To Tank, or Not to Tank...That Is the Question

Current team examples to follow when building a roster using "go for the draft" or "ice the best team possible" philosophies.

Everyone has their own belief as to how a team should build its roster into one that can compete for the Stanley Cup. Some feel that the practice of “tanking” is shameful. Others think it’s the only way to win in the modern NHL. Some think trying to put out the best team at all times can help build a positive culture. Others think it’s a one-way ticket to mediocrity.

Truthfully, there is no one exact way to build a winner. Tanking, or intentionally building a weak roster to get top talent in the draft, can work. Avoiding that approach entirely can, too. But it all comes down to execution. That said, which current teams have shown the best of both worlds, serving as models for everyone else to follow?

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One Formula to Follow When Operating a Tank

For the pro-tank crowd, we’ll look at how one team was able to successfully accomplish their goals. Although their rebuild is technically still in progress, their future seems promising.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are a perfect example of what to do when trying to bottom out. While they’ve gotten some luck along the way, they took the necessary risks to put themselves in the position they are now. Let’s go back to their 2022 offseason.

Despite giving up a plethora of assets (including their 2022 first-round pick) to acquire defenseman Seth Jones in the summer of 2021, the 2021-22 Blackhawks were still one of the worst teams in the NHL. It wasn’t a good look. With their dynasty of the 2010s becoming a distant memory, they cut their losses and committed to a full-scale rebuild. They didn’t sell everything, per se, but they went through quite some trouble to make a 68-point team even worse. All this for the ultimate prizes of the 2023 to 2026 draft classes, give or take.

Without their first-round pick in 2022, the Blackhawks had a new vision with recently hired general manager Kyle Davidson in his very first offseason. He had already parted ways with high-flying winger Brandon Hagel at the trade deadline for two first-round picks (2023 and 2024), establishing that he was not messing around just two weeks into his tenure. He had some extra fun in the summer, however.

Alex DeBrincat, just 25 years of age and one of the few bright spots of this dreary Chicago club, was traded to the Ottawa Senators for their seventh overall pick, a second-rounder, and a third-rounder. That might seem like a haul for the Blackhawks today, but that’s revisionist. This was seen as a misstep across the board. Almost nobody liked this decision.

Did you think they were done? On the same day, they parted ways with the third overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, Kirby Dach, for the 13th overall selection in 2022 and a second-round pick. The 21-year-old, while not a star yet, was another one of those few glimmers of hope on a team that didn’t have many.

With the key picks they received, the Blackhawks brought Kevin Korchinski and Frank Nazar to their organization. The team successfully landed two prospects in the area of the draft that produces the most stars. Mission accomplished, right? No, this was only the beginning.

Once it came time to qualify their restricted free agents, the Blackhawks let two notable names hit the open market. The first was Dominik Kubalik, who was still a quality middle-six player for the team. Instead of keeping a good player by the numbers, they lost him for nothing.

This fate applied to Dylan Strome, too. A 25-year-old top-six center who graded out quite well was let go for nothing. Top 10 in NHL scoring as of writing (28 points; on pace for 121!), he had no business being in this predicament. The Blackhawks truly went to any length to get rid of anyone who made their team better—Strome’s only mistake was existing.

Chicago was sending out a clear challenge to every contender for the 2023 draft-eligible Connor Bedard, a center with a face-of-the-franchise outlook. Dare they commit to losing more than the Blackhawks? Though there’s always a miracle chance for the non-basement dwellers to land the top pick, many teams eliminated themselves from the Bedard conversation. Matching this level of dedication was unachievable.