The Tavares Race!

With my prodigous mathematical skills, most notably the ability to add and subtract, I have determined what needs to happen for the Maple Leafs to get themselves a lottery pick. Since the new SBN "Fancy Picture Widget" hates everything but plain text next to funny photos of Brent Sutter realizing no one wants to buy a 12 page biography, the table with data for you all to verify will come at the end of the post, instead of right here where I want it.

[TABLE SHOULD BE HERE, CURSE YOUR BONES BRENT SUTTER]

In terms of moving up, Toronto better not move up. That would make me an unhappy camper. Coming up in the schedule are Buffalo and Ottawa who I hate dearly, but we had our fun with Buffalo already this week, and I think we can all agree that losing one game to each of them to hurt their draft pick and help ours is well worth it.

The plan:

1. Toronto goes 0-0-2. They need to do this because Phoenix holds the 5th lottery spot at 75 points.

2. Los Angeles picks up 1 win, anything else is gravy. 1-0-1, 1-1-0, 2-0-0 it doesn't matter. If LA goes 0-0-2, the Leafs should win the tiebreaker based on points between the clubs, which is almost certainly what will happen because that's how it works.

3. Phoenix goes 2-0-0. That ties them in points with the 0-0-2 Toronto Maple Leafs and Phoenix wins the first tiebreaker, wins.

Time to stink it up boys! 5th worst is the best shot the Leafs have at Tavares, where they'd have an 8.2% chance of winning the lottery and having every writer in the western hemisphere who knows how to spell hockey furiously penning their "TORONTO RIGGED THE DRAFT" articles.

Ps. Burke, if Toronto finishes in a lottery position and you don't rig the draft, I'm going to lose a lot of respect for you.