Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray Wants to Build for Speed

Anaheim Ducks General Manager Bob Murray knows the game is evolving. Speed is becoming the new currency of supremacy. If his team is to compete, changes have to be made.

The Anaheim Ducks early exit from the playoffs has brought General Manager Bob Murray to an epiphany. He now believes his team is too slow. Of course, everyone who watched them play the Vegas Golden Knights could see it for themselves, but hey every one reaches their own conclusions in their own time.

Carlyle Was Right

Murray said he was okay with the way Head Coach Randy Carlyle handled the team. At Saturday’s exit interviews he told the media:

“I have no issues with how he did,” Murray said. “I think it’s remarkable that we made the playoffs. But in making the playoffs, did we screw up some other things? That’s where I’m trying to get my head around. Sometimes it’s better to miss (the playoffs).”

That is a fair assessment of the way the Anaheim Ducks season went down.

Not Wrapped Yet

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Murray told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that he hasn’t conducted the team’s exit interviews. “I’m not ready for that yet,” he said Wednesday. “There’s still a lot of emotion. I wanted to sit for a bit.”

That’s a change from how he came off to the Ducks fan base at the trade deadline. The GM said he didn’t believe his team was worth investing in at the time. Fans must have thought he anticipated either an early exit from the playoffs or missing them entirely.

His disappointment over the way Anaheim’s season ended proves that he was more invested than he let on.

Pick up the Pace

He sees the game changing at all levels and he told Friedman as much:

“We are all in agreement the games are being played faster. I was watching Sault Ste. Marie the other night, and they have two or three guys coming back underneath to pick up speed. We don’t do that. We can’t have three forwards standing around waving sticks.

I would say to [head coach Randy Carlyle] that we have to play fast, and sometimes we did. But he didn’t have the leverage all season, because we were so banged up that we were always chasing the playoffs. But we know we have to because we are playing slow hockey.”

That’s another revelation. Carlyle’s reputation is that he’s set in his ways. There is a huge difference between not wanting to change and not having the ability to change. Murray’s comments show that Carlyle was open to playing a more up-tempo style last season, but was held back by injuries.

The question now is: Can Carlyle coach a faster style? Part of the answer has to do with upgrading the personnel.

“We have a couple of guys, let’s face it, were never great skaters,” Murray said Saturday. “How do we improve that? We know we’ve got to make some changes.”

Next: Ducks Rant Week - No holds barred.

Sounds like the offseason will be busier than usual.