The Rest of This Year and Beyond

[Paul4587]

I spoke with my source with the Ducks and he said Eaves will definitely be ready by Sept. He said they tried to give it a go recently and it wasn't working out so they decided to shut it down but he said he will definitely be back next season.

He may be back but even had he not had the health issues it’s unlikely he was going to play close to the level he did last season. I wish him all the best and am rooting for him but at this point we shouldn’t be pencilling him into a top 6 role.

 

[Nurmagomedov]

I'm not overly concerned yet. This team has a lot going for it still.

If Kesler gets healthy over the offseason then Getz-Kesler-Henrique-X(Steel?) is a damn good group down the middle. It's not Crosby-Malkin-Brassard-X but no-one else has that either and nothing we can do about that.

Rakell-Perry-Kase-Silf-Cogs-Ritchie is a solid group at wing, could improve internally (Kase, Ritchie, Terry?, Eaves?) but should be looked at for improvement from outside and a good addition would let players slide down the depth chart. Very manageable situation IMO.

Fowler-Lindholm-Manson-Montour. Again, solid core but most in need of bolstering from outside. Larsson and Welinski should push for a spot but one legitimate top-4(3) d-man is a must.

Gibson-Miller. One of the best tandems around, no worries at all.

A good coach can get a lot out of this group of players, of that i have no doubt. If those additions on defense and wing are not made/available, then perhaps you look to gain assets at the deadline for Silf, Henrique, Kesler?

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Looking at it more, man it's looking like a decent logjam up front. 8 top-9 forwards under contract, two more who are RFAs and another three who might be on one way deals next year. Not to mention Blandisi needs waivers, or the three top prospects who are turning pro next year. Might be something to address, but I'm not totally sure what's the best way.

 

[Spazkat]

He may be back but even had he not had the health issues it’s unlikely he was going to play close to the level he did last season. I wish him all the best and am rooting for him but at this point we shouldn’t be pencilling him into a top 6 role.

This is my take as well. Even if he does return at 100% it's important to keep in mind that last year was a career year for him by a MILE. That 51 points was almost double any previous single seasons totals in an 11 year career. Is it repeatable? Possible, but at 33 just recovering from a life threatening condition, I wouldn't bet the farm on it

 

[Anaheim4ever]

SJ would in my opinion. Kane's a big add and if Thornton can get healthy they'll be pretty solid. The Kane deal was a good move for them. They will have a legit chance to re-sign him too, and if not you only gave up a 2nd round pick and a meh prospect. Honestly have no idea what Vegas is thinking overpaying for Tatar instead of beating SJ's offer for Kane

LA has been a disaster since they won their 2nd cup.

I could see SJ being up 3 games to 1 then chokes away the next 3 games to the Ducks, that is one team i have confidence in the Ducks beating in a game 7.

 

[Duck Off]

Looking at it more, man it's looking like a decent logjam up front. 8 top-9 forwards under contract, two more who are RFAs and another three who might be on one way deals next year. Not to mention Blandisi needs waivers, or the three top prospects who are turning pro next year. Might be something to address, but I'm not totally sure what's the best way.

This is why several were skeptical about the Cogliano extension. It's also why I think it's fairly likely one or both of Silfverberg and Ritchie aren't here.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

This is why several were skeptical about the Cogliano extension. It's also why I think it's fairly likely one or both of Silfverberg and Ritchie aren't here.

Yeah Silf's a tough one, with the cap going up and possibly back to going up decently every year, Murray might need to make a decision by early July to keep any possible extension reasonable. Also possible they don't really see Kerdiles and Roy as more than AHL guys who can fill in only if needed.

Either way I'm gonna guess Kossila is pencilled in somewhere, maybe fourth line center. Could run with a young fourth line if they wanted to(Kerdiles-Kossila-Roy?).

 

[Duck Off]

Yeah Silf's a tough one, with the cap going up and possibly back to going up decently every year, Murray might need to make a decision by early July to keep any possible extension reasonable. Also possible they don't really see Kerdiles and Roy as more than AHL guys who can fill in only if needed.

Either way I'm gonna guess Kossila is pencilled in somewhere, maybe fourth line center. Could run with a young fourth line if they wanted to(Kerdiles-Kossila-Roy?).

Yeah, I expect a decision to be made about Silfverberg this offseason. It's very difficult to speculate about next year though. So many variables that could impact next year's roster.

If we miss the playoffs/how we do in the playoffs. If we miss or get bounced in 4/5 games, it's going to be a much different offseason than if we advance a round or 2.

Silverberg's play down the stretch and in playoffs (if we make it) -If he's decent at best, I think he's gone.

Eaves's health

Terry's status. if he signs here and looks NHL ready for a few games, that's going to impact the roster significantly.

Montour's contract. If I'm Murray, I try and lock him up like we did Rakell. Take advantage of the sophomore slump and sign him to a cheaper long term deal.

I'm all about lineups so tempted to predict one, but I think I'm going to wait until our season ends before guessing at it. I'm sure Murray has no clue what he plans to do next offseason yet either.

 

[pbgoalie]

Annnnnnddddd
Another expansion draft incoming

 

[Goose of Reason]

I'm actually pretty upbeat about our future, we have a good stable of prospects at defense and forward, a young borderline elite goalie, a good young defensive core, and young scoring forwards that are already making an impact offensively. The Perry and Kesler contracts are rough, But only for 3 and 4 more years respectively which really isn't too painful. Plus Bob is so good at signing RFAs that kind of offsets it. If Rakell was signed for anything close to his market value then yes, we would be in cap trouble. I'm honestly not that worried about Getzlaf's contract, as i see no reason he can't age like Thornton and still be a 1C for the duration of it, And that will be good insulation for Steel and Terry to play behind and learn from. The expansion draft will suck, But it will also suck for 31 other teams so what can you do. Hopefully Vegas being this much of a powerhouse causes the NHL to relax the expansion draft rules a bit for the next one.

We had a #youthmovement remake our back end already, And soon will start a #youthmovement to remake the forward corps.

But first we need a new coach, and that's the part I'm most worried about BM acting on.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

I'm actually pretty upbeat about our future, we have a good stable of prospects at defense and forward, a young borderline elite goalie, a good young defensive core, and young scoring forwards that are already making an impact offensively. The Perry and Kesler contracts are rough, But only for 3 and 4 more years respectively which really isn't too painful. Plus Bob is so good at signing RFAs that kind of offsets it. If Rakell was signed for anything close to his market value than yes, we would be in cap trouble. I'm honestly not that worried about Getzlaf's contract, as i see no reason he can't age like Thornton and still be a 1C for the duration of it, And that will be good insulation for Steel and Terry to play behind and learn from. The expansion draft will suck, But it will also suck for 31 other teams so what can you do. Hopefully Vegas being this much of a powerhouse causes the NHL to relax the expansion draft rules a bit for the next one.

We had a #youthmovement remake our back end already, And soon will start a #youthmovement to remake the forward corps.

But first we need a new coach, and that's the part I'm most worried about BM acting on.

I agree with your outlook for the team. We have a great group of younger vets and prospects on the cusp that look like they could be helping within a year or two. Our team leadership will be transitioning on ice as our best players age. It also needs to transition to the modern day NHL which relies on utilizing younger players well. And that's all the more reason I feel so strongly that we won't get the best out of that group if they are still led by RC. With the right leadership we can be very competitive, without it we will continue down the path of one excuse after another.

And while expansion is a PIA for all teams, we can't afford to be giving away talent like Theo again, because of some blind loyalty to an over the hill, over paid vet who was stupidly given a NMC that Bob refused to buy out. We need better on that front for the next ED.

 

[TopShelfWaterBottle]

I agree with your outlook for the team. We have a great group of younger vets and prospects on the cusp that look like they could be helping within a year or two. Our team leadership will be transitioning on ice as our best players age. It also needs to transition to the modern day NHL which relies on utilizing younger players well. And that's all the more reason I feel so strongly that we won't get the best out of that group if they are still led by RC. With the right leadership we can be very competitive, without it we will continue down the path of one excuse after another.

And while expansion is a PIA for all teams, we can't afford to be giving away talent like Theo again, because of some blind loyalty to an over the hill, over paid vet who was stupidly given a NMC that Bob refused to buy out. We need better on that front for the next ED.

So let’s say bxa waived his clause how would we protect one of Manson vatanen without giving up a inferior player like Theo?

 

[The Duck Knight]

So let’s say bxa waived his clause how would we protect one of Manson vatanen without giving up a inferior player like Theo?

Ideally you could have made the Vatanen-Henrique swap once NJ won the lottery, but who knows how much concern Shero had with Sami's injury.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Ideally you could have made the Vatanen-Henrique swap once NJ won the lottery, but who knows how much concern Shero had with Sami's injury.

This is the thing. Bob waited until he had more leverage to trade Sami, and ended up with an inarguably great deal. The price was Theo. Of all the things, this is not something he should be criticized for.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

So let’s say bxa waived his clause how would we protect one of Manson vatanen without giving up a inferior player like Theo?

I'm not at all unhappy with the Sami/Henrique deal. But we effectively traded Theo and Sami for Henrique. If Bob moves Sami before the ED (and buys out KB) that's how you don't lose Theo. I guess we can speculate forever on what we would have gotten then, maybe Henrique maybe somebody else. Could we have packaged Sami and Theo for a better return pre ED? Who knows. But at that time Bob made the decision to give up Theo, for a mystery box of what Sami would return at some time in the future.

 

[Mallard]

At least BM has an opportunity to plan for the next expansion draft and not give old aging players NTCs.

 

[TopShelfWaterBottle]

At least BM has an opportunity to plan for the next expansion draft and not give old aging players NTCs.

By that time I bet it would be safe for Perry and Kesler to waive the NMC given that they’ll def be sub par nhl players

 

[ducks8]

Apparently Bob Murray said Eaves will play again. If not this year, then next. He'll know this weekend if he will be back this season

THE PUCK NETWORK - Ducks N Pucks - Hockey Hot Stove With Bob Murray

 

[duxfan1101]

Apparently Bob Murray said Eaves will play again. If not this year, then next. He'll know this weekend if he will be back this season

Where did you see that

 

[ducks8]

Where did you see that

THE PUCK NETWORK - Ducks N Pucks - Hockey Hot Stove With Bob Murray

 

[AngelDuck]

Apparently Bob Murray said Eaves will play again. If not this year, then next. He'll know this weekend if he will be back this season

This is great news for his life and well being

Not sure it's going to be good news for the Ducks hockey team. At 34 coming off what he went through...I pray he doesn't get injured trying to extend his career

 

[ducks8]

The fact that Murray wants Terry to come play this season after college season ends is intriguing

 

[Ducks DVM]

I was told he’s been on the ice since last week.

 

[Ducks DVM]

The fact that Murray wants Terry to come play this season after college season ends is intriguing

It’s probably a way to get him into the system as much as anything. Makes him Ducks property, as opposed to if we are clearly trending down next year he may want to wait a few extra months and go elsewhere.

 

[ducks8]

It’s probably a way to get him into the system as much as anything. Makes him Ducks property, as opposed to if we are clearly trending down next year he may want to wait a few extra months and go elsewhere.

Ah yeah, that's true. Still be cool to see him in a Ducks uni though