Anaheim Ducks Weekend Wrap-Up and 10 Thoughts Moving Forward

The Anaheim Ducks had an eventful weekend that was capped off with big wins in Chicago and Calgary, here’s 10 thoughts as we approach the trade deadline.

The Anaheim Ducks capped off an eventful weekend with big wins in Chicago and Calgary. Ryan Getzlaf’s game winner gave the Ducks their first overtime victory of the season Saturday night and the Ducks offense was on full display with six goals in Calgary. Aside from the victory’s, the holiday weekend was an eventful one for the Ducks.

Let’s jump right into a weekend recap and 10 thoughts to consider as we approach the February 29th trade deadline.

Chicago game recap

The Ducks and Blackhawks delivered another close exciting game. It was a big win for the Ducks after they had been blown out in Pittsburgh, walked away with a win in Philadelphia only to then blow a lead in Columbus. The win in Chicago seems to have hopefully given the Ducks a little bit of energy and confidence while they finish up this road trip.

The victory was the Ducks first overtime win of the season and it was the captain who sealed the deal with the game winner off of a Cam Fowler shot that was kicked out right onto Getzlaf’s stick in the slot.

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Hampus Lindholm delivered a big hip check on Marian Hossa early in the game and it sent Hossa to locker room. Hossa has since been placed on injured reserve. It was a clean hit by Lindholm as he stuck his hip out as Hossa skated by with the puck, so obviously no discipline came from the play and it should not be considered a dirty hit.

John Gibson was dinged up in the second period of the game and Freddie Andersen was called upon to step in. Gibson did not dress in today’s game against Calgary and Anton Khudobin was recalled from San Diego to backup Freddie Andersen.

Gibson is considered day-to-day and the injury is not considered serious. So, overall a strong Saturday for the Ducks as they walk away with a big win and good news on the injury front in terms of Gibson’s future status.

The Calgary victory

The Ducks and Flames played a pretty wide open game earlier today. 10 goals in total were scored and the Ducks chased Jonas Hiller out of the crease with an impressive offensive surge.

Mike Santorelli filled in for Chris Stewart on the top line and scored two goals, giving him nine on the season. Santorelli has been moved around the lineup all season but I don’t think slotting him on the top line is something we will continue to see.

Freddie Andersen did not have his best game but he made a number of huge saves and he gave the Ducks a chance to win.

The Ducks are in Edmonton tomorrow night and it will be interesting to see who is in net. Andersen made 33 saves against Calgary so going back-to-back might be out of the question.

Sami Vatanen and Simon Despres

Last night against Calgary, Bruce Boudreau and Trent Yawney elected to use Sami Vatanen and Simon Despres against the Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler line. Vatanen and Despres played nearly six and a half minutes against the Flames top line at 5 v 5, more than any other Ducks defensive pairing.

Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler each had three points in the game and single handedly kept the Flames alive. I’m not going to put the blame entirely on the pairing of Vatanen and Despres because that is unfair and I’m not sure if that is the most effective way to use that duo.

It would seem logical to use Lindholm and Manson against the opponents top lines which has occurred on numerous occasions lately. That allows Vatanen and Despres to face opponents third or fourth lines which would lead to a more offensive role for Vatanen in particular.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Vatanen be overly aggressive in joining the rush looking to create multiple scoring chances by using his offensive skill set. I almost wonder if it would make sense to reunite Bieksa and Vatanen which would put Fowler back with Despres.

I think this might allow Fowler and Despres to become more a defensive minded pairing playing big minutes which would in turn give Vatanen more of a green light to join the rush and create offense.

Vatanen has just 8 points in his last 20 games where he had 16 points in the 21 games before that. We all know the Ducks are a much better team when he is aggressive offensively and not playing big minutes against top opposition.

It’s a weird thought, but did Clayton Stoner actually make Vatanen feel a bit more comfortable with joining the rush? We all know Stoner was never a guy to be over aggressive and get caught up ice, so is the absence of Stoner creating a more cautious Vatanen, or has he simply tailed things back a bit in an attempt to do more by doing less?

It’s something to think about for sure.

Chris Stewart out with a broken jaw

Chris Stewart was injured in a fight when the Ducks were in Columbus last Thursday. The replay of the fight showed Dalton Prout hitting Stewart in the jaw and immediately after you could see Stewart mouth the words, “I’m good” or “I’m done” something of that nature.

It was then announced that Stewart suffered a broken jaw and will miss the next 4-8 weeks.

This is a big deal for a number of reasons. First, Stewart was playing on the Ducks top line next to David Perron and Ryan Getzlaf. That line was producing a ton offensively and the trio seemed to be on their way to developing some good chemistry. That line went tic-tac-toe for a beautiful goal against Columbus so the news of Stewart’s injury is significant as someone else must now step up to play on the first line.

Mike Santorelli seems to be the guy who will fill in on that line for now, he scored two goals against Calgary.

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Stewart’s injury also brought along the recall of Nick Ritchie. The Ducks would have liked to keep Ritchie in San Diego for the remainder of this season but circumstances have altered that plan. Ritchie did not play in Chicago but was in the lineup earlier today against Calgary playing with Rakell and Perry on the Ducks second line.

With Stewart out you have to believe a move to acquire a top 6 winger is almost guaranteed. Santorelli quietly has 9 goals on the season but I don’t think he is a guy you want consistently playing in your top 6.

Nick Ritchie and Harry Zolnierczyk

It was interesting to see Nick Ritchie as the scratch in Chicago while Zolnierczyk was playing on the Ducks fourth line. However, Zolnierczyk had a few effective shifts and played reasonably well in his Ducks debut.

Ritchie was in the lineup against Calgary and used his big frame and physicality to be effective. Murray is now faced with the tough decision of what to do with Ritchie. As I mentioned, it seemed like the Ducks would have liked to keep Ritchie in the AHL this season but with Stewart out there may be a need for added scoring and physicality in the top 6.

So what does Murray do now? Does he keep Ritchie around until the deadline? Does he keep Ritchie around for the remained of the season to continue playing with Rakell and Perry?

It seems like keeping Ritchie might make some sense, it could allow Murray to trade away a forward that is eating a significant amount of salary space. Nate Thompson will make $1.7 million next season before becoming a free agent and Pat Maroon is set to make $2 million next season and $2.1 million in the season after that before becoming a free agent in 2018.

The Ducks have a number of key restricted free agents needing extensions this summer, so could Murray try and include either Thompson or Maroon in a deal to clear some money and get value out of Ritchie who is on an entry-level contract?

There’s no longer any concern for Ritchie losing his slide eligibility, so we shall see.

Clayton Stoner joins team but future unclear

Clayton Stoner appears ready to go as he joined the Ducks in Calgary. It was a hip flexor that landed Stoner on injured reserve.

Here is another tough situation for Bob Murray, where does Clayton Stoner fit into the lineup?

He’s set to make $3.25 million in each of the next two seasons before becoming a free agent in 2018 and that’s a hefty price to pay a 7th defensemen. Could Murray find a deal for Stoner? Retaining some salary might not be a bad option at this point if a potential suitor emerges.

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The other tough part to this is that the Ducks roster is currently at it’s 23 player limit. For Stoner to come off of IR, someone must be sent down. Zolnierczyk and Ritchie do not require waivers but sending one of them down means the Ducks would only have 12 forwards on the roster as Shawn Horcoff is still serving his suspension.

Korbinian Holzer is the odd man out on the blue-line but he requires waivers to be sent down and the Ducks have already lost Adam Clendenning and Chris Wagner to waiver claims this season.

It’s possible that Stoner spends a little more time on IR while Murray figures something out, possibly putting Holzer in a deal to acquire a pick or prospect.

It’s a tough situation but my best bet is that Murray is not in any hurry to get Stoner off of the IR.

Ryan Getzlaf

Ryan Getzlaf has been criticized for his poor play all season long. From lack of offensive production to lazy drop passes, every aspect of his game was heavily criticized during the Ducks early struggles.

Remember when Bob Murray called out his team near Christmas time? Murray claimed that far too many of his veteran leaders decided that “training for this season was optional.” It was an obvious shot at Getzlaf and others.

What has transpired since that “call out.” Since December 27th, Ryan Getzlaf has 23 points in 22 games. Getzlaf is now tied for 5th in the NHL in assists and tied for 15th in points.

He had a four game multi-point streak going but that ended earlier today in Calgary as he only picked up one assist. It’s no coincidence that Getzlaf’s recent offensive surge has come just as the Ducks have begun to score more.

Gibson injured

The Ducks are absolutely committed to John Gibson. This became clear when he was given a contract extension in the offseason. That extension was important for a number of reasons. A three year front loaded deal that preserved Gibson’s restricted free agent status. This means that in 2019 when the deal expires Gibson will be a restricted free agent and the Ducks will still have protection over him.

However, Gibson has been unable to stay healthy during his time with the Ducks. Last season it was the groin and the end of season injury that pegged Andersen as the Ducks playoff goaltender. This season Gibson has been able to stay relatively healthy, but after incidents like the one in Chicago, the question remains of whether or not he can remain 100% going into and throughout the playoffs.

The curious case of Freddie Andersen

Going off of the Gibson segment, it directly relates to Freddie Andersen’s immediate future with the Ducks. There is no question Andersen in a valuable trade chip for the Ducks, Murray could easily get a second round pick and potentially more if he dealt him at the deadline.

The problem with moving Andersen is that it creates a risky situation if Gibson continues to get dinged up. Plain simple, the sole reason Freddie Andersen is still a Duck is because of Gibson’s injury history.

Every aspect of the Ducks goalie controversy screams Gibson is the guy. Andersen is an RFA at the end of this season and he hold arbitration rights, meaning that if he doesn’t see a the deal he likes he can take contract negotiations through the arbitration process. Is that really what Murray wants to do this summer while trying to work out extensions with Lindholm, Rakell and Vatanen?

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Andersen is also 26 years old, meaning that if talks do move to the arbitration process and a one or two year deal is signed, Freddie will be an unrestricted free agent when the extension expires. That is extremely significant because as I mentioned, Gibson is still a restricted free agent when his three year extension expires.

At this point you could assume that Freddie will remain a Duck until the offseason when he will likely be moved. It’s the smart and safe thing to do at this point unless Murray finds a deal that includes NHL level talent that can help the Ducks win in the playoffs this spring.

Contract Extensions

Speaking of contract extensions, let’s take a look at what might happen soon.

Lindholm and Andersen went through a bit of agent representation madness recently when Claude Lemieux and Rich Winter ended up in a legal battle that saw the partners split. This created a situation where Andersen and Lindholm would have to choose who would represent them. It has since been reported that Lemiuex now solely represents both.

With that mess settled, could a Lindholm extension be in the works?

Lindholm is the Ducks best defensemen and his recent stretch of impressive play is a sign of whats to come. It might make sense for Murray to work out an extension with Lindholm before the February 29th trade deadline as that would create a more stable look at the future financial situation, giving Murray an idea of what he can acquire at the deadline.

This same theory applies to Rickard Rakell who is also in for a significant raise.

Don’t expect a lot of rumors or news to be spread before an extension is announced either. The Ducks tend to keep things quiet, just as they did with the Kesler, Gibson and Despres extensions. So just because you haven’t seen the media report about potential extensions for Lindholm and Rakell doesn’t mean it’s not in the works.

However, extension talks could be absolutely dead so we will again have to wait and see.

Rumor Mill

The Ducks have been linked to Jonathan Drouin and Andrew Ladd but with Bob Murray, expect the unexpected. The Perron, Garbutt and Despres deals showcase Murray’s ability to look past the names that have been publicly linked to trade rumors.

Prospect Update

Julius Nattinen and Deven Sideroff are playing incredibly well this season for their CHL clubs.

Nattinen was a second round pick of the Ducks in 2015 and is currently playing for the Barrie Colts of the OHL. Nattinen was on a four game multi-point streak which ended Monday as he only picked up an assist in a loss. He has points in 11 of his last 12 games as well. He has been moved up the lineup playing a bigger offensive role with Barrie as well.

Nattinen is tied for 21st amongst OHL skaters in points and tied for 13th in assists. He has 7 power play goals and is 50% at the faceoff dot as well.

Nattinen was also part of Finland’s gold medal winning World Juniors team and he had a very strong tournament. I would not be surprised if Nattinen contends for a roster spot with the Ducks next season, potentially as a third or fourth line center if Rakell continues to play on the wing. Nattinen is reliable defensively and can play in all situations.

Deven Sideroff was a third round pick of the Ducks at the 2015 draft. He is currently playing in the WHL for the Kamloops Blazers. After putting up 42 points in 64 games with the Blazers in 2014-2015, Sideroff has 48 points in 47 games this season. He’s turning into a bit of a sleeper pick for the Ducks and could also make a splash at training camp next summer if he makes the leap to the professional level.

Defensemen Shea Theodore and Jacob Larsson were recently apart of Craig Button’s top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects. Theodore came in at 12 and Larsson at 16, they are the future of the Ducks blue-line and it would take a lot for Bob Murray to trade away either one of them at the trade deadline.

Next: Anaheim Ducks Cautious Deadline Approach

Brandon Montour and Marcus Pettersson are also talented defensive prospects but they are the more likely candidates to apart of a deadline deal. Both have good upside but also are considered a bit further away from becoming every day NHL level defensemen and are still developing their overall games.

Final Thoughts

The Ducks take on the McDavid’s, I mean the Oilers, Tuesday night in Edmonton. It will be the Ducks first look at Connor McDavid and it will be interesting to see how they handle his speed, I’m going to assume he gets the Ryan Kesler treatment all night long.

The Anaheim Ducks had an eventful weekend that was capped off with big wins in Chicago and Calgary, here’s 10 thoughts as we approach the trade deadline.

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