Confirmed with Link: Ducks sign Carter Rowney (3 years, 3.4m total)

[rlstine]

Your numbers are suspect because of the number of injuries we had and how many 4th line players played significant time on the 2nd/3rd lines. ESTOI/game for Kesler + Getzlaf + Henrique is over 45 per game. Add in SH and PP time and the 4th line was nowhere near 12 minutes per game.

I have Getzlaf (~16), Kesler, (~13), and Henrique (~13) at 42 minutes a game, but I'll concede that the TOI numbers are skewed a bit by the injuries (that doesn't change the direct comparison to the Capitals' fourth line, but that's not the point).

Even if you assume something extreme like the Ducks' fourth line ES TOI was only about 7-8 minutes a game (which was indeed the case when they forced Chimera and Kelly on the line towards the end of the season), that's only an extra like 3 minutes spread across an entire game, so an additional minute per line.

The Ducks have so many more serious issues; they take too many penalties, their powerplay has been poor, Kesler and Eaves are probably done.

It's ridiculous that Murray would single out the issue of the 4th line not getting enough minutes (they were getting decent minutes before he inexplicably added Chimera and Kelly) as one of the reasons they came up short in the playoffs. I have a way bigger problem with him fixating on the 4th line as a major problem than I do with him giving a replacement level player too much money for too many years.

I think we can all agree that the reason this signing is so frustrating is not all because of the contract or the player themselves (which in the grand scheme of things are fairly inconsequential) but because Murray's takeaway from last year is the team "needs to get faster" and his refusal or inability to confront the actual problems this team faces.

 

[nilssont]

This is what BM does. Our own drafted guys spends years in the AHL, developing. They dont get an honest shot at the Nhl level, and get lost on waivers or moved for some dude named De Leo.
Then he hands out multiyear deals to schmucks like Boll and Rowney.
I bet Kossila and Blandisi are lost soon.
God im sick of Bob and RC

 

[Masch78]

Honestly this season is going to suck... we gave up theodore to keep bieska for a year... and he literally brought nothing to the table.

Perry/Kesler are basically untradeable money sinks. BM has absolutely no clue how to fix the problems he created... we keep RC at the helm even tho we got utterly embarrassed by a not that great sharks team.

Imagine if bieska waived his NTC, and we traded vatanen pre- expansion draft. Wed have
Lindholm Manson
Fowler Montour
Theodore Welinski
Larsson Pettersson
Mahura

which means we could have actually used 1 of theodore/Montour/Larsson as trade bait to bring in some help at forward.

Fire BM, Fire RC, Trade Perry... not sure there is anything we can really do with Kesler… those are my goals for the season and hopefully end up with a top 8 pick.

Bob has a lot of failures but cap management or problem fixing is not one of it. Man for some guys here I wish you a GM like some others in the league (Oilers or Arizona for instance). Interestingly almost every fanbase is upset with its GM.

What would you have done with Perry and Kesler? I guess you let Perry and Kesler walk at the time they signed the contract? This is the cap era and UFA get ugly contracts every year. If you want to keep your star players you have to hand out this type of contracts. The Ducks have one of the best goaltending duos in the league, the Ducks managed to have a storng prospect core despite picking lower. The Ducks have a affiliate close in a great city, the Ducks have a good front office. The Ducks have a solid cap management. Bob did a lot right.

And I have to admit, it is only Theodore that is not here. The rest of the D players you mentioned are still here. Vatanen brought Henrique and it would have been the same. So in the end of the day, Theodore + Stoner (a player signed via free agency, remember, a type of contract a lot of posters demand because we have to sign free agents like crazy) opend 4 mil of cap space and cash. You said Bob does not fix the problems he created, well, he did exactely that. He moved a player who would get this money in the minors for a player they thought they can move. And Theo, while good offensivly, was much weaker than Monty last year. Theo had his brainfarts in the playoffs as well. Theodore would have not solved our problems.

And honestly, you still can trade one of Larsson/Pettersson/Mahura for forward help. And I believe Theo would not bring you a top 6 forward back then. In the end of the day, Carlyle was a mistake. And we will see Eakins sooner thant later imho.

Finally, the Ducks don't even sell out being on the top of the standings and you talk about tanking. Ownership will prefer to be a playoff team, even if you are stuck in the middle. Going into Oilers mode will not ensure a hockey team in ANA. And that is what you risk.

In the end of the day, Bob is a solid GM. He has his good years and he has his weak years. Like all others. I remember Holland being called a genius and look at him now. He is questioned everywhere.

 

[Masch78]

This is what BM does. Our own drafted guys spends years in the AHL, developing. They dont get an honest shot at the Nhl level, and get lost on waivers or moved for some dude named De Leo.
Then he hands out multiyear deals to schmucks like Boll and Rowney.
I bet Kossila and Blandisi are lost soon.
God im sick of Bob and RC

I'm a huge fan of Kossila but if he is not able to outplay those kind of playes then you're expecting way too much. So he has to play because he is a prospect? Either he is good enough or he is not. Randy had no problems playing young players. Beside the 18y old Cam Fowler, he played
Perry, Getzlaf and Shane O'Brien in 07,
he used Bobby Ryan and Drew Miller in 08,
Festerling and Mikkelson in 09,
Sbisa, Beleskey, Nokelainen, Chipchura and Sexton in 2010
DSP, Bonino, Marcenauer, McMillan in 2011
He started Larsson, played Ritchie, Kase, Monty and Theodore. Cramer got 49games under him.

You can say a lot about Randy but he is noone who does not play young players.

 

[duckpuck]

Seems pretty clear that Rowney and Gibbons were signed to shore up the penalty killing and add a bit of speed. Not a fan of the 3 year contract but hopefully they reduce penalty killing minutes for Getzlaf (and maybe Kesler).

 

[Masch78]

Seems pretty clear that Rowney and Gibbons were signed to shore up the penalty killing and add a bit of speed. Not a fan of the 3 year contract but hopefully they reduce penalty killing minutes for Getzlaf (and maybe Kesler).

Given the age Getzlaf should not play PK anymore. Nor should Kesler (when healthy).

 

[Elvs]

This is what BM does. Our own drafted guys spends years in the AHL, developing. They dont get an honest shot at the Nhl level, and get lost on waivers or moved for some dude named De Leo.
Then he hands out multiyear deals to schmucks like Boll and Rowney.
I bet Kossila and Blandisi are lost soon.
God im sick of Bob and RC

To be fair though, De Leo is just as likely as Kerdiles of becoming an NHL player. It's a lateral move at worst. Not trying to hang you out, but it's a common theme on HFboards where people overrate their own prospects and underrate others.

Blandisi is another example of this. Because he was not a Ducks pick, most people do not think anything of him, even though he's a year younger than Roy and Kossila and the same age as Kerdiles, and scored 17 points in 41 games in the NHL as a rookie a couple of years ago. At least you expressed concern about him not getting a chance, something most people wouldn't because they are too busy kicking the tires of "our own" prospects.

The Rowney signing is a headscratcher and I'm not defending it, but he's defenitely a better player than Boll. Rowney is a 50+ point forward at the AHL level. Boll even reaching 15 in a full minor league season should be considered a success.

 

[nilssont]

I get that, though I think that Kerdiles deserved to play more than 3 games in the NHL. I hope he does well in Winnipeg.

Also ofc I think Rowney is better than Boll, just dont get the damn 3 years for an AHL'er

Edit - atleast hes not old, I guess

 

[Kalv]

Look on the bright side - we did not gave him 3+M per season.

 

[quad65]

At the end, I was not expecting any miracle signings this year and I believe BM did well staying away from some of those ridiculous contracts.

Also Bob' hands are still a bit cuffed. Will Eaves and/or Kesler play? The answer to this will for sure greatly affect not only the cap situation but also the player mix for the Ducks.

Schenn, Gibbons and Rowney are depth signings All of them are good at certain things, some we even lack, like speed or toughness.
They are not tour typical over the hill veterans signings that Murray used to do. Plus the terms are very reasonable, except maybe the 3 years for Rowney.

None of those signings is a roadblock for our young players. It's up to them to show up in camp and make the right impression to the staff. And yes, Randy gives young players a chance, he has done it throughout his entire coaching career.

At the end of the day Hockey remains a team sport, see Vegas performance this year.

 

[eternalbedhead]

How can someone who's so shrewd with RFAs be so f***ing stupid with UFAs?

 

[KaseMeOutside]

LMAO THREE YEARS

FFS Bob stop blocking your in house players we're once again looking at complete misuse of the fourth line. Wtf is wrong with letting Kossilla and Hults battle it out for the fourth line? We should be using that line to break guys in not sign mediocre veterans. This guy sounds like another Boll aka a contract that will be laughed at shortly.

Bob's talk is all bs as usual

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Worth considering: Pittburgh fans also told us that Perron and Lovejoy were worthless. I'd consider wait-and-see here.

Came here to say this. Pens fans especially are bad at this. Also, I wonder if this is a two way deal.

 

[AngelDuck]

Worth considering: Pittburgh fans also told us that Perron and Lovejoy were worthless. I'd consider wait-and-see here.

I think it’s possible the Lovejoy comp ends up a very good one in this scenario. Guy who just needed more of an opportunity and can find a home as a solid depth contributor

I always saw Perron as a guy who just didn’t fit what PIT was trying to do when I watched him there though. To me he never stopped being a high skill guy, I was stoked when we got him for Hagelin. He was only like 27 or 28 when we got him and had a pretty nice track record of NHL success

 

[Duck Off]

Came here to say this. Pens fans especially are bad at this. Also, I wonder if this is a two way deal.

I doubt it. I’ve never seen a deal that pays over 1 million and is two way.

People are blowing this deal somewhat out of proportion (myself included). There’s no doubt, imo, that this contract is ridiculously stupid. 3 years for a guy who’s struggled to stay in nhl is a joke at 1 million +. That said, almost the entire cap hit can be buried in minors if need be. This is not nearly as impactful as the stoner deal, and many are treating it as such. The irritating thing for me is why we gave this to Rowney instead of Grant. There’s absolutely a possibility that Grant didn’t want to play here but I will have a hard time believing that if he signs a 1 year deal at less money. Then it would appear bob simply preferred him which is asinine. Will be telling once we see Grant’s contract. Regardless it’s a bad move but there’s clear overreacting happening.

 

[Masch78]

I doubt it. I’ve never seen a deal that pays over 1 million and is two way.

People are blowing this deal somewhat out of proportion (myself included). There’s no doubt, imo, that this contract is ridiculously stupid. 3 years for a guy who’s struggled to stay in nhl is a joke at 1 million +. That said, almost the entire cap hit can be buried in minors if need be. This is not nearly as impactful as the stoner deal, and many are treating it as such. The irritating thing for me is why we gave this to Rowney instead of Grant. There’s absolutely a possibility that Grant didn’t want to play here but I will have a hard time believing that if he signs a 1 year deal at less money. Then it would appear bob simply preferred him which is asinine. Will be telling once we see Grant’s contract. Regardless it’s a bad move but there’s clear overreacting happening.

Maybe they will still resign Grant. We will see.

 

[Doothpick]

I doubt it. I’ve never seen a deal that pays over 1 million and is two way.

People are blowing this deal somewhat out of proportion (myself included). There’s no doubt, imo, that this contract is ridiculously stupid. 3 years for a guy who’s struggled to stay in nhl is a joke at 1 million +. That said, almost the entire cap hit can be buried in minors if need be. This is not nearly as impactful as the stoner deal, and many are treating it as such. The irritating thing for me is why we gave this to Rowney instead of Grant. There’s absolutely a possibility that Grant didn’t want to play here but I will have a hard time believing that if he signs a 1 year deal at less money. Then it would appear bob simply preferred him which is asinine. Will be telling once we see Grant’s contract. Regardless it’s a bad move but there’s clear overreacting happening.

That's my only issue with this deal. Grant has showed so much more in this level than Rowney, and I doubt he would've been that much expensive. I honestly think that Murray thought he could get Grant for pennies, and was insulted when his agent (rightfully so) refused.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Not sure the Stoner comparison is great because he had much more of a track record, but if it is, that's actually pretty favorable to Rowney. If Stoner would've been paid around $2 million, what I think is comparable to a 4th liner getting a little over a million, then I think people would've been pretty fine with that during the seasons. Stoner was fine and a nice fit with Vats, that was just too much for a 6th defenseman.

 

[91Fedorov]

This happens every year with our team and I think these players are good signs for our team going forward.

Every year Bob signs a couple of role players into spots on the team that might be filled by rookies. He seems to prefer to give our rookies a challenge to earn their spot. These are all good contracts for that purpose. They are all low enough that they can be buried in the minors. They are not established veterans that will stand in the way of our young players. If our rookie forwards aren't good enough to outplay these guys, then they shouldn't play.

I see these signings as positive, because there are three of them. That looks, to me, like the team is really considering giving three spots to rookies if they can earn the ice time. That's a whole line, so it seems to indicate that they may give real minutes to a 4th line with some rookies on it.

I would be more upset if BM signed some forward version of Bieksa. An aging veteran who was just good enough to hold a roster spot, but not good enough to help us improve. If we tied up money in Rick Nash, Mark Letestu and Kris Versteeg do we become a better team?

I like these signing much more than going that route. Youth and speed are more important than ever now and I'm happy that these moves seem to indicate that we're heading in that direction.

 

[cheesymc]

Not sure the Stoner comparison is great because he had much more of a track record, but if it is, that's actually pretty favorable to Rowney. If Stoner would've been paid around $2 million, what I think is comparable to a 4th liner getting a little over a million, then I think people would've been pretty fine with that during the seasons. Stoner was fine and a nice fit with Vats, that was just too much for a 6th defenseman.

We should have signed Engelland over Stoner...

 

[snarktacular]

With 3 years for such a replacement level player, you would expect the price to have been discounted. So that means he would have gotten over 1.1 million for a 1-year contract? How is he worth more than Gibbons?

Or is this some kind of "more years means you pay more because he is expected to keep improving" thing? Except he's 29 and forwards on average don't improve at this age?

I really just can't understand the rationale.

 

[turd]

Came here to say this. Pens fans especially are bad at this. Also, I wonder if this is a two way deal.

As a Pens fan, there’s no doubt the Pens fan base (especially on here at times) paints players out to be worse than they really are (and I’m probably guilty of it myself), but I think the sentiment about Rowney from most Pens fans is pretty accurate. He’s not good. He doesn’t do much if anything particularly well. Somewhat decent at faceoffs, I guess? Has the RH shot working in his favor I suppose. But he’s just not an NHL caliber player. To be completely honest, I think the contract NYI gave to Kuhnhackl was probably more appropriate for Rowney and the one Anaheim gave to Rowney would’ve made more sense for Kuhnhackl. If anything, Rowney’s agent deserves major props for getting this deal for his client.

 

[rlstine]

As a Pens fan, there’s no doubt the Pens fan base (especially on here at times) paints players out to be worse than they really are (and I’m probably guilty of it myself), but I think the sentiment about Rowney from most Pens fans is pretty accurate. He’s not good. He doesn’t do much if anything particularly well. Somewhat decent at faceoffs, I guess? Has the RH shot working in his favor I suppose. But he’s just not an NHL caliber player. To be completely honest, I think the contract NYI gave to Kuhnhackl was probably more appropriate for Rowney and the one Anaheim gave to Rowney would’ve made more sense for Kuhnhackl. If anything, Rowney’s agent deserves major props for getting this deal for his client.

Thanks, turd.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

With 3 years for such a replacement level player, you would expect the price to have been discounted. So that means he would have gotten over 1.1 million for a 1-year contract? How is he worth more than Gibbons?

Or is this some kind of "more years means you pay more because he is expected to keep improving" thing? Except he's 29 and forwards on average don't improve at this age?

I really just can't understand the rationale.

It might be an indication the team views him as a center, despite listing him as a winger on their graphic. Commit to a fourth line center at a very cheap price. Not different from the Thompson trade just that it's for a decent amount less and you didn't give up any draft picks. Still applies somewhat if hes a winger, just probably much less necessary.

At the end of the day, it's an indicator that hes not seen as a guy you take a flier on or someone merely in the mix. The team probably likes him quite a bit as a player and was willing to make a commitment to him. I guess the judgement on that one will come in a few months.

 

[Duck Off]

It might be an indication the team views him as a center, despite listing him as a winger on their graphic. Commit to a fourth line center at a very cheap price. Not different from the Thompson trade just that it's for a decent amount less and you didn't give up any draft picks. Still applies somewhat if hes a winger, just probably much less necessary.

At the end of the day, it's an indicator that hes not seen as a guy you take a flier on or someone merely in the mix. The team probably likes him quite a bit as a player and was willing to make a commitment to him. I guess the judgement on that one will come in a few months.

The most frustrating part for me is IMO, Murray should have learned a lot about the incredibly bad and obvious fail that happened in signing Kelly, and remotely thinking he was capable of helping us in the playoffs. This signing looks like the same thought process to me. Character guy who can bring a lot to the locker room. I have no issue with signing him but committing to 3 years? Just seems stupid. That said, I'm willing to give him the rest of the offseason but if this is the best center he brings back and Grant signs for a similar or better deal, he's a f***ing moron.