No, the players aren't going to stop trying. That's why it'll likely take a larger trade, like a Horvat trade, for us to truly bottom out.
Bedard ain't likely even if we do, but drafting top five would be great.
A tank isn't getting the players to stop trying, it's management moving players out or structuring their roster in a way that makes them less competitive. The Canucks haven't set out to tank, their roster simply isn't structured very well, their defense and team defense isn't very good, and they simply haven't played very well outside of the offensive zone for much of the season.