GDT: Game 3: Flames @ Ducks - Monday 7PM PDT

[McDonald19]

Boll should at least challenge Glass to fight if he is going to be in as the 12th forward.

(I'm pro-fighting, pro-enforcers, but Boll doesn't do his job very well).

 

[AngelDuck]

I got a beer and a sizable slice of piece for 5 today.

yeah I try not to ever buy beer at a sporting event. It's way cheaper and more fun to just pregame somewhere and then just go watch the game

 

[IDuck]

I may be alone on this but i cant stand vermette, I think a lot of that has more to do with how he is forced to be used right now, but I reall dislike his game...I thought megna had a pretty good game and think he should get a few more looks before we holzner finds his way back in...also, i really think wagz is going to be a great bottom 6er, he looks to me like he has figured out his place/role in the NHL and is starting to get more and more comfortable....on to the next, hopefully we can get somemore guys back.

 

[Elvs]

People complain about useless plugs who can't score but wants to recall Sabourin and Carrick.. Makes sense.. And Kerdiles, one of our first cuts in camp as he's apparently barely even healthy..

 

[mightyquack]

Four top 9 forwards out too...

Kase, Kesler, Eaves, Ritchie.

3.5 at best, Eaves will end up playing half the games this season if we're lucky given his past history.

No, you're wrong. Evidence: Bobby Ryan is a center now.

Is he actually playing center for Ottawa now? If so that would be hilarious

I'm too lazy to do the digging, but I would imagine 7 goals and 3 points in the first 3 games ranks around the middle in terms of season starts for this organisation.

Since I started to follow the league closely in 2005 the Ducks have started worse than this many times, with much healthier lineups.

Clearly this team is not designed to have great depth. We sacrificed that when we went the Kesler route as opposed to keeping Bonino and Perreault. But of course paying Bieksa $4 mil doesn't help, even if he has been better than normal these last couple of games.

If we can take 3 points in the first 3 games with this lineup, and outshoot both the Coyotes and Flames.. Well then I'm quite optimistic about our chances once everyone gets back.

And I would bet that this is one of the best, if not the best opening schedule Anaheim has ever had. If they don't get 4 points from the next 3 games (Isles/Avs/Sabes), then that will just be flat out embarrassing.

And I'm not going to write home about outshooting teams when the majority of shots are soft perimeter shots, or one of the teams outshot was one of the worst teams in the NHL. This team even when healthy will have scoring issues.

 

[AngelDuck]

People complain about useless plugs who can't score but wants to recall Sabourin and Carrick.. Makes sense.. And Kerdiles, one of our first cuts in camp as he's apparently barely even healthy..

You are completely missing the point. Boll is averaging less than 5 minutes per game. People want Murray and Carlyle to call up a player that can take a regular shift without being a complete liability like Boll is. We need someone who can play 8 or 9 minutes per game to allow our limited amount of offensive guys to focus more on offense. Carrick and Kerdiles from what I've seen would be capable of it

We don't have a player in the AHL that is going to come up and be a 25 goal scorer but we have some guys that belong in the NHL more than Jared Boll and Derek Grant

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Is he actually playing center for Ottawa now? If so that would be hilarious

Nah, I was being facetious on the account of the same rhetoric and experiments with Bobby Ryan here.

 

[McDonald19]

You are completely missing the point. Boll is averaging less than 5 minutes per game. People want Murray and Carlyle to call up a player that can take a regular shift without being a complete liability like Boll is. We need someone who can play 8 or 9 minutes per game to allow our limited amount of offensive guys to focus more on offense. Carrick and Kerdiles from what I've seen would be capable of it

I think Sabourin can play 8-9 minutes and look ok too, plus face punch.

 

[bsu]

You are completely missing the point. Boll is averaging less than 5 minutes per game. People want Murray and Carlyle to call up a player that can take a regular shift without being a complete liability like Boll is. We need someone who can play 8 or 9 minutes per game to allow our limited amount of offensive guys to focus more on offense. Carrick and Kerdiles from what I've seen would be capable of it

I am willing to bet everyone on the entire Gulls roster that plays forward other than MAYBE 2-3 players skate better than Boll.

 

[mightyquack]

People complain about useless plugs who can't score but wants to recall Sabourin and Carrick.. Makes sense.. And Kerdiles, one of our first cuts in camp as he's apparently barely even healthy..

Kerdiles - outscored all of Anaheim's bottom 6 at AHL level and had 3 points in the first game of the AHL season so I guess he's pretty healthy right now. Willing to bet he could do better then several of Anaheim's players right now.

And DVM already explained he wanted Sabourin as he feels RC will always play with an enforcer and Sabourin would be better at the role. Or did you conveniently miss that point so you could again defend dumb decisions by Anaheim?

 

[mightyquack]

You are completely missing the point. Boll is averaging less than 5 minutes per game. People want Murray and Carlyle to call up a player that can take a regular shift without being a complete liability like Boll is. We need someone who can play 8 or 9 minutes per game to allow our limited amount of offensive guys to focus more on offense. Carrick and Kerdiles from what I've seen would be capable of it

We don't have a player in the AHL that is going to come up and be a 25 goal scorer but we have some guys that belong in the NHL more than Jared Boll and Derek Grant

But apparently if you want someone called up from the AHL to replace useless players like Boll and Grant, it automatically means you expect 25+ goals a season out of them!

 

[McDonald19]

Waiving Boll and Grant won't solve all the Ducks problems but it would be nice to have a 4th line that can skate a fairly regular shift.

Kerdiles-Kossila-Sabourin

 

[Elvs]

3.5 at best, Eaves will end up playing half the games this season if we're lucky given his past history.




Is he actually playing center for Ottawa now? If so that would be hilarious


And I would bet that this is one of the best, if not the best opening schedule Anaheim has ever had. If they don't get 4 points from the next 3 games (Isles/Avs/Sabes), then that will just be flat out embarrassing.

And I'm not going to write home about outshooting teams when the majority of shots are soft perimeter shots, or one of the teams outshot was one of the worst teams in the NHL. This team even when healthy will have scoring issues.

You are underestimating other teams. Arizona and Philly were defenitely icing better teams on paper than the Ducks did, coming out with 3 points in those 2 games was good execution with our half our top 6 and top 4 missing.

The Sabres and Islanders also have better teams than anything we could ice currentry, no matter who you'd call up from the minors. If they get 4 points in the next three games that would be decent, not just on the verge of being embarrassing.

 

[Elvs]

Kerdiles - outscored all of Anaheim's bottom 6 at AHL level and had 3 points in the first game of the AHL season so I guess he's pretty healthy right now. Willing to bet he could do better then several of Anaheim's players right now.

And DVM already explained he wanted Sabourin as he feels RC will always play with an enforcer and Sabourin would be better at the role. Or did you conveniently miss that point so you could again defend dumb decisions by Anaheim?

In that case, why are you even debating the lineup? Because clearly RC will always play with grinders as well.

Well clearly Kerdiles wasn't healthy earlier, and even't went unclaimed on waivers. I'm not against calling him up or saying he doesn't have any potential, but if you're on of the first guys being cut in camp it should be obvious that you have no business being in an NHL lineup for the first and second game.

Grant has 64 points (38 goals) in his last 59 AHL games by the way. Kerdiles has 42 (22 goals) in his last 72. Not saying that Grant is better or more skilled, just trying to point out the difference between the NHL and the AHL level. Some of these AHL'ers you so surely seem to think is the solution to our problems, may not quite be as skilled as you think for the NHL level.

 

[Ducks DVM]

I think there will be a bit of a trickle down effect. We're not getting as good puck movement from our blue line right now, which probably makes it harder on the forwards. It isn't just that, but that could help some.

Trying to keep the bottom six tough, when we're lacking in skill, is adding to it.

They're not even good at being tough. Hardly any hits, no bullying, they aren't very difficult/heavy to play against right now.

 

[Elvs]

You are completely missing the point. Boll is averaging less than 5 minutes per game. People want Murray and Carlyle to call up a player that can take a regular shift without being a complete liability like Boll is. We need someone who can play 8 or 9 minutes per game to allow our limited amount of offensive guys to focus more on offense. Carrick and Kerdiles from what I've seen would be capable of it

We don't have a player in the AHL that is going to come up and be a 25 goal scorer but we have some guys that belong in the NHL more than Jared Boll and Derek Grant

I'm not pro-Boll. Why do I have to keep saying this when I'm usually one of his biggest critics.. Guys like Shaw and Grant are twice the player Boll is, yet people puts them in the same pigeonhole as him. Grant set up two good scoring chances from behind the net in this game, and hit the post near the end.

 

[Ducks in a row]

So it took fire and many Ducks injuries and Flames goalie getting a 43 save shutout to finally end their losing streak in Anaheim

 

[branmuffin17]

Well... F. Does this mean I'm banned from making the GDT ever again?

 

[bumperkisser]

i dont mind grant that much... haven't really seen much from rasmussen, and boll is well.... boll

 

[Ducks DVM]

People complain about useless plugs who can't score but wants to recall Sabourin and Carrick.. Makes sense.. And Kerdiles, one of our first cuts in camp as he's apparently barely even healthy..

Hey, I explained my Sabourin point. He's an upgrade to Boll, and we all know that RC isn't going to ice a non-tough lineup. He's not going to play them, but they're damned well going to suit up. Might as well make the best of it.

Carrick was significantly better than Grant in the preseason IMO, for whatever little bit that's worth.

The issue is not having the ability to ice a skilled 4th line. No roster space.

 

[Elvs]

Hey, I explained my Sabourin point. He's an upgrade to Boll, and we all know that RC isn't going to ice a non-tough lineup. He's not going to play them, but they're damned well going to suit up. Might as well make the best of it.

Carrick was significantly better than Grant in the preseason IMO, for whatever little bit that's worth.

The issue is not having the ability to ice a skilled 4th line. No roster space.

Sorry, that wasn't directed towards you. I'm getting the impression that some posters who wants more skilled installed into the lineup are the same people who wants to bring up Sabourin and Carrick, but I could be wrong there.

Like you're saying, RC isn't going to ice a non-tough lineup, but people who wants a 4th line of Roy-Kossila-Fiore can dream on I guess. Obviously, you shouldn't write off a prospect before you give them a chance, but I'm also not a fan of overrating B and C level prospects until they've even set foot on NHL ice. For all we know, these guys are no better than Ben Maxwell or Nicolas Deschamps...

They aren't exactly blue chip prospects. If this was five or six years ago, when we had guys like Palmieri, Etem, Holland and DSP in the minors I would understand the hype. Obviously only Palmieri amounted to anything noteworthy, but at the time there was much bigger reason to have any expectations on them compared to our current forward prospects playing in the AHL. At this point in time, our most promising prospects by far are still playing juniors and so calling them up is not an option.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

It might be just me, but rasmussen has not impressed me.. He sees slow out there and always does blind passes... He needs to be better, I would take thompson over him anytime..

 

[Ducks DVM]

Sorry, that wasn't directed towards you. I'm getting the impression that some posters who wants more skilled installed into the lineup are the same people who wants to bring up Sabourin and Carrick, but I could be wrong there.

Like you're saying, RC isn't going to ice a non-tough lineup, but people who wants a 4th line of Roy-Kossila-Fiore can dream on I guess. Obviously, you shouldn't write off a prospect before you give them a chance, but I'm also not a fan of overrating B and C level prospects until they've even set foot on NHL ice. For all we know, these guys are no better than Ben Maxwell or Nicolas Deschamps...

They aren't exactly blue chip prospects. If this was five or six years ago, when we had guys like Palmieri, Etem, Holland and DSP in the minors I would understand the hype. Obviously only Palmieri amounted to anything noteworthy, but at the time there was much bigger reason to have any expectations on them compared to our current forward prospects playing in the AHL. At this point in time, our most promising prospects by far are still playing juniors and so calling them up is not an option.

Gotcha. I think our third line is actually a very good 4th line. People are losing it because they're getting used as a 3rd line, and they're actually doing a pretty good job of it as far as I'm concerned. It's not their fault that they're grinders.

There's a major disconnect right now, in that people just don't get that there's no roster space. We can't call up people without playing the waiver game, and if we lose semi-functional players, and the prospects aren't ready, our already too thinly stretched depth gets much worse.

Disclaimer - I will send any team desperate enough to take Boll off our hands a gift basket. And Sojourn.

 

[Trojans86]

I actually wasn't too disappointed with tonight. Probably because my expectations are so low. One exception was Rasmussen who was horrible imo which hurt the rakell line. Once they moved someone else with rakell and silf that line looked very good in the 3rd. Getz is coming off an injury and looked a little slow as expected. I thought Wagner and Vermette are looking better than I expected and kase has been very strong whenever he is out there. I've even been impressed with cogs offensively. We just need to get healthy. Getting lindholm and vats back will be huge and will help our possession which will indirectly help with scoring. Trading eaves, keslers and Ritchie for Rasmussen Wagner Shaw will make a huge difference. We can put rakell back on the wing or move Vermette to 4th and have an excellent 4th line with Vermette Wagner and someone else. That also allows us to use our 4th line a ton on pks.

I'm not worried at all even though I don't think very highly of anyone we have played so far.

 

[Elvs]

Gotcha. I think our third line is actually a very good 4th line. People are losing it because they're getting used as a 3rd line, and they're actually doing a pretty good job of it as far as I'm concerned. It's not their fault that they're grinders.

There's a major disconnect right now, in that people just don't get that there's no roster space. We can't call up people without playing the waiver game, and if we lose semi-functional players, and the prospects aren't ready, our already too thinly stretched depth gets much worse.

Disclaimer - I will send any team desperate enough to take Boll off our hands a gift basket. And Sojourn.

Yeah, I agree with all of this.

Meanwhile, if Kase and Ritchie can't play Fiore probably gets a look on the top line as he did in preseason. Or maybe Kossila gets a call up to play between Rakell and Silfverberg.

If they are put in complementary roles they might be able to contribute short term with some points while we're healing.