How the PWHL is trying to discourage teams from tanking

As the NHL season wound down, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves cheering for their team to lose against the Florida Panthers.

Just one season ago, those two teams were locked in a bitter, second-round playoff battle. Cheering for a loss was inconceivable. But with both teams eliminated from this year's playoffs, losing was the best path toward better odds to land the top draft pick.

In the final week of the PWHL's regular season, it's a completely different story. With the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes both eliminated from playoff contention, there's incentive for both teams to win games.

That's the only way a team can secure the first-overall pick in this year's entry draft, likely to be Caroline Harvey, a generational defender who was the MVP at the most recent Olympic tournament.

Welcome to the PWHL's Gold Plan.

While fans of other leagues are lamenting the impact of tanking, the Gold Plan has eliminated that.

Adopted in the league's first season, the plan sees eliminated teams earn "draft order points" by winning games. A regulation win earns three points, an overtime win earns two, and an overtime loss earns one point. The eliminated team that earns the most Gold Plan points wins the first-overall pick at the entry draft.

The New York Sirens won the right to draft first overall in the past two seasons, adding Sarah Fillier and Kristýna Kaltounková.

This year, the race for the most Gold Plan points is more interesting than ever. Only four of the PWHL's eight teams will make the playoffs, which means more teams are competing for the top draft pick.

"With this draft order, there are no more easy games," Gold Plan creator Adam Gold told CBC Sports. "Everyone's trying to win. For these teams,