Open Gameday Recap Thread Blues @ Ducks

by Daniel AC on Jan 8, 2010 12:02 AM PST in Gameday Comment 20 comments

DANIEL:

The Ducks have won two games in a row, so I'm checking for cars when I cross the street. Bobby Ryan continues to make Bob Murray look stupid for waiting to give him an extension. Bobby now leads the team with 20 goals, but is being closely followed by Matt Beleskey who scored for the second time in two games. If you don't get the sarcasm, you haven't been following all season. Still, the Ducks look like they might be able to roll two scoring lines for the first time since Lupul's back almost died. Beleskey has had an impressive stay on the top line by following the Dustin Penner approach to playing with Getzlaf and Perry: go to the net and keep your stick down.

James Wisniewski scored, and it was one of about 3-5 things he did right all night. Which is way above his season average. Todd Marchant also continued his campaign to score the most empty net goals in league history. Jonas Hiller wasn't tested often, but still managed to be out of position for two St. Louis goals. It's not very impressive beating an offensively depleted team that's sliding down the standings, but two points is two points. Wonder if winning will continue or if the Ducks are just teasing us.

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I was too hard on HIller. He was definitely out of position for the first goal, but I’m not sure what he was trying to do on the second. He came out high and left his glove side open, but maybe he was tracking the shot blocker side. Watching it live, I just couldn’t believe how wide he was reaching, and I assumed he was giving glove side and trying to take it away. But maybe he tracked the puck through the shot and the first deflection; I wouldn’t put it past him with those reflexes.

Anaheim Calling

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jan 8, 2010 1:37 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I think, on that first goal, five of six Ducks on the ice looked completely surprised, one of which was Hiller.

I really wish these snakes were your arms.

by brokenyard on Jan 8, 2010 12:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Don’t forget half of the blues line. I don’t think they thought that would work out the way it did.

by Newport Rebel on Jan 8, 2010 2:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It really should’ve been a shutout for Hiller. Two random fluke goals off of Ducks defenders. No real way to stop that. Especially the second goal: deflection off of Perry, then off of Whitney.

"Just another Halo victory" - Rory Markas

by Slyintine on Jan 8, 2010 5:42 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

He was out of position for a positional goaltender for both. He’s NOT a positional goaltender, so it’s hard to knock, but neither deflection was unstoppable if he was squared on the first and a bit deeper or more squared on the second. He loves to leave his right side open though.

Anaheim Calling

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jan 8, 2010 11:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bobby Ryan continues to make Bob Murray look stupid for waiting to give him an extension.

Really? Maybe I’m out of touch, but I don’t feel like B-Ry’s value has gone tremendously up or down — he was quite impressive last year and I think will still be paid according to the Getzlaf-and-Perry contracts (which I would have guessed before this season). Maybe I’m too optimistic there, but I don’t mind waiting to sign the kid — distractions and all that don’t seem necessary at this point.

How much more do you figure B-Ry makes next year based on this delay in re-signing? I don’t know if it’s that much of a difference, I’d guess.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 8, 2010 7:37 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I thought he was a little less explosive than I was hoping this year. As far as his pace last year, I mean, which was pretty amazing.

Still, 20 goals in 44 games probably isn’t something I should be disappointed about.

I really wish these snakes were your arms.

by brokenyard on Jan 8, 2010 12:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Bob Murray is going to be in a situation like Burke was with Penner. If he lets this kid get to RFA status someone is going to throw the money at Bobby and Murray will be forced to match or let him walk. Murray makes stupid decisions in contract negotiations all the time. Wisniewski is the number one example of this.

If Bobby walks because on a 4.5-5 cap hit instead of the 3-4 we’d like. Murray is going to look really ridiculous. With teams locking up more and more top tier talent for long stretches, poaching RFAs might become a little more common.

by Daniel AC on Jan 8, 2010 12:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

3-4 might be out of possibility; I don’t even know if you could have locked him in for that this past summer. I think realistically we’re looking at the Getz and Perry contracts, and have been for a while. Bobby’s proven he belongs with those two, and I think it’s a good precedent as any — I’d take him easily at that contract, term included.

If B-Ry does go the way of Penner, which I think is ridiculous, then yeah, Barstool Bob blows it — there are mechanisms now and back then that keep kids away from open bidding, and so long as they keep him away from offer sheets — there’s plenty of time before July 1 — I think they’ll be fine with the kid.

If anything, we may even get some sort of discount by waiting. I’m kind of interested to see how low next year’s salary cap figure goes — perhaps that will tighten belts enough to drop B-Ry’s realistic asking price, though I don’t know if I’d hold my breath on that big a plummet. League will cook its books somehow.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 8, 2010 12:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think 3-4 is a possibility just because Bobby said it was. So far, he’s scoffed at the term, not the salary. Kid just wants to be a UFA. I don’t think price is an issue unless Murray INSISTS on not giving him a contract that would take him to UFA status. THEN I think he starts using the offer sheet system to his advantage.

Anaheim Calling

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jan 8, 2010 1:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well I don’t know how much stock I’m putting in B-Ry’s verbal estimates; if he does sign at 3-4 it’ll be quite the steal, I think. I’m quite hesitant to use that as a measuring stick, though — in my estimation, he deserves more than that.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 8, 2010 2:23 PM PST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

I think he’s worth more than that, too, but the whole point of sheltering him was to keep him from having statistical evidence to prove that. I think his agent is willing to take a 4M/yr. contract or Lupul’s contract if it ends in his client hitting the open market. That seemed to be the tone of the negotiations before they stopped, especially with his agent conceding in the press that Kris Versteeg is a valid player to compare Bobby to in terms of value. They seem to be ready to push for UFA and put price aside.

Anaheim Calling

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jan 8, 2010 2:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Murray has wasted his chance to keep this kid to a 3 year contract and avoid the UFA status. The only way bobby settles for a 3 year deal is if he makes 5-6 a year.

by Daniel AC on Jan 8, 2010 2:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

we should be thanking our lucky stars that Bobby didn’t come in asking for a 3 yr. 21M contract. He could’ve tried to bleed us dry in the short term. He’s at least realistic, if not hell-bent on that UFA lifetime deal payday.

Anaheim Calling

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jan 8, 2010 3:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I’m just not sure that was truly available. B-Ry has to know this is when Getz & Perry signed their five-year deals; I expect he’d follow that path.

And sheltering him I think purely helps keep him visibly below Getzlaf & Perry in the pecking order — that seems accomplished.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 8, 2010 3:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, sheltering should have had the dual effect of keeping him low in the pecking order and minimizing his value argument, basically making him like Kris Versteeg in Chicago’s system. Granted, Versteeg is someone else’s draft pick and his contract is the product of clerical error, but Murray came to the bargaining table looking for the 3 yr. 9M. The fact that Ryan’s agent asked for more years, but not more money (and accepted the comparison to Versteeg publicly) means they accept the effect of the sheltered development, but they want a deal that ensures they won’t HAVE to deal with Anaheim next time.

Anaheim Calling

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jan 8, 2010 3:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but I just don’t know how to pull that past an agent who’s anywhere near their worth. Crosby got a deal that put him to UFA, Getzlaf got one, Perry got one, I think it’s basically what star kids do past their first contract.

It’s happening to lots of clubs, not just Anaheim, so I don’t know if I’d treat it as such a black cloud for future contracts or as a failure by Barstool Bob. Bottom line: the kid has earned it.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 8, 2010 3:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bottom line: the kid has earned it.

I agree, and I think he may have earned it despite the organization. I don’t buy the conditioning argument, but even if he isn’t a superstar of Crosby’s caliber that could have been dropped into the NHL in his draft year, he’s also not a Jack Johnson, who didn’t see eye-to-eye with the team that drafted him. We seem to be treating him like the latter, setting aside the fact that we had enough faith to draft him between Crosby and Johnson in the first place. If he’s willing to take less money to guarantee himself UFA status, I think he’s earned that much. And he would play like a god in those last two years leading up to free agency, even if we couldn’t afford to bring him back. Murray has to see that the writing is on the wall.

Plus, honestly, do we really want to bully around someone who wants to be a UFA again? Does McNab not remember Kariya at all? Ryan won’t feel warm and fuzzy about us if we take this to the offseason.

Anaheim Calling

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jan 8, 2010 4:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs