The latest buzzword in the NHL is “speed.” Teams that had it did well in 2017-18. Teams that didn’t were left in its wake. Anaheim Ducks General Manager Bob Murray acknowledged that his team must get faster to compete. Just because he wants to get faster doesn’t mean he has the personnel to do so.
Unless you’re living under a rock, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Anaheim Ducks need to shed some weight and get back to their high flying ways. At the end of my previous article, I stated that one key thing Anaheim can take away from the success of the Vegas Golden Knights was speed.
It’s a word that has been tossed around often in the infancy of this offseason. While it’s quite tiresome to consistently hear the same takes being thrown around, it is the truth. Anaheim is having an identity crisis. We want a faster team, but we aren’t a fast team. Here are some players that may be anchoring down the Ducks.
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Nick Ritchie
Ritchie is an interesting player, to say the least. The 22-year-old winger has found a place on the Anaheim Ducks third line and does show glimpses of great chemistry with linemates Adam Henrique and Ondrej Kase, but Ritchie’s lack of physical speed is made up for in PIM’s.
Ritchie’s inability to stay out of the box tends to overshine the scoring potential he shows. While only 22 and just three years under his belt, Ritchie is a player that many fans want more out of. Hopefully, his chemistry with Kase will continue to grow. It will be good to see the wing on the scoresheet, more than in the box.
Corey Perry & Ryan Kesler
I want to lump Anaheim’s alternate captains together because they are the same boat. Neither Kesler or Perry have regressed as badly as other players. Father time, however, is starting to catch up to our alternates.
It has been two seasons since Perry’s issues following the 2015-2016 postseason. There’s arguably something still wrong with the Anaheim Ducks patron saint. The same can be said for Kesler. While the news about the 33-year-old shutdown center is unfortunate, Kesler’s hip issues are more serious than were previously known. I’m of the opinion that shutting Kesler down means he can come back at full strength down the road.
Coaching
I bet every single one of you guys saw this coming. Plain and simple, our coaching style just doesn’t mesh with “speed”. Anaheim Ducks management’s decision to bring back Randy Carlyle is warranted after last season. I don’t believe that things are going to change until I see it. Good news for the Ducks future is that the team gave San Diego Gulls coach Dallas Eakins another contract. It means they are making an attempt to put an alternate plan in place, in case things turn sour.
Bob Murray
I wouldn’t say Bob Murray’s decisions are bad in any way, because the man knows his job. He works out deals and makes moves no one sees coming (ie the Adam Henrique/ Sami Vatanen trade).
His moves to bring in veteran winger Jason Chimera and Olympian Chris Kelly were very questionable and somewhat unMarray-like. I understand that he was very hesitant to go all in for a run this postseason, because of the struggles Anaheim faced down the stretch. Look at what happened to LA two seasons ago. They traded for Ben Bishop and brought in Jerome Iginla to help an ailing squad battling injuries all year. They still missed the postseason.
Small moves like that are like a band-aid. They help make you feel secure, but does it really help make you better? No, it doesn’t. My hope is GMBM makes one of two decisions: Make some moves after working out contract talks with Brandon Montour and Adam Henrique or let the youth movement start.
Next: 5 free agent defensemen the Ducks should consider signing
I don’t suspect anything massive such as the Ducks landing A-listers like Erik Karlsson or TJohn Tavares, but there are quality names on the market. If moves aren’t going to be made, bring up the young guns. The time of trading for aging vets needs to end.