Your Friendly Tuesday Links Roundup: The Disappointing Ryan Getzlaf Edition

How does one start an argument in the comment section at Anaheim Calling? Critique a core player! (My Friday links post will explore the question 'Bobby Ryan: Hot or Not?').

But seriously, even though calling Ryan Getzlaf the 'Most Disappointing Player of the Year' is extreme, the folks at Puck Daddy do make some good points. I'm not terribly upset by Getzlaf's 11 goals (he is a playmaking center), but statistically, this is the worst season that he's had since we were called the Mighty Ducks. This is disturbing, considering that Getzlaf is in the prime of his career. Of course, a lot of his unpleasant stats are related to miserable season that we've just finished, but great players are capable of distinguishing themselves despite being on lackluster teams.

Getzlaf is a fine player, but sometimes he appears to be sleepwalking through what should be a Hall of Fame career (sometimes he's awesome, but he needs to be awesome more consistently). I don't think he should be traded, but he needs to rediscover his spark. People (read: Preds fans) love to hate Corey Perry, but he plays with his heart on his sleeve. Getzlaf is talented enough to coast, and I'd hate to see him turn into Joe Thornton.

• Getzlaf disappoints Puck Daddy. [Puck Daddy]
• Teemu Selanne has added a new post to his Finnish-language blog, and Battle of California's Sleza has kindly translated it. [BoC]
• Jim Matheson thinks that Saku Koivu will be moved to third line center next year. [Edmonton Journal]
• Here's a chart with the average home attendance numbers for all 30 NHL teams for the past four seasons. Honda Center had an average of 14,760 people for home games. This is slightly better than last season's average attendance (14,738), but is lower than the average attendance for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. [MyNHLTradeRumors.com]
• On The Duck Pond's Karen Francis reflects upon the Ducks' season. [On The Duck Pond]
• The Anaheim Ducks Towel invades Big Ben. [Anaheim Ducks Towel Invasions]
• A little bit of information about the Syracuse Crunch's playoff future (and a follow-up to Allokago's excellent piece). Iiro Tarkki and Igor Bobkov will continue to be the goaltending tandem for the time being. [Syracuse.com]
• Jo Innes profiles playoff teams Ottawa and Washington. [Backhand Shelf]
• The Winnipeg Jets' Andrew Ladd and Evander Kane will play for Team Canada at the World Championships. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
• A profile of 2011 Ducks first-round pick (30th overall) Rickard Rakell. [Anaheim Ducks]