No time to Panic

[mightyquack]

I'd add Cogliano to the bright spots. Unfortunately for him he's on a line that has zero finish. EDIT: That's actually every effing line.

I'm on the fence with Cogs. I think it's fair to say he's been a bright spot, for me personally I think I would lean more to him not so much being a bright spot rather he's been solid enough to say he's been ok rather then bad. But like you said, his line has zero finish which does effect his numbers quite badly.

I don't know what you're talking about. Silf is totally an anchor.

I really need to remember to specify my anchors around here

 

[Sojourn]

I don't see how even the most hardcore fan in the history of Anaheim Ducks hockey can look at this roster and think they have any chance of the Cup, sorry.

At some point you have to be realistic. Our top forwards are all having massive down years, Silf was suppose to become that anchor on the 2nd line and is playing the worst hockey in his NHL career, our big solution to the LW problem was Hagelin who is nothing more then an expensive 3rd liner who can't score, our 4th line are a mismatch of skill players and grinders, we have a #6 dman playing 20+ minutes reguarly, a coach who can't implement any sort of system and a GM who's made moves that's made the team considerable worse over the last 12 months and has put himself and the team into a corner. Oh and we have very little budget room to make many moves because we're handicapped by numerous terrible contracts that are going to be near impossible to move.

The only bright spots I can think of are Fowler, Vatanen, Horcoff and to a lesser extent Manson. Everything else.....not so good.

I don't care how much cheering you want to do, that's not going to change any of the above. Again, sorry.

Not Rakell?

 

[mightyquack]

Not Rakell?

I knew one slipped my mind. As long as he stays as a winger full time, definitely.

 

[Sojourn]

I knew one slipped my mind. As long as he stays as a winger full time, definitely.

He definitely looks better on the wing, than as pivot. At least at this point. Things can change, but if the goal is to ice the best team we can, Rakell should be on the wing for now.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

I am finding extremely frustrating that our own fans have given up for the season and think that we absolutely have no chance of winning the Cup. Do we have that many bandwagon fans, that give up when things aren't going well.

You're saying that people are bandwagon fans for thinking the team cannot win the cup? Sorry but that's just plain wrong. You seem to be struggling to accept the fact that everybody doesn't see things the way you do.

 

[Sojourn]

You're saying that people are bandwagon fans for thinking the team cannot win the cup? Sorry but that's just plain wrong. You seem to be struggling to accept the fact that everybody doesn't see things the way you do.

That seems like the opposite of a bandwagon fan. People are still here to support the team, despite not thinking they can win a Cup this season. Being a hardcore fan doesn't mean you should be removed from reality. A team can play like crap, and not be a legitimate Cup contender. No matter how big of a fan you are, the team's play on the ice doesn't need to be rainbows and unicorns, because it won't be.

I'll support them even if they go through an Edmonton like decade of suck. That doesn't mean I'm going to think they can win a Cup in that time. Or that I'm not going to call them out for their crappy play. Isn't that part of what being a fan is? Taking the good and the bad? Not ignoring it, but dealing with it.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

That seems like the opposite of a bandwagon fan. People are still here to support the team, despite not thinking they can win a Cup this season. Being a hardcore fan doesn't mean you should be removed from reality. A team can play like crap, and not be a legitimate Cup contender. No matter how big of a fan you are, the team's play on the ice doesn't need to be rainbows and unicorns, because it won't be.

I'll support them even if they go through an Edmonton like decade of suck. That doesn't mean I'm going to think they can win a Cup in that time. Or that I'm not going to call them out for their crappy play. Isn't that part of what being a fan is? Taking the good and the bad? Not ignoring it, but dealing with it.

Exactly. You know, last year when we were hell bent on winning a cup, people in Winnipeg and Calgary were ecstatic to see their teams make the playoffs. And at the end of the season I'll bet they felt a whole lot better about the year than we did. You can get enjoyment out of following your team even if they aren't a championship caliber team.

 

[Mr Rogers]

Luckily the pacific division is so terrible, they still have a fighting chance.

 

[camshaft]

Are you actually accusing people who post everyday on the message board of a team that has choked in the playoffs 3 straight years to rival teams, and is currently in last place a bandwagon fan?

You don't think we'd have chosen the next team by now if we were bandwagon fans? Yet here we are

Again, you're pretty much completely out of touch with what is actually going on. You're projecting that everything is going to go well because you want it to

The bolded for example is ludicrous. The 2012 and 2014 Kings were elite possession teams that struck gold by landing scorers Jeff Carter and Marian Gaborik at the deadline both years. Both those teams had a #1D, elite goalie, and #1C. The Ducks have one of those teams. When Murray lands us our Jeff Carter I'll grab some pom poms but his moves rarely work these days and those players rarely come around (Kings got lucky but capitalized)

I am not projecting that everything will go well just because I want it to. I am projecting based on statics and how things in the long run return back to its norm. Using Getz as an example, how many goals do you think he will score next season? Is it more likely that he will score between 20 to 25 goals or 0 goals (not counting empty net goals). All I am saying is that the team's ineptness offensively is an aberration, and things have a way of returning to normacy. Thus, the players who have been unbelievably cold will likely turn red hot during some part of the season. It is due to the law of averages. Thus, you have red hot Getz, Perry, Kes, Silf, etc. which is like adding Carter or Gaborik. Not only that, but if things don't correct itself, the trading deadline is still 3 month away, and we can make a trade then. That is why I am saying, we do have a realistic hope, especially in a sport like hockey, where puck luck plays such a major role in wins and losses.

It is having hope that seems to be the major issue in this discussion. I know things look bleak, but the sun always comes out after a storm. I am just encouraging all Duck fans to hang onto hope and let the players provide it on the ice. It's a long season.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

I am not projecting that everything will go well just because I want it to. I am projecting based on statics and how things in the long run return back to its norm. Using Getz as an example, how many goals do you think he will score next season? Is it more likely that he will score between 20 to 25 goals or 0 goals (not counting empty net goals). All I am saying is that the team's ineptness offensively is an aberration, and things have a way of returning to normacy. Thus, the players who have been unbelievably cold will likely turn red hot during some part of the season. It is due to the law of averages. Thus, you have red hot Getz, Perry, Kes, Silf, etc. which is like adding Carter or Gaborik. Not only that, but if things don't correct itself, the trading deadline is still 3 month away, and we can make a trade then. That is why I am saying, we do have a realistic hope, especially in a sport like hockey, where puck luck plays such a major role in wins and losses.

It is having hope that seems to be the major issue in this discussion. I know things look bleak, but the sun always comes out after a storm. I am just encouraging all Duck fans to hang onto hope and let the players provide it on the ice. It's a long season.

The law of averages is not a god. It does not create results. You're falling into the same blindness disease that the advanced stats goobers have. The Ducks have not been unlucky, they've been mediocre to bad. In order for that to change, they'll have to play differently. You've watched the games (I assume). How likely it is do you think that the team will play a different game in the final 50 games than they have in the first 30? What's going to change? Specifically. Don't just say, everyone's going to get red hot because that's what happens. That isn't true even if it were relevant.

I've never seen a Ducks team this dull, this dead. Even the lousy teams of the early 2000s had something they were good at, it just wasn't enough to get good results. This team is just grinding so hard and getting nowhere. Their effort, when it's there, is always misapplied, their offensive instincts are nonexistent, their chemistry is even worse than that somehow. Something is wrong. It's not a slump and it's not a run of bad luck. There's a fundamental error somewhere in that locker room. Your god of averages is not going to save us.

 

[eternalbedhead]

If giving up on the team makes me a bandwagon fan, I won't give up! I'll just have the "everything-is-awesome" Chicago mindset.


We'll win the lottery this year, get Matthews, and then next season, behind Hart trophy winner Getzlaf, Richard winner Perry, Selke Winner Kesler, Norris trophy winner Fowler, Vezina trophy winner Gibson, and Calder winner Matthews, we'll win the Cup.


Sometimes you have to accept the team sucks. Looking at the team statistically it might seem we've got some bad luck. Our PK doesn't actually suck, our PP is showing some measurable improvement, our defense hasn't been bad, and our offensive misery might seem to be a product of our god-awful shooting percentage. But this team fails the eye-test. There's no intensity, nearly everybody that was supposed to be counted on has been underperforming, and there's just no chemistry. As far as talent goes, we've got no scoring ability besides Perry who is toiling through a dreadful season along with the rest of the team. Palmieri is gone and having a great season in NJ. Beleskey hasn't been the goal scorer he was with us but he's doing well in Boston, Beauchemin, who worked really well with Lindholm, was let go because he wanted a 3rd contract year, yet we now have a suckier, slower defenseman for 3 years, WITH A NTC, at a cap hit a gigantic .5M less than what Beauchemin signed for.


We've got Getzlaf and Perry in their prime and a decent supporting cast on paper. Yet we don't mesh together. I don't want to abandon all hope for the next 5 or so years but we might have to do a bit of a reload, if not something more. The second paragraph was a joke but Matthews WOULD do wonders for us.

 

[camshaft]

Is everybody back on board believing that we have a legitimate chance of winning the Cup this year? It was a difficult period of time enduring our miserable start, but you never accomplish great things without adversity. Now we are playing like the best team in the league, where we easily handled the division leading Kings, defeated the second hottest team in the league the Sharks, where we gave them their only defeat in 10 games, and beating Arizona, giving us breathing room for playoff position.

We are actually in better position in winning the Cup than in previous years, because we can't coast into the playoffs since we are battling for playoff positioning, thus we can have momentum going into playoffs. Another thing this horrible start did, is it made us a very good defensive team, unlike previous years. It looks like we are very good in protecting 3rd period leads, and we don't go into a defensive shell creating a shooting gallery on our goalie. We are also much stronger in goal this year, as both our young goalies are maturing. One other thing, if we cool off a little and see a need to improve team, we have the assets to make major improvements, with Andersen and Vats being trade assets if we need a boost on offense. We actually can win the division still, since we trail Kings by only 8 point with a game in hand, with 32 games to play. But I personally prefer to play Sharks instead of a wild card team in Central. So lets support our team and cheer them on to winning the Cup.

 

[PCDiesel]

Need another top 6 forward imho in order to be competitive for a long run.

 

[camshaft]

Need another top 6 forward imho in order to be competitive for a long run.

That is why I mentioned that we have assets to trade to improve team, but if Getzy returns to his career form in scoring goals, along with Perron scoring at his career average, we are in pretty good shape. We not only have Vats and Andersen as major trading chips, but we have our 1st rounder, and our other assets that we have drafted in recent years.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

Is everybody back on board believing that we have a legitimate chance of winning the Cup this year?

Ask me the last week of the season. Something about counting chickens comes to mind.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Ask me the last week of the season. Something about counting chickens comes to mind.

Camshaft is a champion chicken counter. No hatching needed.

 

[camshaft]

Ask me the last week of the season. Something about counting chickens comes to mind.

I am saying we are are once again have a chance of being serious contenders to win the Cup, not that we will win the Cup. Up until the last couple of weeks, a number of people on this board were posting that the season was over and we were hoping to win the lottery. I am trying to encourage people on this board to be hopeful and believe in the Ducks once again.

 

[Ducks in a row]

Need another top 6 forward imho in order to be competitive for a long run.

Without that top 6 forward I don't think we really have that good of a chance to win heck even with such a forward if Getzlaf doesn't get better I still don't see us winning the Cup this year.

 

[LuGBuG]

My stance has never changed I knew we would bounce back, don't get me wrong I got worried but was confident the stretch of **** play couldn't last

Doesn't mean I automatically think we are favourites but I could see this team doing major damage on a long run if things go right and they make some improvements.

Either way it's awesome to know we have some exciting hockey coming down the stretch and hopefully playoffs.

 

[Ducks DVM]

I am saying we are are once again have a chance of being serious contenders to win the Cup, not that we will win the Cup. Up until the last couple of weeks, a number of people on this board were posting that the season was over and we were hoping to win the lottery. I am trying to encourage people on this board to be hopeful and believe in the Ducks once again.

I want to see if Pittsburgh fans are correct about Perron trailing off, and I want to see if Stewart turns back into a pumpkin before I sign off on anything, but I think we should at least be a playoff team at this point. I think we also need to see if Fowler can return to early season form, whether Bieksa can prevent himself from going full Bieksa, and whether Lindholm's play stays where it's at or starts to slide towards the end of the season/playoffs like it has the last two years (which is why I personally that think his minutes are being limited).

We no longer look like a lottery team though.

 

[Getzmonster]

I'm waiting until the deadline comes and goes before I let myself get optimistic again. Murray could still screw this up.

 

[mightyquack]

I think we have legitimate chance if we acquire a top 6 forward. BB for the first time in his career seems to have installed a good defensive system at the NHL level, and with our forwards starting to play more like they should be it looks good.

However his playoff coaching will be the deciding factor.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

I am saying we are are once again have a chance of being serious contenders to win the Cup, not that we will win the Cup. Up until the last couple of weeks, a number of people on this board were posting that the season was over and we were hoping to win the lottery. I am trying to encourage people on this board to be hopeful and believe in the Ducks once again.

Hopeful? Count me in. Serious contenders because of a recent hot streak? Well, explain to me why and how they were totally ****ing awful the first half of the season and how that can never happen again. Or just what has happened the last three years worth of game 6 and 7 total failures.

This team has a serious Jekyll/Hyde complex that nobody can explain. And with our highest paid players at times looking awful as they age, I'll hold off planning the parade celebration for now.

 

[camshaft]

Hopeful? Count me in. Serious contenders because of a recent hot streak? Well, explain to me why and how they were totally ****ing awful the first half of the season and how that can never happen again. Or just what has happened the last three years worth of game 6 and 7 total failures.

This team has a serious Jekyll/Hyde complex that nobody can explain. And with our highest paid players at times looking awful as they age, I'll hold off planning the parade celebration for now.

All you have to see about a Jekyll/Hyde team is look at how the Kings were in the two years they won the Cup. They were simply awful at times both years in the regular season, and then became an unbelievable team in the playoffs, and won the Cup both times. If you look at the hockey experts and commentators/writers, they were shocked how badly the Ducks played early in the season, and how they are playing as expected now. They feel that the early start was an abberation, and now things are returning to mean, where playing as they have most of their careers. The Duck players and coaches have said the same thing, and have added how the horrible start has made them a tougher and better team. Coming into playoffs as underdogs, they will not be "playing not to lose", but be more agressive in game 6 and 7. After all, as the underdog, they have nothing to lose, and thus can play with abandon and aggressiveness, which they had not done in previous game 7s. By the way, our highest paid players are not aging, right now they are in their prime years (ages 27-32). We have a GOOD chance of winning a Cup, but its a chance we have to take advantage of.

 

[Ducks DVM]

To be fair, if you're invoking the Kings, you need to account for the additions of Carter and Gaborik at the trade deadlines those years. We will need to see if Perron can keep it up before we consider him the equivalent, he doesn't carry remotely the pedigree those two do.