BombaysTripleDeke

Most rebuilds and transitions take longer than two years though. Plus, Murray hasn’t made moves as of yet to help accelerate the process. I absolutely understand fans being extremely ticked for how last season went solely because of Carlyle and Murray. Though, I think that fans should be more excited to see what this team can do going forward given the changes that are starting to take place. I don’t think you’ll see Honda Center half empty because of it or think missing 2-3 years of playoff revenue are going hamper the franchise. Fans understand, or at least should, that teams can’t make the playoffs or be good every year lol.

I guess that depends on what a significant contributor is. If he tops 40 pts next year then I think that is pretty solid, even though it doesn't live up to his contract. If he has the intangible leadership skills and can help with the transition for the next year or two then I think he's worth it. I'm not saying to trade him now (unless you can somehow parlay it into a center upgrade) but by the time the ED hits, he could very well be expendable and that the Ducks' may not want to use a protection slot on him.

Yeah, maybe Murray will sign Ron Jeremy next to really add some depth and round out the roster. Definitely better than signing pylon Dion and he didn’t give up an asset. As long as Gibson is reclining on the bench for 40 games, then we should survive the season

Murray is really tripling down on his bargain bin, throw something at the wall and see if it sticks philosophy with defensemen. He should just give Gibson half of the season off right now

Ducks signed Michael Del Zotto. 1 year, 750k

I agree that if most of our prospects turn out to be real duds then it certainly changes things. If that happens and Henrique is still the 2nd best center on the Ducks in two years (after Getzlaf) then it’s going to be not so fun times in Anaheim. I don’t see them contending at all in that case. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if Zegras doesn’t at least surpass him by then. Hank is a solid NHLer but he’s not going to carry or drive a franchise, especially on the backend of his career. If his spot and money could be filled and better used somewhere then I think the Ducks are in a stronger long-term position.

Yeah, but you’re going to lose something of value though regardless. Losing Henrique to Seattle could be the best scenario for the Ducks. Assuming Getzlaf will sign a retirement contract, you have Zegras and hopefully Steel solidifying center roles with Rakell and then Jones, Comtois, McLaughin, Tracey vying for LW roles within the next two years. There may not be a need for him. Not mention him being almost 32 at nearly $6 mil per for 3 years, I can see the Ducks in a position to not use a protection slot on him and actively trying to move his contract out.

It’s a guess on my part. Risto seems like a guy that Murray would be all about to plug that glaring RHD spot. Not to mention, there aren’t really teams more desperate for a RHD than the Ducks when you look outside of the Atlantic Division. Barrie and Ceci are gone so the market has tightened and I think that would increase the odds of him coming to Anaheim. If Murray pulls the trigger on a RHD, I’d be surprised if it’s for anyone other than Ristolainen or maybe Pesce from Carolina at this point. Pesce has been in the rumor mill but it’s still uncertain whether he’ll be moved at all, where as Risto is all but gone after the moves Buffalo has made.

Buffalo just got Jokiharu from Chicago for the other Nylander brother. After also getting Colin Miller, the table is pretty much set to trade Ristolainen. Potentially here to Anaheim.

Comtois shouldn’t be eligible for the expansion draft. He didn’t play his 11th game which would have counted towards a pro season. The 10th game burned a year off his ELC. It’s weird, but I remember this topic coming up when he was sent back to juniors after his rehab stint in SD. Players of note that are under contract and shouldn’t be eligible for the ED are Comtois, Morand, Benoit, Dokstal, Eriksson Ek. Who knows what the situation for the Ducks will look like in two years. If everything works out the way we hope then Murray might give up draft picks rather than a player to Seattle. He might want to avoid another Theodore scenario.

I’m more optimistic and excited for next season than I have been for the previous two. The Ducks aren’t winning the Cup and need a minor miracle just to sneak into the playoffs but like you said, they are finally starting to transition to a new style of hockey with younger players. Who knows how they’ll pan out, but it’s better to see what they can do rather than sticking with the old ways that weren’t going work. Next season is the first real step towards hopefully getting back to a SCF.

Calgary is definitely a paper tiger when it comes to the actual the playoffs. No one thinks that they are going to win the Cup but that they are likely to get in. The Coyotes gave up Galchenyuk who put up 41 pts for them and got Kessel who is a point per game guy at a minimum. That is a major upgrade to me. The Avs trading Barrie was inevitable when they selected Byram, who could step in right away, but Colorado still has a ton of talent on their blue line and bolstered their 2nd/3rd lines. Nashville moving Subban to get Duchene seems a bit more of a lateral move, but it addressed a major need and Nashville still has a great top-3 and has Dante Fabbro seemingly ready to step up. To me, all of these teams are better than the Ducks and with more potential. I agree that Gibson has been the best goalie in the league for the past two seasons. He has also been taxed to exhaustion during that time, which is what concerns me. As of now, he's going to have to carry this team. Even if they can improve the defensively, which should be the top-priority, if he has a slightly above average season then I can't see the Ducks getting in the playoffs. The other huge issue that we all want addressed is scoring and we need a lot of it. We just don't have enough players that can create offense or finish, which something that I don't think Dallas Eakins, or anyone else, can just coach into existence. I don't think that the Ducks will be a trainwreck like they were last season under Carlyle, but that there are simply too many better teams that also aren't starting to go through a coaching and roster transition along with many glaring holes in their lineup. If we go into this season as is, then it will be a bit disappointing but I won't be mad as long as Gibson's minutes are severely limited. I'm also more focused on seeing the development of the young players than making the playoffs.

I’m absolutely putting Colorado and Calgary as being clearly ahead of us right now. The Avs are going to be scary and fun to watch. Arizona just added one of the best scorers in the league and will have a healthy, Schmaltz and Rantaa. Vancouver got better with Myers and Miller, though I think they overpaid a bit to do it. Chicago seems to have solidified their goaltending and made some additions to their defense. I think that you have to account for what other teams have done, and with the Ducks not upgrading their roster, I don’t see them making the playoffs. Which isn’t the worst thing in the long run.

At least he didn’t give up a draft pick for him lol.

Not having high end scoring is a huge thing to be lacking though. Not to mention the amount of Western teams that the Ducks would have to beat out. Are the Ducks better than Vegas, Nashville, Colorado, St. Louis, Winnipeg, San Jose, Dallas, Arizona (Phil!), Calgary, Vancouver or Chicago?