Traffic On The Road To Recovery

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Aug 10, 2009 12:01 AM PDT

ARTHUR:
The OC Register reported last week that Ryan Getzlaf is likely to miss all of training camp and the preseason recovering from surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle which he severely aggravated while training last month.

Daniel, after the major offseason facelift, training camp and the preseason could be crucial to helping this new roster find its rhythm? Is it a big deal that Getzlaf will be missing them?

DANIEL:
I'm not very concerned about Getzlaf missing training camp or the preseason. While every line on the team will be changing this year, I expect for opposing teams to be getting a steady diet of Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry next year. This saves Getzlaf from not having to learn new linemates, and it helps Lupul and Koivu, who pretty much know they are skating with Selanne. There might be a problem with the new blueliners and learning the best way to provide defensive help, but Getzlaf has been showing an increase in his defensive awareness that will make that a non-issue for the most part.

This issue raises only one major concern for me: the potential for a lingering injury. Getzlaf has never had a major injury keep him out of the lineup for a long stretch. He could try to come back too quickly and end up aggravating this muscle tear further. More importantly, abdominal injuries can be very unpredictable and can easily flare up. If anything, losing a couple of games early on might be a necessary sacrifice to give us a healthier Getzlaf heading into winter.

ARTHUR:
To quote a great sports philosopher: "We talkin' about practice. Not a game. Not a game. Not a game. We talkin' about practice . . ."

Carlyle will try to spread the Top 6 over three lines, and Getzlaf will certainly be integral in that decision. But I seriously doubt that the depth chart on opening night will be written in Sharpie. Slumps and streaks are the nature of hockey, and Carlyle loves him some line juggling. Every combination will be explored; Getzlaf's availability only affects the order in which Carlyle will explore them.

And yet, I think there is some value to having Getzlaf there as the team integrates Koivu into the power play. The man-advantage was Anaheim's life's blood down the stretch of this past year, and it could be Shark-like if they can properly integrate their new weapon. A Shark-like power play can translate to a Shark-like head start in the standings. That's really the only missed opportunity I see here.

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I don't get to watch many Ducks games, but didn't Andrew Ebbett do pretty well freeloading on the Getzlaf/Perry line?

To me, you stick someone like Ebbett on that top line, let Ryan run the second line with maybe Lupul, and you let Selanne and Koivu collect old man minutes on a sort of third line, against lesser d-pairings. Offensive depth is a wonderful thing to have.

by Joe on Aug 11, 2009 9:53 AM PDT reply actions

ARTHUR:
He played maybe a handful of shifts with them, only because Carlyle is absolutely committed to Rubik's Cube-ing his lineup.

The problem with putting Ebbett on the first line is that Getzlaf and Perry can't rely on him to get the puck back to them. He's too small to move it out of the corners and too small to keep it along the boards.

Drew Miller would be a good choice on the first line, and that would spread Ryan to the second line and Lupul to the third. But then you have to weigh the advantages of having a big guy who can ONLY get the puck back to Getzlaf and Perry versus having someone who can actually create offense AND get the puck back to them like Ryan or someone who can only create offense like Lupul.

I don't see Koivu collecting old man minutes on this team. He's the best draw man on the squad, and Carlyle won't sacrifice puck possession so he can cherry pick weaker defensive pairings. He'll be a featured center, and any time he is out there, Selanne will likely be out there. Carlyle might use two-way forwards to spread his Top 6, but no way does he trust the majority of the faceoffs to the kids, and have both Marchant and Koivu playing in the Bottom 6.

by Anaheim Calling on Aug 11, 2009 11:09 AM PDT reply actions

Ah, I don't actually know anything about Ebbett, I just seem to remember people creaming their pants for a while on BoC about him.

Doesn't Miller have no hands whatsoever? I thought he was like the Ducks' Darren Helm - great speed, gets chances, but terrible hands. He got a couple of those breakaways in the series against the Wings and kept blowing them.

I dont think that Selanne and Koivu NEED old men minutes, but I do think it might be a decent idea to maybe play them a little lower on the totem pole, maybe not all the time, but at least some of the time, and help keep them fresher longer over a long season. You got all these kids, might as well make it a little easier on the older guys.

by Joe on Aug 11, 2009 3:20 PM PDT reply actions

ARTHUR:
Well, you remember Drew from Michigan State. He CAN score, though maybe not on the breakaway. He can definitely pass it back to Getz and Perr, which is why I classified him as a big guy who can ONLY get the puck back to them. I think he lacks the poise to score when he only gets a few chances per game; that's his biggest problem in translating his skillset to the NHL.

And I'm not opposed to lightening the load on the old men, but I know Carlyle will want Koivu out there and Selanne will want Selanne out there. You have to factor in the fact that the Ducks don't see much 5 on 5 time anyways. That will lighten the load naturally.

by Anaheim Calling on Aug 11, 2009 10:06 PM PDT reply actions

Apparently, its a moot point. Per Mirtle's twitter feed:

3rd round + Drew Miller to Tampa Bay for Evgeni Artyukhin? Don't really see why you would do that, but they did it.

by Joe on Aug 13, 2009 3:05 PM PDT reply actions