you think it will be until the Red Wings are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
