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Penguins Players Make Bold Statements About Their Futures Amid Roster Uncertainty
Photo credit: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Penguins intend to close out the year with intensity and aren't open to the idea of trying to intentionally lose to improve their draft position.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from contention in the Stanley Cup Playoffs earlier this month, meaning that captain and future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby is experiencing the longest playoff drought of his career.
With one game left before they break for the summer, some fans would like to see the Penguins lose their matchup against Alex Ovechkin and the divisional foe Washington Capitals, to improve their Draft position.
The players, on the other hand, want no part of that. While goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic can understand that viewpoint, giving anything less than a full effort is not something that he and his teammates are going to do.
I can understand from that viewpoint. Yeah, you want to build for the future. Theoretically, it's better for the long run. But in saying that - I don't know who the top (draft prospects) are this year, I don't know what pick we're going to have - but, realistically, how many first-round picks go on to have immediate star-level success?
Nedeljkovic is well aware that some fans want to see their teams "tank" to try and maximize the potential of a better draft pick. That's still not going to change the mindset of Nedeljkovic and his teammates.
When I see people (state), 'Oh, (the Penguins) need to lose, they need to lose, they need to lose.' Well, if we lose now, all that means is you're still waiting. You've still got to wait. Why would you want to follow a losing team? Why would you not want to watch good hockey and appreciate the great players that come through this room and the guys that put on that sweater.
It's a business at the end of the day. We're playing for ourselves here every single day from Game 1 to Game 82. Whether we're in the playoffs or out of the playoff picture. That's our job.
Additionally, Bryan Rust isn't interested in hearing anything about tanking.
In theory, it's nice to say let's tank, let's get the best possible draft pick. But we didn't get to where we are without being the most competitive people out there. That alone, as well as the pride, all those factors go into it, make it impossible to tank.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 17 | 193 ANSWERS Penguins Players Make Bold Statements About Their Futures Amid Roster Uncertainty Do you want the Penguins to lose their last game to try and get a better draft position? | ||
| Yes | 57 | 29.5 % |
| No | 136 | 70.5 % |
| List of polls | ||