is there any difference between "giving some semi-banged-up stars a few games off in the last few weeks to get them closer to 100%", and "taking your foot off the gas"? Like, are there any actions people are imagining "foot off the gas" entails other than resting some players? I would expect all the players to try to play the same way, as hard as they can, as long as they're not deactivated for the game.
If (as I suspect) the answer is "no, that's all we mean", then wouldn't we prefer that the team start the playoffs with healthy-as-possible stars, rather than a couple extra points in the standings?
A few teams have come close to
the points record the last decade, and none have won the Cup. I don't see why we wouldn't give everyone rest who needs it, since playoff seeding is kinda sewn up.