It's no question the elephant in the room.

Now that fans of the teams who are playing in the "play-in round" know they can lose and have a 12.5% chance of Lafrenière will their fan bases want them to lose? Do fans of Montreal, Florida, Columbus, Vancouver, Winnipeg and even Toronto see their team as not having a legit Cup shot enough to punt and take the 12.5%?

It all feels truly dirty to me. The Stanley Cup playoffs are all about the unexpected, the crazy goalie getting hot, the team with the fourth line that suddenly is on fire...As long as your team in alive, there is hope. And shot at that should ALWAYS mean more than a shot at a player. Nothing is guaranteed.

I think this becomes the oposite motivator for the actual players on the ice. As more and more fans and writers are saying they would be better off losing you can be sure that coaches will be pinning those things to some freshly Purel'd wall somewhere..

I hate tanking with a passion because I believe it is a trap that so many writers fall into. Players don't tank and losing isn't an option for anyone competitve enough to make it to this level. There will always be the few LOUD minority who will wear a bag on their head and cheer for the other team to score. But the ONLY time I have ever heard a paying crowd act that way is on the last game of the season with nothing at stake.

The Cup is at stake now. I truly don't see ANY fan wanting their team to not go to the finla 16 for a 12.5% chance.

Tell me I am wrong...

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