Anaheim Ducks UFA Question: Perron vs. McGinn
By Megan Brown
The Ducks have already weathered the worst season start in recent memory, yet another game 7 loss (on home ice), and the firing of longtime head coach Bruce Boudreau, but the toughest challenge is still to come—and, for once, it doesn’t fall on the shoulders of those players in black and orange.
GM Bob Murray is faced with 7 UFAs entering the 2016-17 season; coupled with 5 RFAs—all of whom deserve significant pay raises—fans should settle in for an off-season as bumpy as that (horribly) memorable 1-7-2 start.
The key here is money. The Ducks are working with an internal budget that will put them well below the reported $71.4 to $74 million cap determined by the league and reached easily by those revenue-heavy teams found in the top ten of Forbes’ most recent list of most valuable franchises. The ever-useful General Fanager provides some quick stats:
In the 2015-16 season, the Ducks worked with a roughly $64 million cap hit; the New York Rangers, sitting in the top spot on that Forbes’ list, utilized all $71 million.
Murray is walking a tightrope, attempting to attract and keep his bevy of young superstars while simultaneously holding onto his savvy veterans—and as we saw at the beginning of the season, drastic changes enacted to stay within budget don’t always work out.
Murray is walking a tightrope, attempting to attract and keep his bevy of young superstars while simultaneously holding onto his savvy veterans.
Fortunately, quick moves by Murray prior to, and at, the trade deadline meant a finalized Ducks roster heading into the last stretch of the season firing on all cylinders and clicking on all fronts, finishing first in the Pacific Division ahead of the rival Kings after being one of the worst teams in the NHL prior to Christmas (it’s a contractual obligation that we mention this specific fact in every article).
It makes decisions about UFAs (unrestricted free agents) and RFAs (restricted free agents) that much more difficult, especially considering that the Ducks have already hit the $52 million mark with just 8 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 1 goaltender.
Of course, we could always just start up a new “Be a GM” mode on NHL ’17 and make those decisions ourselves.
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*Disclaimer: the writer is not actually a hockey league GM. Proceed accordingly.
We’ll begin with arguably the two biggest names on our UFA list: David Perron and Jamie McGinn. Both were late additions to the roster—one to boost a struggling offense, and one to take it to the next level.
David Perron
Perron arrived from Pittsburgh in a late-night trade for speedy winger Carl Hagelin on January 15th, coming off a dismal 43 games with the Pens that saw his +/- at -13, and his shooting percentage at just 4.2 (on 96 shots). He put up wonderful numbers in Anaheim, comparable to some of his best with the St. Louis Blues, becoming a good replacement for Corey Perry on a line with Ryan Getzlaf (maybe because he likes getting up close and personal with opposing netminders), and so allowing Boudreau to split the Twins (and raise a little hell).
There was something very natural about Perron’s arrival, showcased when he scored his first goal in his first game (a 3-2 loss to the Kings) after a considerable dry spell in Pittsburgh. He took the ice as a Duck looking like he’d been a Duck, and all of us fans in the stands had just missed it, until now. He went on to score 8 goals in 28 games, coupled with 12 assists and a 15.7 shooting percentage on 51 shots. An unfortunate shoulder injury on March 20th (vs. the Winnipeg Jets) saw him sidelined for the rest of the season, and he was never quite the same after returning for the playoffs, scoring 1 goal and notching 2 assists in the best-of-seven series with the Nashville Predators.
Perron took the ice as a Duck looking like he’d been a Duck, and all of us fans in the stands had just missed it, until now.
DP’s biggest weakness was his temper, which could get the better of him in close quarters. In just 28 games with Anaheim he served up 34 minutes in the sin bin, which, on an incredibly hot-headed Anaheim roster, might not seem like a lot—except when you compare it to the 28 PIMs he served in his 43 games with Pittsburgh. Of course, this is both good and bad—if anything, it suggests that Perron was more engaged during his time with the Ducks, but we all know that stupid penalties lead to unfortunate goals.
More intangibly (for the fans, at least), Perron came with a salary of almost $4 million. This is partly because he was a first-round pick in 2007 (by the St. Louis Blues), and partly because of his stats—he’s reached 20 goals three times in his nearly ten-year career, and has decent numbers for his broken seasons between St. Louis and Edmonton (specifically in 2013-14). If the fear is that DP can be inconsistent (and this is merited), it looks to be more a matter of his finding the right style of play, i.e. with the Ducks, than anything else.
Pros: Tenacity, to-the-net mentality, puck-handling, instant chemistry with Ryan Getzlaf, good numbers in brief stay
Cons: Temper, a potential lack of consistency based on past performance, $$$
Jamie McGinn
Jamie McGinn was a late trade deadline acquisition from the Buffalo Sabres for a conditional third-round pick that will remain a third because the Ducks did not advance through two playoff series. His situation is a little different—McGinn arrived from a struggling Buffalo team, which could explain his +/- of -10. He had a decent shooting percentage of 12.8, but an even better one of 17 in Anaheim, and despite his perennial line-hopping, he managed a 20-goal season between his two teams. More than anything, McGinn provided another big-bodied net-crasher for a Ducks team that likes to get its nose dirty.
McGinn had 8 goals and 4 assists in just 21 games played with Anaheim, and a +/- of +3. In a familiar tune, he, too, scored in his Ducks debut, a 3-2 shootout victory over the Montreal Canadiens, but he never seemed to fit as seamlessly into the lineup as DP—unlike Perron, McGinn could not find consistent linemates. Despite this, he managed to score as many goals as DP, notching 2 in the best-of-seven series with the Preds. His tendency to crash the net created absolute havoc for opposing goalies, while his 23 PIMs showed he was unafraid to drop the gloves for his teammates—though he lacked the decided edge that could land Perron in hot water.
McGinn came in with a salary just shy of $3 million, but given his 20-goal season, he will likely be looking for a similar number in his new contract, or a potential raise, making the difference in money between himself and DP almost non-existent.
Pros: Grit, big-body, crashing-the-net mentality, good numbers in brief stay
Cons: No instant chemistry, potential for injuries (he suffers from a hereditary bad back), $$$
Verdict
Both Perron and McGinn are 27, entering what will arguably be the prime of their careers, with valuable regular season and playoff experience under their proverbial belts. Both made similar impacts as a Duck, and both will most likely be seeking similar pay. While in a perfect world Murray would be able to sign both, the instant chemistry of David Perron with Ryan Getzlaf and his puck-handling abilities provide a slight edge over Jamie McGinn, while the fact that he did not have a 20-goal season could lower his contract numbers just enough to fit in this cap-tight team.
Sign: David Perron, by a stick. (Get it? Because he uses a short stick? And this was so close? Ha.)
Agree? Disagree? Let us know who you think should get the nod in this UFA Battle Royale.
*All money statistics provided by General Fanager: all NHL stats provided by NHL.com.