Anaheim Ducks Rant Week: Greg Johnson

We finish off (sort of) our contributor “Anaheim Ducks Rant Week” with Greg Johnson. Our senior member used his platform to let loose.

The Anaheim Ducks have been golfing for a week now, and you want me to care about the season that was? Great! I was just settling down, getting over the fact that I should have been at an epic Game 7 Tuesday night. Then my editor tells me to crank up the emotion high enough to perform an autopsy when rigor mortis has already set in on this ugly corpse. Ok, after that subpar metaphor, I’m ready to roll.

The Season

It was a fun season. Fans got to see future Ducks galore early in the campaign. And if you like superheroes, Kevin Bieksa had a blockbuster and a sequel this season with his Superman punches. The team battled all season against the injury villain, who they finally vanquished during the last week of the season and qualified for the playoffs.

Playoffs?

Jim Mora famously said, “Playoffs? Don’t talk about — playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!” You’d think he was coaching last season’s Ducks team. This team suddenly wasn’t built for the playoffs. Their depth, which was an asset before, was a real problem.

Why Are You So Defensive?

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This team came out of the 2016-17 season stacked on the blue line. But then general manager Bob Murray sent young defenseman Shea Theodore to Vegas as a payoff for selecting veteran defenseman Clayton Stoner in the expansion draft instead of Josh Manson or Sami Vatanen. Since the Anaheim Ducks could protect three defensemen, you wouldn’t think both of these guys would be available.

Murray, however, gave Kevin Bieksa a three-year deal with a full no-movement clause two years earlier. That meant the Ducks had to use one of their three defensive spots on the slow, aging veteran who had a year left on that ill-advised contract. In addition to Bieksa, they rightly protected Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler.

As a result of losing Theodore, and not having faith in his defensive prospects, Murray talked Francois Beauchemin out of retirement. You remember him. We’d last seen Beauchemin asking for a three-year contract. But Murray said he was too old for that and would only give him two years. That was two years prior to this season. Colorado gave him the three years he wanted. Then the Avs bought him out after two years. Bob, you should have trusted your instincts.

Later in the season, Murray pulled the trigger on the Sami Vatanen for Adam Henrique trade. At that point, the top six were: Lindholm, Fowler, Manson, Brandon Montour, Beauchemin, and Bieksa. The extra defenseman was Korbinian Holzer. That isn’t depth. That’s a three-alarm fire on your back end.

I Still Don’t See the Problem

Playing Beauchemin and Bieksa in the same game was a detriment to the team. Playing them together on the same pairing would have been akin to placing parking cones in the defensive zone. Separating them was an option, it compromised two of the three defensive pairings. But the coach and general manager acted like this was just fine.

If they’d been thinking at all, they’d have known they were merely one key injury away from disaster. Finally, the Ducks called up Marcus Pettersson late in the season by necessity. And closer to the end of the season, Andy Welinski was patrolling the blue line with him.

Playing the kids would have been okay had the team had committed to it at the beginning of the season. Young defensemen take time to adjust to the NHL game. But Pettersson and Welinski spent a majority of the season in San Diego playing against inferior competition.

When Fowler went down late in the season with a shoulder injury, it meant Beauchemin would be one of the top four defensemen. It also meant Welinski, a veteran of seven NHL games, was playing with Pettersson, who had 22 games to his credit, on the bottom pairing.

NHL games are long and hard. Playoff games are amped up even more. Coaches can shelter a weak defenseman during a game pretty well. Sheltering two is much more difficult. Let’s also remember Montour has only played 107 games. It typically takes 200 games for a defenseman to feel comfortable.

That meant Anaheim really needed to shelter three or four defenders. If we’re being honest, the bottom two pairings were comprised of guys who needed shelter. Whether you like Randy Carlyle or not, you have to recognize even legendary coach Scotty Bowman couldn’t win with this defensive corps.

What About the Goalies?

Stop It! John Gibson is easily one of the best goalies in the league. Unless you score more than a goal a game, your goalie can’t reasonably be expected to help you win. Ryan Miller is also one of the best backups in the league. If you’re looking for someone to smack you around on this subject, read Jacob Robles’ rant. I don’t have the energy to teach you the basics of hockey after this disaster of a postseason.

So the Forwards Are Ok?

Hell no! The forwards are too slow on average. Have you been watching the playoffs? The game is back and forth, up and down. It’s the 80’s all over again. The game is exciting because it’s played at warp speed by the best teams.

The Anaheim Ducks forwards are in a time warp of their own. Many of them are too slow to compete in today’s game. Yes, you Corey Perry haters have a point. But Perry is still a magician with his stick. Nick Ritchie, on the other hand, is like an old VW with only three gears. And the fourth line was a joke in the playoffs.

Isn’t There Anything Positive You Can Say to the Fans Greg?

Well, Randy Carlyle is coming back. And Bob Murray has said he doesn’t want to make many personnel changes. So yes, there is something positive. If you’re an Orange Alliance member, you should be able to upgrade your season seat position next season. The best time to get better season seats is after the Ducks have a bad season. Truth be told, I was able to upgrade to my current awesome seats after the 2011-12 disaster.

The bottom line going forward is this: If you’re thinking a bunch of guys who played in college and junior hockey this season will be all this team needs to compete next season, you’re dreaming.

Next: Rant Week: Ciara Durant - The Five Stages of Grief

All will be well though. I’ve seen this movie before. During the 2011-12 season I mentioned above, Carlyle got off to such a bad start, he was fired 24 games into the season. Hopefully, Murray won’t wait that long to recognize his mistake. With a new coach who trusts his young players and some speedy forwards, this team could actually compete.

Anaheim Ducks Rant Week: Greg Johnson – No Holds Barred