I'll Take '3 Moves the Ducks WON'T Make' for $500
by Jen Neale on Nov 24, 2011 7:47 PM PST
in Armchair GM
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I don't have to remind anyone how much it sucks to be a Ducks fan right now. In a way, this is a new territory for the post-lockout Anaheim fanbase. I've been following the team since 1996. I'm somewhat used to these awful streaks and underachieving teams. Yet, what I'm not used to is horrible losing streaks for teams that I know should be much better. In the Mighty Ducks days, we had maybe one or two mega stars (like Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya) surrounded by a team of lesser known players (Marty McInnis and Pascal Trepanier, anyone??). The fact that the 2003 Mighty Ducks made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals was a miracle in itself. This season's team isn't built fully on superstars, but we have substantially more talent than that 2003 SCF team. That's why it's so frustrating. We should be soooo much better, BUT I'm not ready to completely blow up the ship. I fully believe that's going to happen next off-season when Teemu does hang them up and Saku Koivu decides on his future.
One thing I've learned throughout my history with the Anaheim franchise is that big changes aren't necessarily for the better. Remember when Teemu Selanne was traded to the Sharks? How about when Sergei Fedorov was acquired? Or when Chris Pronger was traded to Philly (marginally OK because of Sbisa)? Or sending Joffrey Lupul and Jake Gardiner to Toronto for Francois Beauchemin? For a fickle fanbase, massive change is bad unless it brings a significant and instantaneous payoff (i.e. hello Chris Pronger, hello Stanley Cup!).
Every horrible team has its rock-bottom and the Ducks have hit theirs. Fans are freaking out and have called on several changes that should be made to better the team. To this I say: SIMMAH-DOWN-NAW. I am fairly certain the Ducks won't do the following three things to right the ship: Fire Bob Murray and/or Randy Carlyle; trade Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and/or Corey Perry; and strip Ryan Getzlaf of his captaincy.
Did I make your head explode with those declarations or are you just seething with rage? Take my hand as I explain the reasoning behind all three.
Declaration #1 - GM Bob Murray and/or Head Coach Randy Carlyle will not be fired
Murray and Carlyle are a package deal. Carlyle IS Murray's guy - there is no disputing that. For Murray to fire Carlyle would have to come directly from owner Henry Samueli. Samueli was the one that green-lit Carlyle's extension as Murray explained on the conference call following the announcement of 3 year deal
On contract talks
We started right after the year. We talked a little bit right after the season. I went to Europe for a bit and we were talking all along. Then, when we decided on the years and I brought Henry (Samueli) into the picture. It evolved over time...
The Ducks may have jumped too soon in re-signing both Murray and Carlyle to multi-year extensions prior to the final year (this season) of their then current contracts. I guess we have the drafting of Cam Fowler, the trade for Lubomir Visnovsky, and the MVP-earning run of Corey Perry to thank for that.
Henry Samueli has shown that he's no longer willing to spend up to the salary cap limit with the Ducks. Even though coach and general manager's salaries don't count towards the cap, they will continue to be an operating expense for the internal payroll of the organization. Without the second income of a basketball team at Honda Center boosting revenues, the Ducks will be pinching pennies. Part of that budgeting is not having to pay a new and old GM and/or coach at the same time. It just doesn't make sense. Extra money should be spent on players.
If you're not ok with that logic, then I hope you're happy when Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry sign with other teams after next season because the Ducks couldn't give them the big contract they will be expecting.
Declaration #2 - None of The Big 3 will be traded
As I said in the opening, the team is likely to implode next season when Teemu Selanne finally hangs 'em up. Emerson Etem is The Future Flash, with the key word being "future". He's not going to step in and automatically fill the void left by Teemu. Jason Blake likely won't be re-signed and Saku Koivu's future is up in the air. See what I just did? I just destroyed our second line - the only line that is scoring right now - and Andrew Cogliano isn't going to be able to salvage that by himself. Not only will Teemu's talents be missed, but the Ducks will be missing the face of their franchise.
No matter how much they suck right now Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry are the future of the organization. The Samueli's and Murray affirmed as much when Bobby was signed to his new contract. Sending one of those three out of Anaheim is ridiculous. What are we going to get in return? I need someone to name me that one player that equals the possible talent of any of those three that could adapt to the system quickly to turn the team around? If anyone says Jarome Iginla, I'm going to punch you in the face. He's old.
A drastic move like this is certain death for the Ducks. It starts with alienating the fanbase. We are the die-hard Ducks fans that will see the team through thick and thin (even if it's painful). We aren't where the team makes its money - it's the bandwagoners and casual fans that support the team financially. I go to games, pay for parking and if I didn't eat dinner beforehand, maybe a beer and food. I don't buy many concessions or merchandise. Season ticket holders buy their tickets at a discount, and if I buy single game tickets it's never at full price. The bandwagoners come to see (at times) the best top line in the NHL. They come when the team is winning constantly. Which leads me to the next point...
Bringing in a new player in place of one of the RPG guys equates to basically starting over. This new player (or players) will have to acclimate and produce quickly. From there, that player would have to be worth the future potential we're giving up. Again they may suck right now, but future potential far outweighs the current need. We would be getting rid of the reigning MVP or a consistent 30+ goal scorer or one of the best set-up guys in the NHL.
Carlyle has said that as RPG goes, so goes the Ducks. Get rid of one of those and then what? That would shake the very core of the organization and not in a good way.
Declaration #3 - Ryan Getzlaf will not be stripped of his Captaincy
I don't believe the Ducks will have what I'll call a "Patrick Marleau situation". The players voted on their captain at the beginning of last season and the decision was Ryan Getzlaf. (Although, I would be curious to see what the players would vote now. My vote is for Perry.) Randy Carlyle would be hardpressed to come in and strip the 'C' after his team made the decision. That would be the ultimate act of power mongering by a desperate coach. There is no possible way his team would respond positively to that.
Getzlaf infuriates all of us. You can count me as one of those who thought he shouldn't have received the 'C' just yet, but I am slightly encouraged. I have seen Getzy mature from when he was first designated the captain to right now (game against Phoenix notwithstanding). Everyone needs to realize that he's not, nor will he ever be, Scott Neidermayer. Leaders like Scotty are rare. Getzlaf is Bizzarro Scotty. He's loud, obnoxious, not at all media savy, and immature. He's also the leader of a group of kids (plus a couple old guys) that are younger than himself. He, plus Perry and Ryan, are the cool kids and the rest of the lineup (minus the old guys) are the minions wanting to follow. Remember, as goes RPG, so goes the Ducks.
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What about...?
What about “Teemu Selanne won’t be traded”?
Or maybe I should be slapped for even suggesting such a possibility.
Did you read Arthur’s post earlier today? He suggested it, but it’s not going to happen. Teemu isn’t going to abandon ship when the team is struggling. He’s waaay too classy for that.
"I'm not a lady. I'm a DUCK!" - Connie Moreau, D2: Mighty Ducks
Managing Editor - Anaheim Calling
I think a big factor in all of this
is how the resurgence of the Kings is going to impact Anaheim’s potential fan-base. As you note, fans in SoCal are notoriously fickle band-wagoners. With the Ducks enjoying success over much of the past decade, the Ducks have been buoyed by casual fans who enjoy winning hockey. The fact that the Kings were so abysmal during that stretch made this even easier.
However, the tables are starting to turn. Los Angeles is becoming the cool kid in town and don’t be surprised if people that once rooted for Anaheim on a casual basis started pulling for the Kings. LA has already started selling out games at Staples Center and stars like Kopitar, Richards, an Doughty are providing a core of players for fans to fall in love with.
It’s precisely because of this that something drastic needs to be done. With attendance already dwindling, the Ducks cannot afford to have a season where they finish in the bottom five of the conference while the Kings look poised to make a deep run in the playoffs. It will completely swing the pendulum back and send Anaheim into the wilderness.
People may not think that there are “Ducks” fans that would become “Kings” fans, but I think it’s a very real possibility. As much of a PR disaster as it would be for the Ducks to trade one of the big-three, winning solves everything, as they say. While I don’t think an RPG trade is the best move (I’m personally looking for a change behind the bench and possibly upstairs), the Ducks really cannot afford to continue to hemorrhage fans like they’re currently doing. Losing that kind of fan support will only further exacerbate the team’s budget woes and could very well leave the issue of resigning the big-three moot if revenues fall even further.
by PhantomPretender on Nov 24, 2011 8:16 PM PST reply actions
The Ducks probably won’t make those moves, but I’m not going to shut up about it. The very fact that these options are perpetually off the table is a huge part of the reason the Ducks haven’t battled their way to respectable hockey yet.
Job security sucks sometimes.
www.battleofcali.com
by Earl Sleek on Nov 24, 2011 8:20 PM PST via mobile reply actions
I’m with Sleek on this. From the top down, nobody is afraid. Everyone knows they have a job. Well, this is what you get.
Sidenote: I’d take 2-3 years of Iggy over the rest of Bobby’s career, but I’m a huge Iginla fan and not really a lover of anything that is Bobby Ryan.
by Daniel AC on Nov 24, 2011 10:33 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
haha i noticed you dont love bobby…i sort of thought that was more to offset everyones elses love for him than real bias though…?
by BennyLightning on Nov 25, 2011 6:34 PM PST up reply actions
Everyone is biased. I just openly admit it. I don’t think it’s that I don’t notice the positives of Bonby’s game; its that I only talk about the negatives. Honestly, there’s nothing he can do to redeem himself in my eyes after he decided to wear the 9.
by Daniel AC on Nov 25, 2011 10:35 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
the guernsey decision is more an organisational one though. and yes PK is the first one we resign, hands down.
by BennyLightning on Nov 26, 2011 7:20 PM PST up reply actions
I do agree that there is a much greater chance that we end up keeping the big three then get rid of one of them, but I am going to have to disagree with your reasoning for declaration 2. First off I am 100% against trading Corey Perry he brings it every night and has shown the most improvement out the big 3 and I love the way he plays the game. Alright so Etem is the future, and Koivu, Blake, and Selanne probably won’t be back next year, but we will gain so much in cap that we will be able to shore up that second line with some quality UFA’s and let Etem ease his way into that scorers role by not throwing him into the fire right away. I do not think that we need to get a player in return for one of the big 3 that can show up right away and turn this team around. I think you can only count the guys who are capable of doing that on one hand. However, the only way I deal Getzy or Bobby is for an elite player in return, whether he is an elite player now or in the future. Whether it is an elite top pair shutdown defensemen, scorer, playmaker, or just an extremely reliable two way forward, we need to bring in a guy that can bring some reliability and that change that we are so desperately searching for. This team needs to rebuild and CHANGE is in order. This is the big 3’s third year to prove that with them as the face of the franchise the Ducks can be contenders, and we have not been serious Cup contenders cup since Pronger left and the big 3 took over (granite if we had a healthy Hiller last year I think we could have made a run). I have been a Ducks fan since the late 90’s when I was old enough to really follow the game. We have had our up’s and down’s, but I have never seen a Duck’s team whose top players didn’t bring everything they had every night. We have never had the most skilled team but we have always been a team that fought, battled, and clawed our way through the thick and thin and that is why I love this team. Now I feel we have all of the talent but it is not being put to use the right way. I do feel the players are putting in the effort at times, but there is just something about this group that just feels wrong and I believe the solution is change. In conclusion, ever since the big 3 has been the core of the Ducks we have struggled and I believe it is time for change and to rebuild this club the right way. It is not right to see all this talent go to waste.
This is what line 6 and 7 of my reply is supposed to look like: “I do not think we need to get a player in return for one of the big that can show up RIGHT AWAY and turn this team around quickly” Sorry for the screw up it’s late…I probably went on a little bit of a rant too lol nothing personal
by Ramsrnumerouno on Nov 25, 2011 1:47 AM PST up reply actions
Something a little off topic.
Did anyone see the interview with Lupul on TSN? He made some comments that didn’t sit well for me. He mentions something about the organization thinking he would never be able to play LW in the league. In my opinion he looked better on the top line then Ryan did when he was given the chance. Which leads to another one of his comments about being given a chance. He doesn’t feel he ever got one, and I can’t disagree. When he came back he played on a 3rd line with nobodies and was expected to produce like his normal self. Lupul makes a comment that the Ducks felt other players had passed him on the depth chart. I don’t remember ever seeing a player who could “pass” Lupul. I know we needed the salary room to take on Beauch but I can’t help but think that this coaching staff drastically miss handled the situation with Lupul which in turn led to his trade.
I guess my issue with most of this is that I perceive it as another situation in which Carlyle and Murray have utterly failed as a coach and GM. Maybe I’m just nitpicking because I am bitter about the move and the apparent raping that Burke did to us.
by DavidBL on Nov 25, 2011 12:14 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
+1
I agree with everything you said. I also think there was a major breakdown in counicatiom between the two parties. I feel like Murray and Carlyle saw an opening on the third line to try and work Loops back into the lineup, so they did that. And I suppose from Lupul’s POV, he thought he was being slighted due to his talent.
But again, Lupul was never a hard worker here and he never took what was given to him. In my eyes, it seemed like he was a bit of a primadonna and felt as if he should be treated like the 7th overall pick, and didn’t need to earn anything back.
He’s for sure flourishing here in Toronto, that’s for sure, but most days I work rather have a hard worker who works with what his given to him (Beauch), than a guy who doesn’t work all that hard when he is moved down the depth chart (Loops).
"That might've been a little push, but that was a major flop. That would make Vlade Divac very proud." - Jerry Reynolds
by JuMowbray on Nov 25, 2011 12:44 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I didn’t see that. If you could find the interview online and email it to me (AnaheimCalling @ gmail . Com) that would be faaaabulous.
"I'm not a lady. I'm a DUCK!" - Connie Moreau, D2: Mighty Ducks
Managing Editor - Anaheim Calling
by Jen Neale on Nov 25, 2011 12:45 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I think it’s easy to label a guy lazy and cast him aside. When Lupul was here, he played harder than Bobby and looked better on that top line. He got hurt and the organization pretty much cast him aside. You can hate on him for partying or whatever, but I don’t think it was an on ice issue.
Also, I think we put too much value into work ethic as an evaluating tool. Honestly, it’s mostly an abstract excuse that makes people feel better.
by Daniel AC on Nov 25, 2011 10:41 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I didn’t mean to imply that I didn’t like Lupul. I really LIKED him. Honestly I always thought of him as the main piece of that deal, turns out most feel Gardiner was…
As for the link, it was on tsn.ca/nhl it was about 2 min video clip that they post on the right side of the page, no dedicated URL.
Here’s a link to a Globe & Mail story that includes those quotes.
I think it’s important to note that when Lupul came back he was well below his normal playing weight. We saw flashes of what he could do in Toronto last year, but this year he looked bigger and stronger to start the season and it’s shown in his play. Considering his inconsistency over his career and his injury and health problems I don’t think anyone anticipated his play this year and I’m not surprised that he would have been considered expendable.
by Mirinov's Nose on Nov 26, 2011 10:00 AM PST up reply actions
Personally I dont think he was ever given a proper chance to shine when he came back. We got screwed in that deal.
Yeah, thank god Murray knew what he was doing Letting Brauchemin walk and replacing him with Boyntom Wiz an Eminger.
by Daniel AC on Nov 25, 2011 10:43 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Carlyle’s salary or not, He’s got to go. The Ducks are losing because their lazy work habits have finally fell on them. Carlyle doesn’t push them hard enough, they practice like a Mite B Roller Hockey team, and they just have developed too many bad work habits.
The Ducks are being out worked, not out talented. They don’t move their feet and they don’t play the body enough. Getzy is the worst of the worst at being lazy and not working hard enough. He’s the leader, he should be getting on the team and making them work harder, practice longer and play harder. But he doesn’t. He leaves practice early and doesn’t seem to care while he there.
Bring in a fire and brimstone coach and watch Getzy demand to be traded in a month. If that be the case, good bye and good riddance to both Carlyle and Getzy.
by Cra8zd Ducks Fan on Nov 25, 2011 10:46 PM PST reply actions
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