If you came here looking for some blockbuster deal to blow up the whole team, you'll be severely underwhelmed. Leave comments/questions if you have any.
Why I'm not trading the player(s) you want me to:
Getzlaf: He's the franchise center and led the league in assists per game last year. He can still produce and will be necessary to help develop the rookies the Ducks bring up.
Perry: I just don't see anybody trading for him with his cap hit and term. I think he can still put up 40-50 points, and the Ducks aren't in a cap-crunch anymore, so there's no rush to dump his salary. Also, I think trading him will leave the lineup too weak in terms of depth support for the rookies, since the team probably won't sign/trade for anyone.
Henrique: Kesler is no-longer the Selke contender that he once was with the Ducks, and if he even makes the team next year, he will not be top-9 caliber, so the Ducks need to keep Henrique.
Transaction Notes:
Silfverberg Trade: I am assuming that he gets traded at the deadline. It is only a few weeks away and they don't have a deal in place (even though they claim to be close). However, Silfverberg is a great trade piece, and I think it is in the Ducks' best interest to trade him for a few good picks/prospects. I don't expect any of the acquired assets to be NHL ready by next season, and the trade opens up a roster spot for Troy Terry.
Kesler Buyout: Nobody wants to trade for him and he doesn't want to leave. However, if he doesn't end up on LTIR, then I would probably buy him out to open up a spot at 2C/3C for Sam Steel.
Steel Call-up: Steel was off to a pretty slow start in the NHL and AHL, but he has been performing very well recently, especially when Terry and Jones were recalled. He seems to be on pace points-wise to what Kase and Rakell did in year-3 since being drafted, so I have high hopes.
Terry Call-up: Even though he is in his 4th season since being drafted, he is still only 21, and has been lighting up the AHL. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet called him one of the best AHL players this season. He should be more than ready.
Sherwood Call-up: He played well in a 4th line role this year, so I think he will be fine next year as well.
Comtois in the AHL: I think his success last year was a little bit of a fluke, considering he only had one point in 4 AHL games after injury. I think it's best to let him develop in the AHL where he can get used to playing hockey against adults. However, if he lights up the league and performs well after being called up, I have no problem with him staying.
Resigned Miller: He was a great backup goalie for the price, and I don't think he's done yet.
Lineup Comments:
F1: Terry will be put on a line with Rakell and Getzlaf, two of our best forwards, who can cover for his mistakes and allow him to be creative.
F2: Steel will be put with Sprong and Kase, two players who can match his speed and skill. Sprong makes a lot of his plays coming down the left side anyway, so I moved him to LW.
F3: Ritchie-Henrique have good chemistry and Perry can be a good supplement for a good 3rd line.
F4: Pretty solid 4th line with a little bit of skill.
Def: Same top 4 which has been good in the past. Not sure who gets called up and where, but the Ducks will probably sign or call up some cheap 3rd pairing Right Defenseman. Larsson/Mahura are placeholders, one of which will probably make the team at LD.
Ducks have had a brutal year. People tend to forget how many injuries they have delt with. With this lineup you have tabled i could see the Ducks having some winning results. New coach new fresh systems and some young blood can go a long way to a team finding success. A complete rebuild isnt needed in ANH but its also clear the team needs to get faster. Its really not all that bad of a situation the Ducks are in
I agree with virtually everything you’ve said. They don’t need to rebuild to be competitive again. They’ve got the pieces. Getzlaf is still a solid number 1C if he gets re-engaged. Perry has 40 points last season and although he doesn’t look 100% confident with his knee quite yet he’s actually created a few chances and had a few of his own. I could see the ducks buying out Kesler but if they don’t re-sign silfverberg they will still have decent cap space and maybe finding a taker for the final season of Eaves would open up more. Henrique is underrated. He’s very good with his stick defensively has improved immensely on face offs since he first arrived and scores big goals. I don’t see him going anywhere unless the offer is just too good to say no. I haven’t seen what Steel has done lately but like you said he struggled early this season in both leagues. I could see him starting next year in the AHL tho. I think Terry and Jones are almost locks for the opening night rosters next season. Comtois’ first season as a pro in the AHL follows the Ducks development of most prospects. All that said this team needs to add a scorer. I’m fairly confident this team can get back to being a good defensive team but they’ve struggled to score. This season even worse than past and with a pretty deep fwd UFA group I could see them bringing in a piece or possibly 2.
I agree 100% with all of this. Hopefully Murray can get Kesler to go to Robidas Island, but they're nowhere close to as bad as they're showing. He clearly still loves playing, but also looks fairly beat up. Maybe even convince him to sit for the rest of the year, and see if you can get him back to even 80% for next year. If he can be an overpaid 3rd line center, and be somewhere close to the shutdown guy that they had pre-injury, it's not the worst thing.
Bring in a new coach with a new system and this team is miles ahead of where they are now. Plus, if they can pick in the top 5 or so, that's outstanding.
Silfverberg-wise, it'd be nice to get something for him. Some people around here think they can get a 1st for him, but even if you can get a 2nd and a project-prospect, that would be outstanding. Murray and the Ducks have a pretty solid draft record.
I agree with virtually everything you’ve said. They don’t need to rebuild to be competitive again. They’ve got the pieces. Getzlaf is still a solid number 1C if he gets re-engaged. Perry has 40 points last season and although he doesn’t look 100% confident with his knee quite yet he’s actually created a few chances and had a few of his own. I could see the ducks buying out Kesler but if they don’t re-sign silfverberg they will still have decent cap space and maybe finding a taker for the final season of Eaves would open up more. Henrique is underrated. He’s very good with his stick defensively has improved immensely on face offs since he first arrived and scores big goals. I don’t see him going anywhere unless the offer is just too good to say no. I haven’t seen what Steel has done lately but like you said he struggled early this season in both leagues. I could see him starting next year in the AHL tho. I think Terry and Jones are almost locks for the opening night rosters next season. Comtois’ first season as a pro in the AHL follows the Ducks development of most prospects. All that said this team needs to add a scorer. I’m fairly confident this team can get back to being a good defensive team but they’ve struggled to score. This season even worse than past and with a pretty deep fwd UFA group I could see them bringing in a piece or possibly 2.
Yeah, Steel's been pretty good lately. Had a 4-point night a week ago and has been on a point-per-per game pace mid season. The reason I didn't call up Jones is because there aren't enough roster spots on the wing, and I don't want to put a scoring prospect on the 4th line. I think a center spot will open up with Kesler's situation, which is why I brought up Steel.
Also, I totally get the draw of a UFA, but the market is just too high lately. Not only does signing a UFA forward get rid of a roster spot for a rookie, but the Ducks would ultimately be paying too much and for too long. I like the Toronto model of using rookies to fill in spots, and just keeping the core they had before (JVR, Kadri, Bozak, Reilly, Gardiner, etc.). I think Edmonton jumped the gun by making trades and signing UFAs (Lucic, Hall for Larsson, Russel) before they really knew what they had. If they would've seen the development of Nurse and Klefbom and the inability of McDavid, Draisaitl, and RNH to carry the forward group by themselves without more skill around them, they wouldn't be in this position of signing old, slow forwards and hastily trading for defense at the expense of their talent up front. Give it a year or two, and then you can push for free agents when you see a window opening.
Yeah, Steel's been pretty good lately. Had a 4-point night a week ago and has been on a point-per-per game pace mid season. The reason I didn't call up Jones is because there aren't enough roster spots on the wing, and I don't want to put a scoring prospect on the 4th line. I think a center spot will open up with Kesler's situation, which is why I brought up Steel.
Also, I totally get the draw of a UFA, but the market is just too high lately. Not only does signing a UFA forward get rid of a roster spot for a rookie, but the Ducks would ultimately be paying too much and for too long. I like the Toronto model of using rookies to fill in spots, and just keeping the core they had before (JVR, Kadri, Bozak, Reilly, Gardiner, etc.). I think Edmonton jumped the gun by making trades and signing UFAs (Lucic, Hall for Larsson, Russel) before they really knew what they had. If they would've seen the development of Nurse and Klefbom and the inability of McDavid, Draisaitl, and RNH to carry the forward group by themselves without more skill around them, they wouldn't be in this position of signing old, slow forwards and hastily trading for defense at the expense of their talent up front. Give it a year or two, and then you can push for free agents when you see a window opening.
Here’s the problem with waiting to go for it again tho, 3 of the top 4 D will need extensions which means raises plus whatever the kids get. I know they have 5 C right now but I think Duchene would be great for this team. Henrique can play the wing if need be and not only can Duchene skate but he create on his own. Even if he loses a step later on in the contract he’ll still be an nhl skater. Yes it takes a spot from a kid but it should make them a 4 line team and in the new NHL the 4th line needs more than 6-8 min.
I think it's pretty clear that the Ducks can not win a cup with this roster, even after adding a player like Duchene (who has never been over a point-per-game player until this season). Even still, a top UFA FWD will probably get at least $9Mx8 since the Ducks will have to out bid other teams, and that will be a pretty ugly contract considering it goes until he's 36. He'll be 32 when Lindholm and Manson are up, and if you're worried about resigning them now, think of how hard it will be with $9M less in cap space devoted to a player past his prime. Our defensive core is still pretty young, and our future at forward looks bright. In 3 years, the Ducks could very well have a deadly and deep forward group:
Rakell-Steel-Terry
Comtois-Getlzaf-Sprong
Jones-Henrique-Kase
Ritchie-Lundestrom-Sherwood
All 7 of the top 9 players not named Getzlaf or Henrique are capable of scoring 60-80 points in a season (like Duchene has is his career) if they develop properly, so that should be the focus. You get the deep roster you want and you're not stuck with some out-dated player costing more than the rest of your roster. And like I said before, if it turns out that Getzlaf is too old to resign in 2 years, then that's when you can start making big moves to fill in the gap rather than assume any need before you see what the team turns into.
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