Anaheim Ducks Postseason Result May Dictate Future
By Ryan Ritchie
Anaheim Ducks Postseason Result May Dictate Future
After coming out of the gates at a snail’s pace, Anaheim Ducks have put together an impressive performance en route to yet another Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance.
There was a point 10 to 15 games into the season when the Anaheim Ducks were scoring below an average of one goal per game. They have since managed to score enough to put together wins.
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Few players have offered consistency throughout the year for Anaheim. Corey Perry is arguably the MVP of this team, with John Gibson/Frederik Andersen trailing closely in second. Third star goes to Rickard Rakell who has excelled for the Ducks in a more expanded role.
Disappointments are plentiful. Not that Ryan Getzlaf hasn’t put together a nice second half to his 2015-16 campaign, but he simply isn’t scoring enough. Here’s a guy that two months ago was on pace for a single season career low in goals. Getzlaf is still on pace for one of his worst seasons, although he will surpass his career low of 11.
Honorable mentions go to Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg. Production is down for both, while Kesler (premier on the puck drop) struggles a little more than usual in the face-off circle.
Fingers can be pointed at most of the Anaheim Ducks defense core (bigger pieces at least) – Hampus Lindholm, Kevin Bieksa, Cam Fowler, and Sami Vatanen. While each defender has played well for stretches, they have all struggled at some point over a short period or the occasional bad game. Lindholm in particular was expected to take a big step in his development assuming big minutes as a true number one defenseman.
Anaheim Ducks Playoff Success May Dictate Future
Among the list of unrestricted free agents this summer is David Perron, Jamie McGinn, Shawn Horcoff, and Chris Stewart. Restricted free agents looking for a pay raise include Frederik Andersen, Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Pirri, and Rickard Rakell.
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Even if the Anaheim Ducks allow the UFA’s to walk, it will take anywhere between $12 to $15 million dollars (cap hit totaled) to lock down the RFA’s.
Rumors suggest that Sami Vatanen was asking for approximately $6 million dollars/year to open contract negotiations. If you hand Vatanen and Lindholm their deserved contracts, the Anaheim Ducks are suddenly investing a ton of money on the back-end.
The other debate is figuring out whether John Gibson and Frederik Andersen can co-exist with one another. Simple answer is no (we’ve been preaching that thought for a while). Both young netminders deserve an exclusive starter’s role assuming 50 plus starts. To limit either or both to less starts is unfair. The Anaheim Ducks should take advantage of the tandem during the 2015-16 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it doesn’t make sense long-term.
So, what’s the end result? If Anaheim meets an early demise in the first or second round, it’s conceivable that Frederik Andersen and a defenseman (one of Sami Vatanen or Cam Fowler) is traded. The backup goaltender position is fairly easy to address on July 1st. In this scenario, GM Bob Murray knows he has Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour knocking at the door for NHL duties.
The likely demise of Anaheim falling early would likely surround goal scoring. Hopes coming into 2015-16 were that top prospect Nick Ritchie would assume the top line LW role at some point. Instead, the Ducks continue to “plug-and-play” different players alongside the elite NHL duo on a temporary basis.
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Ex-Ducks forward Patrick Maroon did well in 2014-15 during his temporary stints. Fast forward to 2015-16, we have names such as Rickard Rakell and Brandon Pirri. It’s a void in the lineup that GM Bob Murray has failed to address over the past two seasons, and something he must fix if Anaheim falls short in the postseason.
On the flip side, if the Anaheim Ducks makes a deep playoff run, Murray may feel inclined to keep his core pieces intact. In this situation, John Gibson and Frederik Andersen need to prove they can co-exist. That means if the starter doesn’t have it one night, the other guy needs to step up and be a brick wall.
Goaltending and Defense is key to winning a Stanley Cup Championship (just ask the Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings). If this defensive group can match-up and shut down the opposition through a couple grueling playoff rounds, it suddenly makes sense to invest more money in this core group.
Final Thoughts
It’s a cliché thought in the sports world with the phrase coined by Brad Pitt playing Billy Beane in the movie “Moneyball”. Quote being “if we don’t win the last game of the series, they’ll dismiss us.” So, the truth is if the Anaheim Ducks fail to make a deep playoff run, GM Bob Murray will have no choice but to make changes.
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A great finish to a messy start in the regular season is truly something to be proud of if you’re an Anaheim Ducks fan. Sample viewings of John Gibson, Nick Ritchie, and Shea Theodore are reasons to be excited for the future. But when all is said and done, the only thing that matters is how this team finishes. Lets not forget that many experts pegged Anaheim as a Stanley Cup favorite heading into 2015-16.