Monday, November 1, 2010

Is it Finally Time to Fire the Coach?

Bob Murray made it very clear that he will not be firing Carlyle any time soon.
He has faith in the head coach becuse he brought us a cup. He went on to say
that a major change to the line up would come before Carlyle loses his job if
the Ducks continue to lose games. Meaning he might potentially break up the top
line of Ryan, Getzlaf, and perry.


He went on to say that putting blame on the coach is an excuse for the players
not to play well. These are dangerous comments from the general manager of the
Ducks. The RPG line is widely regarded as one of the top trios in the nhl. Their
play in the 09 playoffs was among the only reasons the ducks defeated the Sharks
and took Detroit to game 7. And Ryan has yet to fully develop into a 40 goal
man.


Breaking up this line is not the answer.

Yes, Carlyle brought us a cup. And his system brought us regular season success
the two seasons after the cup victory. But the game has changed since then, and
Carlyle has refused to change with it. His system is now outdated and beatable.


Ever wonder why some players play much better when they leave Anaheim?
Wisniewski's play in Anaheim the season before he was traded was shaky at best.
This season in New York, he has been wonderful and is considered to be in the
running for the Norris if his play continues. Here he was a second pairing guy.
Now he's in the top 30 among all skaters in points. And that's just one example.


The players obviously aren't responding to him as a coach anymore. They take
dumb penalties. They are inconsistent in odd man situations. The defense, as
bad as it is could be better and has been bad for the last 2 years. How many
games can you remember that we surrendered fewer than 30 shots on goal? Our
coach is a former Norris winner. Explain that.


When you watch other teams play you can find glaring differences in the way
successful teams play and the way the Ducks play. Teams that do well in this
league give 100% every night, they fight for possesion, they make smart passes
that are well thought out, they almost never stop moving their feet, they all
get involved and have a job to do on the ice, and more than anything they fight
hard every minute they play to make sure they win. Watching the Ducks you don't
see that. And it's been like that the last two years, getting gradually worse as
time has progressed.

And a big question has to be, how is Carlyle's behavior as a coach? Last year as
the season was ending he told the media something that has bothered me to this
day. He told them that he didn't know what to do or say anymore to make the team
win. First of all that shows signs of weakness and lack of dedication on the
part of the coach. There should always be things to say, new plays to run,
something. Secondly, coaches are supposed to watch what they say when speaking
to the media. If he was careless enough to let that one slip, what kind of
things is he saying in the locker room?

Going back to having nothing left to say or do, Carlyle never seems to learn
from his mistakes. He continues doing the same things even when they obviously
fail. The line juggling, constant dump and chase, and this addiction of playing
the puck along the boards are among a myriad of things that don't work but never
seem to change. A good coach is a coach who realizes change is necessary and
learns from his mistakes. Carlyle makes changes in all the wrong places and
doesn't seem to notice when the same old thing fails again and again and again.
Maybe he can't advance his game style. Why would we want someone like that to
stick around?

And maybe his game style is better suited for another team. But it clearly isn't
working here.


Murray can seek ways to turn things around. There may be little things that
could help, but think (amazing I just realized this is the second time I'm
making this argument) about all of the teams that were under performing and
turned things around with a new coach. We all know how great a team Washington
was but does anyone remember how bad they were before Bodreau was made coach?
They weren't in playoff position. The Penguins weren't a Stanley Cup winning
force until their coaching change. The coyotes wouldn't have made the playoffs
last year if Gretzky had not been replaced with Tippett who had been fired by
his last team. The ducks need something fresh and new to turn things around. But
the first step is ditching Carlyle. And Murray shouldn't feel bad for Carlyle.
It wouldn't take him long to find work.


And Murray is not exempt from blame either. Sure, Burke left and we'll never
know how he'd do in Murray's place. I'll have another blog on why Murray
deserves to go.


But as a preview I can give you the newest one. He'd break up our strongest
offensive weapon before he ditches Carlyle. The RPG line is more valuable than
Carlyle. They are our future. And Murray thinks desperately latching onto a cup
winning coach who refuses to evolve will bring him success. This is nothing
short of insanity. He is disagreeing with an entire fan base (and I'm sure some
members of the front office) on this.


This blog is more of an attack on Murray then Carlyle. He is threatening to do
some serious damage to our line up in order to protect a losing coach in the
hope that he restores his status as a cup winning coach. If I were the owners, I
would be greatly disturbed and would replace both Carlyle and Murray. And this
is coming from someone who vehemently stood up for both men.


This team is broken, let's fix it already.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Is it Time to Forgive?

So I think we've all heard the rumors that Paul Kariya may be coming back to Anaheim.

Multiple NHL rumor sites, Twitter accounts, and members of the media have reported that the Ducks are pursuing him. GM Bob Murray confirmed that he has been looking at him as an option, not to mention Selanne has been lobbying both parties to bring him back.

His possible return remains total speculation, but active Ducks fans have been discussing his possible return after Selanne's signing to no end. Topics like: what his contract should look like, how they will react, whether or not they need him if Jason Blake is in the roster.

But what seems to remain constant is the large group of fans who still have not forgiven him for leaving the Ducks in 2003. All the hatred wasn't just because of his departure, it was the fashion in which he left. Kariya led the Ducks to their first Stanley Cup final in a Cinderella run back in 2003. Upon losing he made a promise to fans that he would bring them a cup the following year. Then he pulled a LeBron and left us to play with Selanne in Colorado for a dirt cheap contract in the hopes of getting a Stanley cup ring.

The fans did not react well, and ever since then Paul Kariya has been public enemy number one in their eyes.

But does he really deserve it anymore?

I used to loathe Kariya like any devoted Ducks fan. The season that followed our cup run was horrible. I blamed it all on Paul Kariya.

Fans collectively wished for Kariya to have a bad career.

Wasn't our wish granted?

Kariya has not won a single cup in his career, his production has slipped since his departure, and in the meantime our team has had better playoff success than Nashville or St. Louis, including a Stanley Cup victory. We can look at our Stanley cup banner and say we were all along for the ride, he can't.

Expectations for Kariya's career were always high, he and Selanne were expected to be the next great NHL legends. One will be remembered forever as a Hall of Famer and one won't. Selanne is just 4 goals away from the top 15. Paul hasn't even cracked the top 70. Selanne is in the top 25 in points Kariya is down in the low 70s. And how many more times was Selanne an all star and olympian?

Needless to say the fans got the last laugh. You could say we are even now. Kariya will never be the franchise player he could have been, and he will not be a hall of famer. He could have been, but he won't. He got what he deserved and we are even.

I can't help but pity Kariya, because I know that if he returns he will be hearing the boos. He still has a home in Orange County and lives here in the summer. If he is brave enough to return, doesn't he deserve a little forgivance? Especially if he works hard for our team every night? And what if he takes a paycut?

I'm not saying you should forget what he did, forgiving does not mean forgetting at all. But I do believe that if he wants to return he deserves the a second chance to repay for what he did, after all he did put our franchise on the map.

But based on the hand that karma dealt him, it's not incorrect to again say that Kariya got what he deserved. Now he can have a clean slate. He can have the chance to win back our approval. We won't love him like we used to, but is he does things right we might not hate him anymore.
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.
.
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That is if he is signed of course...

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Ducks Draft Recap

The ducks had themselves one amazing draft day.

Arguably the winners of the draft they had the luck of being able to draft the number 5 and number 10 ranked players, Long Beach native, Emerson Etem, and Cam Fowler.

It was a perfect situation for Etem who lives in California to be drafted, and a huge honor for Fowler who received his sweater from his favorite player and idol, Scott Niedermayer.

It is difficult to say who was happier that those players were drafted, the players themselves, the fans, or Bob Murray and the rest of the Anaheim Ducks management.

Cam Fowler was a total steal at number 12. Apart from the Hall-Seguin debate, experts had trouble determining who the best defenseman was among the Gudbranson-Gormley-Fowler trio was. Gudbranson came fourth, but Fowler and Gormley fell to 12th and 13th respectively.

Murray was in total shock.

Fowler has received extremely high praise leading up to the draft. He has received comparisons to Erik and Jack Johnson, Brian Leetch, Thomas Kaberle, and even to an extent, Scott Niedermayer.

Watching his very first interview gave viewers the impression that he is intelligent, mature, and eager to work hard to make his way into the lineup as quickly as possible. It also helps that Scott Niedermayer may end up mentoring him. Isn't it also ironic that he has Fowl in his name? Yes I went for the lame duck related pun, but that is an awesome coincidence.

With the addition of Fowler, the Ducks' defensive pipeline appears to be the strongest in the league. Just thinking about Luca Sbisa, Jake Gardiner, Mark Mitera, and now Cam Fowler, it's enough to leave any fan drooling.

Etem luckily fell even further. It isn't a good feeling to have to wait as long as he did, but it almost seemed like fate that the speedy Californian managed to fall all the way to the team closest to home. I spent the last week with my family on a lake, but when I opened my phone at the hotel, I was in shock first to see that we actually drafted Fowler, my fourth favorite player in the draft, but with the 29th pick we took Etem. I honestly believed he would be taken 12th.

Not to say that Etem only got drafted because he is a California product. He has speed, size, and natural scoring talent. He received comparisons to Glen Anderson and Joffrey Lupul. But what is most impressive is Etem's determination and work ethic. From a young age Etem dedicated his life to hockey, going from city to city for hockey camps. In an interview he said he has already stopped caring about how far he fell, and that he is ready to make himself the best player selected in the draft.

That is very refreshing to hear. Many drafted players get caught up in the euphoria of being drafted and assume that they've reached their goal, by making the big time. They end up thinking that they will just continue improving physically and they will hit the big time without any problems. TR Goodman even said that he has the same focus and drive as Sidney Crosby.

Etem's mentality is what real stars are made of. They are always trying to improve themselves, they fight to be the best, and when you have the kind of talent that Etem has, a work ethic like that allows you to work out the weaknesses that caused you to drop in the draft. Expect Etem to be ranked among our top 10 prospects the next time THN and HF release their player rankings. He is an excellent pickup for the Ducks.

The draft was a step in the right direction, we will have to see if free agency will follow suit. If so, this upcoming season will be an exciting one.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Offseason Updates

It's been a rather uneventful offseason for the ducks so far. Fans have been hungrily waiting to see what Mr. Murray will do to make up for last year's Stanley cup absence.

Other than a couple of prospect signings, the Anaheim front office has shown no signs of life.

But fans can breathe a little easier knowing the silence will only last a little bit longer.

Fans who follow twitter, were given a major buzz of excitement when the official account of the ducks announced a signing would be made. This created some serious speculation, as everyone thought this was the first piece of big news they, well, we were waiting for.

Anaheim as an organization has never been known to tease fans with transaction hints. The Anaheim front office has always been more clandestine than other clubs. Nevertheless fans began to expect a big name like Ryan or niedermayer to be the signing.

In the end, Eric Stephens of the OCregister uncovered that the signing was for defenseman Sheldon Brookbank.

Not to bash on Brookbank, as he is an adept 3rd pairing defenseman, but fans were left expecting something big after so much time spent in silence. The hint dropped by the Ducks was almost like a message saying that the wait was over.

On the bright side, news is coming. Even if we have to wait a little bit longer.

Bobby Ryan's contract negotiations were described as being in their "early" stages a little over a week ago. The announcement of his signing should come within the next two to three weeks as a maximum, if he hasn't signed by draft day, it will be a safe bet that he will go to restricted free agency. Although it seems doubtful as both sides have sounded optimistic.

It has been announced that Scott Niedermayer will be announcing whether or not he will retire "soon". This is on the heels of Nicklas Lidstrom's recent desicion to return to his team for another year (at a million dollar paycut). Some could say that based on his interview, things aren't looking good, but Lidstrom (a fellow Norris trophy winner and future hall inductee) desicion could tilt the scales in the ducks' favor.

The draft is only a few short weeks away, and Murray is going to have to get a few signings done before then, to have a better picture of what kind of trades or free agent signings he needs to make.

So rest easy Duck fans, the silence will soon be broken.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Ducks Offseason Preview (Part 2): Return of the Vets? Murray s new plan.

Three huge players this season are not signed through next year's season. They combined for 56 goals and 152 points. Their names are Saku Koivu, Scott Niedermayer, and Teemu Selanne.

It will be the same old story again this season as we wait for these veterans to make their decisions. Only this time the story will be written a bit differently. The one thing that changed? The Anaheim Ducks missing the playoffs. The moves that GM Bob Murray (or someonelse?) will make this offseason will be greatly dictated based on the decisions these players make. They have all shown they have the skills needed to play the game (and play it well). They make up 2/3 of the 2cd scoring line and (in my opinion) Scotty is worth two defensive spots in our roster.

The Anaheim Ducks organization has made it unofficial policy to keep plans close to the chest. This year it has been different. A series of interviews from the 3 players and the Anaheim Ducks GM have brought forth clues as to what may happen. At the very least they gave us food for our speculative thoughts.

Saku Koivu: (35 years old, 71gp 19g 33a 52p, 2cd line center)

Koivu had the most positive news out of the trio. In a recent interview from anaheimducks.com, Koivu made it clear that he wants to stay a Duck. He says he loves it in Anaheim and even though he wasn't satisfied with the last season, he has enjoyed his time and his role on this team. He's been a smash hit with the fans after his one year stint. Of course Koivu is the best 2cd line center since (if you count 07-08) Andy McDonald. But Koivu brings so much more than 19 goals and 52 points to the team. Koivu works night in and night out, he never gives up, he performs when he is called on to step it up, and brings an overall positive attitude and leadership that the Ducks were missing in Chris Pronger (Koivu will even take a checking role if he has to). It's no wonder the fans in Montreal loved Koivu so much.

Koivu has made it his goal to get a contract in Anaheim (he wants 2 more years) and haas stated that he hadn't even thought of and doesn't even think he will test the free agent market. Hopefully if Koivu returns it will prompt teammate Teemu Selanne to return.
My Prediction: Murray would be an idiot not to sign it.

Teemu Selanne (39 years old, 54gp 27g 21a 48p, 2cd line RW)

41 goals 31 assists 72 points.

That was Teemu's projected numbers, had he played all 82 games. That would be 2cd on our team in terms of points and 7th in the NHL in goals…7th. I hope someone tells Teemu that.

But, something tells me he knows. Well he unofficially tells us he knows. In a recent interview Teemu was asked about his retirement plans. He said he wishes he hadn't played so well, because the decision would be much easier. And he's right, he hasn't played this well since the 06-07 season. He clearly has plenty of hockey left in him. He missed 28 games and he still almost hit the 30 goal mark. Plus he still scored 600 goals and passed his boyhood idol Jarri Kurri on the all time goal scorers list. And there are still so many milestones within reach, his for the taking. That makes it tougher still on Selanne.

A factor that could cause him to lean toward his retirement is the injuries he suffered. In his mind he is more injury prone because he is getting old and frail. He is being a little too modest in this scenario. He took a speeding puck to the jaw and the hand, those kind of impacts would have injured anybody in the NHL. Still, he's got skills, he isn't getting worse (cause he's a hockey legend), he has all kinds of milestones still within reach, and he had fun in the most dismal Ducks season to date.
My Prediction: One More Year (at least)

Scott Niedermayer (36 years old, 10g, 38a, 48pts, Top Anaheim defenseman)

Scott Niedermayer has made several statements about his plans to retire over the past few days. None of them were too telling about which way he is leaning. He is more cryptic this year than any of the previous years. Although from the audio on the final thoughts, Scotty's tone didn't seem too optimistic about his answer (but who can sound optimistic after missing the playoffs, especially a captain who is a perennial winner.) plus Murray is scouting big name dman at the moment. One bit of information he HAS given is that he will make his decision very soon, not before the season begins (this coincides with Murray's comments below). This statement isn't too convincing though as he has said it before.

Scott Niedermayer is still a defensive force. The whole league wants him, and even though his play has slipped lately he is still our best dman. The Ducks should not pay him more than or 6 million dollars though, they need money to look to the future and if he demands more, they should search other options

My Prediction: Could go either way but. I say he goes this time. Koivu or Getzlaf new "C" (I'll have a separate blog on why I think "someone" should get it).


Bob Murray

Murray's game plan has changed up a bit. Since he took over for Burke, he has played the same conservative role as his predecessor. Making smart trades maintaining respect for players who have historic background with the team. That is all changing. All eyes are on him this summer to make amends for this last, horrific season. Murray went forth to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun and spoke as openly about his offseason plans as any GM has since the lockout.

He informed LeBrun that the Anaheim Ducks organization would not play the waiting game with Niedermayer and Selanne this year. He has spoken to both and has given them a strict draft day deadline. He is looking to boost the blue line and said he is open to trades and that he is unafraid to make one OR two big moves at the deadline.

This could have negative repercussions on the decision's of Selanne and Niedermayer as mulling retirement takes real time and thinking. It's a life choice. If they do not make up their minds until the season starts, they should be prepared to be paid whatever salary money is left over after free agency.

Murray obviously doesn't want to lose these players. Under ordinary circumstances he would wait. These aren't ordinary circumstances. He is responsible for organizing the first Anaheim team to miss the playoffs since the lockout. It is a mess that he is preparing himself to clean, at whatever cost.
Prediction: Well this whole Offseason preview saga is about what he will do. Stay tuned.

So thank you for reading, if you haven't done so already, make sure you check out the other parts of my offseason preview. It's pretty good, I have to say.

The next part of my preview will be on the free agents.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Ducks Offseason: Part 1 Bobby Ryan

Ask anyone NHL fan which player they would realistically trade for on the Ducks this time of year. The answer would be Bobby Ryan.

Bobby Ryan was the Anaheim Ducks' top goal scorer this year, picking up 35 goals and 64 points (not quite the expected production out of him but it's forgiveable.) finishing the the NHL season as the 10th best goal scorer and 45th in overall production.

That kind of player is without question someone the Ducks will need to have in their lineup.

Early attempts at contract extension talks failed as Ryan (or his agent/ or both) were not satisfied with the offers. Then both sides agreed to put talks off until this offseason so that Ryan could focus on his playing. But in interviews Ryan stated that he does want to remain in Anaheim and his first goal in the offseason is getting resigned.

“This is my home," said Ryan, who is due to be a restricted free agent. "I spend my summers here. I love being here and don’t want to be anywhere else. There will be some time still before we get to negotiations and talking. The dust will settle here and we’ll go from there. Anaheim is without a doubt a unanimous No. 1 for me.” (from Anaheimducks.com)

Ryan is looking to get as much money as he can because he knows he will be looked at hard by other NHL teams. But it is almost a guarantee that he will make no more than 5.325 million dollars (the same salary as Getzlaf/Perry) since such a salary will cause Perry and Getzlaf to underperform.

That means Ryan has an unofficial draft day deadline to come to terms with the Ducks organization.

The reason behind this comes from a situation that may still be fresh in Duck fan's minds. Dustin Penner back in the offseason of the 06-07 year, refused Anaheim's contract extension offer and was signed by Edmonton to an offer sheet. In return Anaheim got the 1st, 2cd, and 3rd picks in the following year's draft.

If he cannot be signed it leaves 3 options.
1.)Trade him alone or in a package for a Left Winger better or with similar talent.
Although that is very difficult to do, since the only players of that caliber are pretty much impossible to pry from their respective teams.

2.) Let him pull a Penner
If we do this we have no way of knowing what position draft picks we will get. A team like Washington could give him an offer sheet and then we're stuck with some terrible draft picks.

3.) Use him to move up in this year's draft.
Option one is the best if we can find a team to trade with, but this is a much better option than option 2, because this way we can know what kind of pick we get, hell maybe one of the top 3 teams will bite (at the risk of our other two picks.) But if Ryan doesn't get signed come draft day, option 2 is the only option left, and we're screwed (unless we trade his rights but our return won't be as high as it would be at the draft).

This is all hypothetical of course. But lots of Ducks fans are dead set on the notion that Ryan is staying. I wouldn't fully expect him to leave, but I wouldn't fully expect him to stay either. As much as I want him to.

Hopefully both sides can come to an agreement soon and we can stop worrying about losing such a key member to the organization now and in the future. In the meantime we wait. Hope he doesn't keep us waiting too long.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Storylines: Anaheim Ducks Offseason

Well, the Ducks have failed to qualify for the post-season this year, and now it's time to look ahead at the team that will be playing come september. There are so many different factors that will go into what changes will be made this offseason that it will take several blogs just to preview it all. Here is my outline, and intro to the offseason preview, and what to look out for.

Empty roster spots.
The free agents we have leave 6 key holes in the roster. We could either resign or replace those players with new FA's or prospects. All of our UFA's add up to 20 million dollars in cap room.

Bobby Ryan
Ryan has been a key force on Anaheim's roster and re-signing him his at the top of Bob Murray's to-do list guaranteed, and many subsequent moves revolve around whether or not he is signed.

Old Timers, Retiring?
Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne, and Saku Koivu are all UFA's this postseason. The 3 of them combine for about 11 million in salary but play huge roles on the team.

New Money coming in
The NHL salary cap will be raised by 900k next season plus this was the final year of the Todd Bertuzzi contract buyout.

The Lupul/Blake issue
Lupul and Blake both combine for 8.25 million dollars in salary cap pay. Yet the two only produced 30 points altogether. If Bobby Ryan is resigned, the Ducks will have up to 13 million dollars tied up in 3 left wingers. One or both (lots of salary freed)needs to be traded.

The Draft
The Ducks hold 2 1st round picks in this year's draft. One of which is guaranteed to be top 15 overall. Either way neither of the picks will be lower than 20th overall. Murray can either trade up and draft well. Or use the picks as trade bait since this years pool is weak as it is.

Youngsters
What role will the rookies play and will they crack the lineup? Sexton, Bodie, and Beleskey are all mainstays in the lineup and Sbisa is guaranteed a spot. But what about Gardiner, Clark, Mikkelson, Bonino, Newton, and Holland? Could they crack the lineup come Game 1?

New Coach?
Murray said he wanted to keep Carlyle at the reins, and obviously missing the playoffs one year is no reason to fire a coach. But, the success of the 06-07 season has not even been close to being duplicated and each year we see a record worse than the last. There is always one first step to every turnaround success story in the league today, a new coach.

There is plenty to watch out for this offseason, so make sure you stay tuned.

P.S all of the topics I covered will have their own blog.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

It s official.

Never thought i would have to post this. At least, not my first year blogging. Following a Colorado victory tonight. The Anaheim Ducks will miss the playoffs for the first time since the lockout. Thats really all there is to say since its so depressing. Expect a few blogs about the positives and what to look forward to, before my long detailed preview of the offseason.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

What Big Change We Need

This season is going to see a dip in attendence next year, a drop in moral, and a lack of interest by fans, players, and staff.

There are a few things the Ducks can do to re-energize in general.

1.) Get a new coach
Browse through the archives and see why this idea isn't another attack on Carlyle. All the biggest team turnarounds, started with a change in head coaches (SJS, WAS, PHO, LAK,PIT, etc.

2.) Draft a high profile draftee.
It won't help too much, but our prospect pool isn't exactly perfect. Besides, there are a few immediate impact players out there. If we lose all of our upcoming games, we can get a fifth overall or higher (then we can either win the lottery or trade up). I know for sure I would trade Lupul (maybe even one of our top defensive prospects) and my two picks for a top 3 pick in this year's draft. I will have a seperate blog up on Tanking for the draft situations.

3.) Sign a big name FA/Make a blockbuster move (with high talent return)
It always helps put fans back in the seats. And it also gives players renewed confidence in their team's abilities. Unfortunately looking at our cap numbers it doesn't seem too likely that Murray will be signing a big name FA. (There will be a blog up for that too)



So, now that the season is essentially over. A quick overview of what I will be posting from now on.
A multipart work on how the offseason should/will go, as well as all of the information you need and potential scenarios, restrictions, analysis, coverage etc.

Any news that comes up.

A Bobby Ryan contract watch.

Updates on draft position.

There will be all kinds of things posted to keep you interested in the team through the offseason, because I know firsthand how boring it is waiting for the new season

Monday, March 22, 2010

All the latest news

So much has been happening within the Ducks organization lately, I decided that I would recap it all here on this blog.

1.) Defenseman James Wisniewski was suspended for 8 games after injuring Blackhawk Brent Seabrook.

2.) Teemu Selanne scored his 600th goal in his career Sunday vs. the Colorado Avalanche.

3.) The Ducks defeated the Sharks, Blackhawks, Avalanche, and Islanders to gain a four game winning streak and now sit 7 points out of playoff position.

4.) Jonas Hiller finally received his one of a kind goalie mask today, and is expected to don it Tuesday vs. Calgary.

5.) The Ducks signed 3 NCAA players: Jake Newton D, Nick Bonino C, and Rob Bordson LW.

6.) According to sources, The Ducks' next AHL affiliate will be the Syracuse Crunch. To add to the speculation the Crunch is holding a press conference on thursday to make the announcement. This is huge news for the Ducks since we have had our prospects spread out through the AHL and the ECHL. Now they will be easier to track and develop and they will be able to play with each other.

7.) The Ducks have faced a recent injury scare. Selanne looked like he might have been injured, Getzlaf aggravated his previous injury but only missed one game, Koivu took a shot to the face but only required stitches, and Joffrey Lupul is skating with the team again and will go on their upcoming road trip.

That is all for now.

Mathmatically Speaking

The new numbers give the Ducks a 1.11 chance to make the playoffs based on their latest victories.

That is all mathematically speaking.

If you look at it beyond the math you will see why our chances are higher than that. Firstly, the Ducks are streaking (four straight), They have played 60 minute efforts in each of the past four wins, out of our toughest opponents (including those higher than us in the standings) the Ducks have defeated 3 of the top 8 teams in the west, Teemu got his 600th. Generally, things are looking up for the Ducks.

It isn't over, one win can put the nail in the coffin, but the Ducks are riding the momentum train at the moment and they're riding in style. They fought through key injuries and suspensions to win games (Getzlaf, Ryan, Wisniewski).

Up ahead we do have some challenging teams, but the Ducks found a way to defeat some pretty hot teams.

Our next game vs. Calgary cannot be lost if the Ducks want a chance to sneak in. They can't even go to overtime. The Ducks are 7 points out of the race and Calgary is the closest team to us standings wise.

The Ducks are going to have to keep up the same game style especially since they will play Vancouver and a back to back vs. Los Angeles.

But, the Ducks were on the Brink, and they have shown they will not go down without one hell of a fight.
Teemu Selanne put it perfectly, "As long as we have time, He have hope"

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Road to 600 is Over

Ducks history was made tonight, and everyone has collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

With the Ducks on the powerplay vs. Colorado, Craig Anderson was sprawled on the ice. The puck bounced to Scott Niedermayer who passed it to Selanne. Teemu had a wide open net to bury the puck in which he did.

The entire Ducks bench (after requesting permission to do so from the NHL) exploded off the bench to celebrate with their teammate.
The image is one that will be remembered (at least by me) forever by Ducks fans.

This isn't the first milestone goal Teemu Selanne has scored against the Avalanche.
He scored his 500th goal against them as well.

Teemu's gear used to score the goal will be sent directly to the Hockey Hall of Fame (can anyone really make an argument that he won't be inducted?).

Teemu only needs one goal to tie his childhood Finnish idol and former Duck Jarri Kurri.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Ducks-Blackhawks 4-2

Who saw that one coming?
Few would put money on the Ducks to beat San Jose, few would put money on them to beat Chicago. But to beat both? The economy is a bit too troubled these days to risk money on such crazy ventures.

But the Ducks did it. They stepped up in both games (like they should have been doing all along) and beat the two best teams in the Western Conference to, in a sense give themselves a chance to pull off what a couple days ago was almost impossible (0.4% chance to make the playoffs).

The Ducks played the Chicago Blackhawks last night on St. Patrick's day (also Bobby Ryan's birthday). Playing what could have been the most essential game on the schedule.
And they rose to the occasion once again.

The win came without Anaheim's top line center, Ryan Getzlaf, who, unlike Selanne, was not cleared to play. But, as required at this time of year, the Ducks stepped up their game and gave a winning effort.

Bobby Ryan scored two goals that night (30, 31) making it back to back 30 goal seasons for the young scorer. Only two other Ducks have that distinction and they are widely considered the team's all time best forwards (Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya). He is also the first Duck to get back to back 30 goal seasons in a player's rookie and sophomore year.

Teemu Selanne did not reach number 600 (though not for lack of trying) but he will get another opprotunity to do so friday vs. the Islanders. In the meantime, Todd Marchant picked up a shorthanded goal on a broken play by the Blackhawks powerplay. Then Saku Koivu scored the eventual game winner, with Bobby Ryan putting the puck in the empty net in the final minute of the game. Hiller made 38 saves in another stellar performance.

The game wasn’t all smiles. In the third period James Wisniewski laid a vicious high hit on Brent Seabrook that left him dazed and caused him to collapse and left him injured. It was the second time a vicious hit took out a Blackhawks player (Ovechkin on Campbell) from the line up.

Wisniewski now faces a potential suspension for the his since Ovechkin who laid a similar hit received a two game suspension. Wisniewski also fought with former teammate Nik Boyton.

The Ducks will go on to play the New York Islanders on Friday, one of the “easier” games ahead of the schedule. The remaining games will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but these two wins certainly will not do anything to hurt their confidence (just a reminder the 3 games up ahead we cannot lose are vs. Calgary, St. Louis, and Dallas not even an OT).
Top performers:
Jonas Hiller 38 saves,
Bobby Ryan 2 goals
Koivu GWG

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Ducks-Blackhawks: Do or Die?

The Ducks pulled off a huge win against the West's best in their last game against the San Jose Sharks.

Very few people expected them to win that game, I was one of them. So I have gone from losing all hope in the season, to thinking that there could be a shot.

In our remaining games, no other opponent is going to be tougher. If we were able to beat San Jose we should be able to fight for a win tonight.

If Anaheim wants to make the playoffs, they cannot lose more than two games at the very least. If they want any kind of chance to be mentally prepared for that kind of comeback, they must win this game.
It is the last tool we have in our regular season arsenal.

Defeating the Sharks and the Blackhawks back to back will give the Ducks the faith, the confidence, and the drive they need to squirt their way into that final spot. They will go up against teams like L.A and Vancouver and Calgary and they will have confidence in their ability to play those teams. But they need the win, this game probably feels like a game 7 to the guys.
They know how important this game is, and they will show up to play.

Chicago is a tough opponent.
They don't play the same passing, high pressure game that San Jose and Detroit play. But they have the speed to blister past defensive corps and score goals before the goalie has time to react.
The ducks need to keep the puck away from The Hawks and play tight Defense.

Getzlaf and Selanne, who previously suffered injuries against the sharks are expected to be in the line-up tonight.
Potential Goaltenders will be Hiller for Anaheim and Niemi for Chicago.

Players to watch Anaheim: Teemu Selanne, Bobby Ryan , Jonas Hiller
(#600?)
(Wants #30 on his birthday)
(will play desperately to keep the Ducks in the game)

Chicago: Kane, Toews, Niemi

Monday, March 15, 2010

Not Done Yet

The Ducks pulled off something last night that no one was expecting. They didn't just beat (dominated is more fitting) the San Jose Sharks 4-2. Well, maybe it wasn't domination, but the Ducks played their game, they played a full 60 minute game where they did not allow San Jose outplay them. This could be a great sign of things to come, and the Ducks last night showed that they are not finished.

But, the ice they are skating on is paper thin. They still have a difficult schedule up ahead, and every point is important. Especially against teams who are also in the hunt. They quite literally can't afford to even lose in overtime in those games. Every point counts.

Getzlaf and Selanne suffered injuries in the game. Getzlaf flared up his former injury and is thankfully day-to-day. Selanne ran into the boards (stalling his chances to get #600)and will run some tests today to check the severity of the injury.

To recap the game, Jonas Hiller put up a great 42 save performance, Perry, Selanne, Ryan, and Visnovsky scored.

The win last night addressed the issue of tanking for Taylor last night. They are obviously not going to do that (yet) and are going to try to pull off the mathmatically almost impossible and make the playoffs. So we can expect lower draft picks this year, whether we make the playoffs or miss them.

The Ducks can do it, there is no doubt. But they need to keep playing the same way they played last night, or better if possible. They need to play 60 minutes every night, sacraficing their bodies to get as many points as possible. The defense needs to help Hiller out, Hiller needs to play like he's in the olympics again, The big line needs to keep contributing, and the bottom 3 lines need to play as well as they can and do everything to keep the puck out of their net and put it into the opponent's.

New playoff odds from ALLDUCKS.com
As of Monday, March 15th, 2010

All Information Derived From sportsclubstats.com and nhl.com

------------------------------

Ducks current statistical probability of making the playoffs: 0.9%
That is UP 0.5% From Yesterday

Record: 31-29-8
Points: 70
Last playoff spot: 78 pts. (Detroit Red Wings)
Pacific Division: 5th
Western Conference: 13th
League: 22nd

To have a better than 50% chance, Ducks need: 11-1-2 or 12-2-0 / .857


To statistically guarantee a playoff spot the Ducks need: 14-0-0 / 100% (98pts)


Games effecting the Ducks today:

Red Team we want to lose.
Numbers show possible increase or decrease in statistical percentage per game.
Possible OT outcomes not displayed, for sake of brevity


Flames / Red Wings
-0.01/0.03



Drop Dead Number: (Any statistical chance of making the playoffs)

8-3-3 or 9-4-1 / .679

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Ducks Playoff Chances (One Last Time?)

This from Allducks.com
Ducks current statistical probability of making the playoffs: 0.4%
That is DOWN 0.1% From Yesterday

Record: 30-29-8
Points: 68
Last playoff spot: 78 pts. (Detroit Red Wings)
Pacific Division: 5th last again
Western Conference: 13th
League: 22nd

To have a better than 50% chance, Ducks need: 12-1-2 / .604


To statistically guarantee a playoff spot the Ducks need: 15-0-0 / 100% (98pts)


Games effecting the Ducks today:

Red Team we want to lose.
Numbers show possible increase or decrease in statistical percentage per game.
Possible OT outcomes not displayed, for sake of brevity


Sharks / Ducks
-0.1/0.4

Wild / Blues
-0.02/0.04

Stars / Avs
-0.07/0.07


Drop Dead Number: (Any statistical chance of making the playoffs)

10-4-1 / .700

0.4%...not even one percent chance. Put it in the books folks. If the Ducks fall tonight it's over. If they win but the teams we need to lose win, it's over. So...what do you think, time to tank for Taylor?

Friday, March 12, 2010

The Benefit of a New Coach

I'm not blasting Carlyle all you Carlyle lovers. I was always opposed to getting a new coach. I really appreciate what Carlyle has done for this club. But if you look at the players, they are sick of him. They are weary of the same old system and they are playing subpar for him. That's why there isn't the right kind of passion or intensity. Even Bobby looks drained compared to last year. The team doesn't care.

Look at all the success stories out there in the NHL.
Washington
Pittsburgh
San Jose
Los Angeles
Phoenix

When did they start being good?
1.) When they brought in talented players.
2.) When they brought in a new coach.

We have the talent.
But we have a stale coach.

The Ducks as a team need some reinvigoration, a new fire, something that will bring back the passion and intensity.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And we're getting different results (getting worse and worse) while getting the same mediocrity. Our lineup has gotten deeper and deeper each year. But the deeper we make our lineup, the deeper we sink in the standings.

And the line juggling, that is something I will have to attack Carlyle for. Players can never hope to form chemistry if they only play with a line for a few shifts. He doesn't wait for the chemistry to form he assumes it has to happen rapidly.

He doesn't know how to motivate his club, he doesn't know how to change their mentality. He even admitted that he doesn't know what to say to his team anymore! What coach says that? What coach just runs out of things to say. If you're sick of saying the same thing, say something else. Speaking of insanity. He also can't get his team to play a full 60 minutes. The story of the past few seasons has been: "a dominating first period by anaheim. Oh Anaheim was almost invisible in the second. Then, The ducks looked lost until a desperate attack with 5 minutes left" The sitting back method has been the cause of at least half our losses the last 3 seasons.

You watch, if we do end up getting a new coach it will be the best thing for us. And we can keep Carlyle as defensive coach (since he is a Norris Trophy winner) until he finds a new team to coach for, and he will probably do a good job with that team (as I remember Tippet was coach of the Stars and was fired, but is now the coach of the season in many people's eyes).

It would be a win-win for both sides.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Proof for the Believers

Before the loss to Columbus, we were at a 5.6% chance to make the playoffs. After that loss we now stand at 2.3% chance to make the playoffs. Where are the believers now? A comeback with those odds never happens.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The Bitter (unofficial) End

Well,
It's here.
The day no Duck fan ever thought would come.

The past four seasons, Anaheim has made (and found general success in) the NHL playoffs. I won't say this year it won't happen, because it is not a guarantee.

Statistically,
they have a shot. A shot in the dark. But the target is still in range.

Realistically,
If they couldn't beat Columbus, they will not beat a good number of the teams out there that we have yet to face.

So therefore all hope is gone. It's over. To all the naysayers and believers out there, get used to it. This isn't our year. Not even close. No chance. The best thing we can hope for now is that Anaheim and Philadelphia will lose a majority of their remaining games so that we can draft high. In all honesty that's all the rest of this season is good for (that and Teemu's 600th).

This isn't the end of the world, this isn't the beggining of a long period of mediocrity (similar to the pre 09-10 L.A. Kings). No, Anaheim has a good squad and a good core. Things just went wrong this season (I'll have a seperate blog detailing them). There are problems that will need to be addressed in the offseason, players that will not return, etc. The team that you see today will look vastly different come Game 1 10-11 season (again another blog I will write). But they will bounce back, whatever changes are made, the Ducks will bounce back. We will not see a repeat of this mediocre season.

You can expect fewer fans will be filling the seats next season, and that is a very good reason why the 2010-2011 team will fight every game. To make up for this season, and to bring back fans.

I myself wanted to come on and write the hockey equivalent of an Emo boy's poetry about the effects of tonight's game. I wanted to write about every macabre, morose, aggravating truth about this season in this post. But...
There is no sense in it.
In the minutes that have passed since I started writing, I have accepted the failures and misfortunes of this season, and have began the process of thinking what the Ducks must do looking forward to rebound from this terrible showing.

Now we must watch what unfolds the remaining 16 games of the 2009-2010 season.
1.) Will the Ducks pull the biggest comeback in NHL regular season history?
2.) What spots will Anaheim recieve in the draft?
3.) Will Teemu Selanne reach 600+ goals?

That is all that would really keep us watching at this point.

Even though it is a bit premature, I would like to thank all the Ducks fans for following and sticking by the Ducks through this rough season, and that I sincerely hope you will be there for the next one.

The Stretch: Ducks vs Blue Jackets preview

The Ducks will play the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight in a game that could effectively end any hopes the Ducks have of making the playoffs. The Jackets are one of the easier teams we will face in the remaining 17 contests. Keep in mind the ducks can only lose 3 in regulation to have any kind of postseason hopes. Whatever is missing from the team after the break needs to be found tonight if they want to put together the kind of streak necessary to make the playoffs. Let s hope for a good 60 effort that will change the mentality. Probable starting goaltenders: ANA Jonas Hiller CBJ Steve Mason Players to watch: Nash, Ryan, Getzlaf.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Ducks' chances to make the playoffs.

After the loss to the Canadiens, the Ducks now have a 5.6% chance of making the playoffs.
They need an 11-3-3 record at least, just to have a 50% chance of making it.

They will need a 15-1-1 record to guarantee a spot.

The second seems very unlikely based on the Ducks' play lately. Without a massive turnaround in their gamestyle, the Ducks' chances are bleak.

Their remaining opponents (in order) are:
Blue Jackets
Predators
Sharks
Blackhawks
Islanders
Avalanche
Flames
Canucks
Oilers
Stars
Avalanche
Canucks
Kings
Kings
Stars
Blues
Oilers

Needless to say this is not an easy schedule ahead for the Ducks, if they loose more than 3 it's likely over.

First post ever :)

Hello Ducks fans,
The reason I have started this blog is my brain works at a million miles a minute, and a lot of it is focused on the Ducks. And seeing as how Twitter is designed for short points, I have decided to make this. One small reminder. This isn't like all the other Ducks blogs out there. Just like my Twitter, I will not be reporting on every bit of news, or every game, or everything dedicated to the Ducks. There is enough of that out there. I am going to give my opinions, my thoughts, and open discussion on whatever I feel like relating to the Ducks. Meaning instead of posting about the same stuff every other blog posts about (with the same info) I will give you a fresh new outlook on things and topics pertaining to the Ducks. I'll post the links to the blog with every new post on Twitter so you can read my two cents. I do hope you enjoy this blog as I do not want to be writing here for no good reason.
Looking forward to posting here soon.