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Anaheim Ducks Fate Now Lies In The Hands Of General Manager Bob Murray

By Griffin Foster

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The Anaheim Ducks are stuck in a rut and for a team with as talented a roster as anyone, it is simply becoming unacceptable.

The Ducks have been shutout four times already this season and have generated just six goals through the first seven games. Jamie Benn and Max Pacioretty have more individual goals than the entire Ducks team has at this point.

What was thought to be bad puck luck at first has turned into complete system failure. There is not one aspect of the Ducks game that has appeared to be a promising sign other than the play of goaltender Freddie Andersen.

The defense didn’t appear to be the problem at first either but everything changed when the Ducks went to Nashville.

A 5-1 loss to the Predators raised question as to whether this was just a cold streak or if there were real problems looming for this Ducks team. They had their chances offensively and Pekka Rinne made some big saves, but overall the effort was not there and it carried over into Saturday’s game against Minnesota.

The Ducks lost 3-0 this time and it became evidently clear that a change is needed. The Ducks fate now rest in the hands of their general manager Bob Murray.

Bob Murray is going to make the necessary changes when he feels the time is right. He is not going to overreact to soon and he is not going to wait until it is to late. There’s a reason why Murray was named general manager of the year in 2014 and a finalist in 2015.

He’s one of the leagues best GM’s and he is going to do what he can to turn this thing around, trust must be given to Murray, he’s earned that much.

So what changes could Murray make? Let’s start with the obvious, a coaching change.

Bruce Boudrea is one of the winningest coaches of all time, he ranks in the top 40 of career wins and is 9th in points earned percentage. While postseason success has always been the knock on Bruce, he knows how to at least get his teams there.

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That is until now. Boudreau is clearly struggling to win games and it raises the question of whether or not he has lost the faith and trust of his players.

What if three consecutive game seven losses at home have finally caused the players to lose faith in him as a coach? What is his continuos goaltending and lineup decisions are causing the Ducks players to become tired of the uncertainty.

Take the Nashville game for instance. Freddie Andersen went into that game with a 1.57 goals against average and a .947% save percentage. Anton Khudobin entered that game with a 3.29 goals against average and a .907% save percentage. Boudreau went with Khudobin and it didn’t work.

All the talk of the team’s offensive struggles and lazy efforts would be irrelevant if the decisions Boudreau has been making are effecting his team’s attitudes towards him as their coach.

Lots of talk has been made over the availability of former head coach Randy Carlyle as well. While i’m not saying he should be hired and Boudreau fired, I do think his situation should be factored in here for one reason.

Remember when the Ducks were falling apart and it was reported that Getzlaf and Perry grew tired of Carlyle?

Well, what if the same thing is happening now with Boudreau?

With Carlyle it was his continuous ‘nagging’ of his superstars. With Boudreau could it be his constant lineup decisions that often separate Getzlaf and Perry?

What if Boudreau is tearing this team apart and what if it is his time to go as it was Carlyle’s a few years back?

The next decision Murray could make would be through a trade. Not just any trade, but a big one that changes the outlook of his team.

Reports have surfaced that the Ducks director of player personnel Rick Paterson had been watching a few of the Buffalo Sabres games in the past week. While this could be something, it could also be nothing, but it is certainly noteworthy.

Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks /

Anaheim Ducks

Could the Ducks make a big move to bring in a Buffalo defensemen or could they go after one of the Sabres top six forwards? Possibly, a trade is certainly not out of the question.

Hampus Lindholm is the Ducks number one defensemen and it isn’t all to close. He’s playing more minutes than anybody else and he’s been their best blue-liner offensively and defensively. Kevin Bieksa was brought in to play alongside Lindholm but you have to question whether or not Bieksa is holding Hampus back.

Do the Ducks need to bring in a top four caliber blue-liner to play with Lindholm?

Beyond that, trading away Sami Vatanen, Josh Manson, Korbinian Holzer, Clayton Stoner or even Cam Fowler is not out of the question at this point. A change is needed and if Murray wants to wake his team up it might happen by trading one of these guys.

Offensively there is too much talent and depth for these struggles to continue, but could Murray trade away some depth to find a first or second line scorer?

Whatever the necessary next step is, Murray will get it done. He is not afraid to shake things up and trade away beloved players. He has done it most recently with Ben Lovejoy and Kyle Palmieri.

The Ducks road trip continues Monday in Chicago and Tuesday in Dallas before ending Thursday in St. Louis.

This is the biggest three game stretch of Bruce Boudreau’s career and if the Ducks can’t perform well against the top contenders of the west, Bruce may be looking for a new job next weekend.

This stretch won’t last forever, not under Murray’s watch. He will continually evaluate his team and he will make the change that is most needed.

However, don’t be surprised if change occurs sooner rather than later.

Next: Anaheim Ducks Assign Chris Wagner To AHL

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