What Will It Take For the Anaheim Ducks to Turn This Team Around?
The Anaheim Ducks ended October with a less than perfect record of 5-6-3. The evident issues can no longer be avoided. The staff at Pucks of a Feather answer the question that is on everyone’s mine: what will it take for the Anaheim Ducks to turn this team around?
October has come and gone, and the Anaheim Ducks find themselves already facing a treasure trove of issues. Their lackluster performance as of late has not only been frustrating for the fans to watch, but it has been somewhat of a snooze fest.
Their chemistry has burnt out, their defense is a mess, and they have left their goaltenders high and dry. Goaltending has been the one consistency for the Anaheim Ducks as of late. However, John Gibson and Ryan Miller can only do so much. When you’re facing over 30 shots on goal per game, it is a rarity that one does not slip in. Especially when, again, the defense is a ruinous heap of what it once was.
The first month of the Anaheim Ducks season has left the taste of melancholy in our mouths. We all hope that in November, we, along with the rest of the team, are singing a different tune. Nevertheless, something needs to change.
Pucks of a Feather’s expert panel of contributors may not have the exact answer on how the Anaheim Ducks plug the holes in their sinking ship. We do, however, have a pretty good idea on what steps they need to take to get there. All of us have watched this team play hockey for years, so it’s easy to see that what they’re doing isn’t working.
Jake Robles: Keep It Simple Stupid
Personally, I would start with the coaching change and end this experiment with Randy Carlyle and his “new style.” It’s time, and it has been time, so it’s best to just get it out of the way now before things get more and more out of hand.
I hate blaming the coach because it’s not always their fault, but, honestly, Carlyle’s ways of coaching are ancient and really have no place in the current state of the NHL. It’s amazing he has such a long leash with Bob Murray. I wish GMBM would have the guts to cut Randy lose without hesitation. However, the good old injury excuse is probably what’s keeping Carlyle here.
The next thing we need to do is simplify our game. Granted, they’re learning a “new system” but it seems like they’re trying too much. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Rickard Rakell try and dangle through two or three guys and groan because it gets him nowhere this year.
He’s one heck of a player and I love that he can pull moves off like that. It’s frankly very frustrating watching him play this year. I mean, the whole team has been frustrating to watch, but they need to dig deep and find the game they’re all used to playing.
They’re a talented squad. It’d be one thing to have a group of guys that don’t mesh and look like we do. You can justify that it’s just a matter of pieces not working. That’s not the case with this team though. We have guys that all work great together, have great chemistry, but this “new system” is messing it up badly.
Jonathan Maxfield: These Things Take Time
What is it going to take to turn this team around? I wish I had the answer, and I wish Bob Murray had the answer. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s a matter of one thing. I think there are multiple reasons why this team is in the predicament they’re in.
Coaching. The system Randy Carlyle uses is not good anymore. The league has moved in a direction that 90% of what the other teams are doing is counteracting the Ducks “strategy.” What is worse than that, Murray said he wanted the team to play faster and adopt a similar style to the top teams in the NHL. Whether through lack of ability, or desire to do so, it has not worked for Carlyle’s coaching style and it hasn’t worked for the Ducks on the ice.
When you’re playing a goulash of systems and changing things on a shift to shift basis, no one’s going to be able to get into a rhythm and play to their strengths entirely. Either play a new system or the old system. Stop mixing things up, it’s not working.
That doesn’t mean the players are not to blame though. There have been so many times this season the Ducks looked like they were legitimately coasting through as if they didn’t care and had given up on the game. Even usual spark plugs like Ryan Getzlaf and Andrew Cogliano have looked lackadaisical at times and that’s just not going to cut it.
Whether it’s the culture in the locker room, the culture the coach is bringing, or the culture of management, there is something truly amiss with the Anaheim Ducks and I don’t think there’s a fix all, or single move that could be made that would put the Ducks in a significantly better position right now.
It might just take time to chip away at the issues slowly, as opposed to attempting to put some duct tape over the holes and hoping for the best. I know fans are going to hate that answer, I hate that answer, but it may be the best one long term.
Ciara Durant: System Failure… Press the Reset Button
Before I delve deep into the negativity that is Anaheim Ducks hockey right now, I must insert a disclaimer. I love this team and win or lose, I will support them no matter what. Nevertheless, because I love them, I know they can do better.
Something is amiss with this team. You don’t have a roster with the likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm, John Gibson, and the rest, and lose seven games in a row. The fact that it has become the Anaheim Ducks new reality means that there’s something on this team that has tainted their ability to play with their heads on straight.
They’ve been skating faster, I’ll give them that. However, skating faster doesn’t do the team any good if they are constantly losing control of the puck, their passes aren’t connecting, and they’re spending an awful lot of time in their own zone.
It feels like each player, with the exception of John Gibson, has completely lost themselves. I wish I could chalk it up to one thing, but the reality is, there is a whole host of issues that need to be addressed. Nevertheless, the team needs to start somewhere.
I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, I know you’re going to hear this a lot. Randy Carlyle is step one to fixing all of these issues. He needs to be fired and his replacement needs to be found. This “new system” has everyone on edge, including the players. Watching Carlyle on the bench and in post-game interviews, it feels like he doesn’t want to be behind the bench. Which brings me to my second point.
Bob Murray is doing his team a huge disservice by keeping Carlyle behind the bench. How are the Ducks supposed to do their job properly when they have a “leader” who doesn’t want to be there. I am of the opinion that Murray needs a stern talking to because he too needs to change his tactics. If he isn’t willing, well, I’m perfectly okay with a new GM too if the need arises.
The fact that he is unwilling to take big risks is also frustrating. He has a talented core of players and yet, he’s bringing in players who are dragging this team down. Adam Henrique is one of the exceptions, but in the past two seasons, he’s brought in Luke Schenn, Chris Kelly, Jason Chimera, among a barrage of players he’s allowed to remain on the team for far too long. He should have known that Carlyle would prefer to put them in the lineup as opposed to the younger players.
The Anaheim Ducks also need to completely press the reset button on their “system.” I don’t know if you could even call it a system because it’s more like a system failure. Dump and chase needs to be completely wiped from their minds, and a new system with the right mix of speed, skill, and physicality needs to be instituted.
I feel like because they’ve been so focused on being faster, they’ve forgotten that it’s perfectly okay to add a little bit of a physical flare to your game. They look so timid on the ice because, “hey, coach says we have to be faster.” Then, when someone tries to be physical, like Joe Blandisi, it doesn’t work out because he’s trying to overcompensate for the lack of physicality in his entire team. Therefore, we have a situation a la Nick Ritchie 2017-18.
Also, can we please reunite Josh Manson and Hampus Lindholm for good? I get that both Cam Fowler and Brandon Montour can be a little irresponsible. However, I’d rather have one phenomenal defensive pair with Manson and Lindholm and a relatively good pairing with Fowler and Montour. I’m sick of having our top four be subpar because there’s absolutely no chemistry. There’s so much talent on the blueline and it’s not being utilized properly. Why fix something that wasn’t broken in the first place?
As my fellow contributor, Jonathan, said, “It might just take time to chip away at the issues slowly, as opposed to attempting to put some duct tape over the holes and hoping for the best.” There isn’t one concrete solution. Bob Murray, Randy Carlyle, and all the players are at fault. However, there are steps the team must take in order to get out of this slump.
If things don’t change, well, I guess that just means we get a good draft pick this summer! It may not be ideal, but hey, you’ve got to find positives in everything to get your head out of a negative space.
Chris Bushell: Something’s Got to Give
You always hate to have to blame it on one person. Hockey is a team game and when things are well, the team gets credit. When things are bad, it’s vice versa. However, watching how this team plays and has played, the past few seasons, it’s painfully obvious it’s the system they’re playing.
The last few years they’ve been able to still stay near the top of the standing, but when it matters, they are victimized by a team that plays a fast coming in waves style; Nashville and San Jose for example.
Randy Carlyle’s system is as outdated as they come and it’s time for a change. I have nothing but respect for what Carlyle has brought to Anaheim, but his system and voice have gone stale in the locker room. I understand it’s tough to fire a coach, especially one that brought you to the West Finals a year ago and got you to the playoffs last season with a severely depleted roster.
At this point, however, Murray isn’t doing his job. The season is in danger of slipping away and something needs to be done. Give Dallas Eakins a chance and if he’s the guy, awesome. If he’s not, he can do the job this season and a new coach can be found in the summer.
Doing nothing is not a strategy and this isn’t a small losing streak that will turn around. Murray is just as much to blame and it’s hurting his team, his reputation, and his fan base in the process. This team has too much talent to play like this and at the very least, the team needs a shakeup. This is the most bored and lackluster I have ever seen this team, and something needs to give at this point. If a seven-game losing streak doesn’t get Carlyle the boot, what has to give?
Eddy Jones: Fire Carlyle and #HireGronborg
Honestly, early on, I had hoped that getting some players back from injury would’ve helped this team. However, now that we’ve had a better look at the system the team is employing this season, my optimism has dwindled. Carlyle has taken the system he used last year, which wasn’t working, to begin with, and tried to increase the pace it’s played at.
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The experiment has failed miserably and the Ducks have fallen back down to earth hard in the form of a seven-game losing streak. At this point, the only way I think you can turn this team around is to replace Randy Carlyle.
The players seem to tune out management and no one seems confident in playing the system. There are many options to chose from when it comes to picking Carlyle’s replacement. We’ve started the #HireGronborg movement on Forever Mighty so we are fully behind firing Carlyle at this point. Rickard Gronborg has a great resume, including coaching the men’s Swedish ice hockey team to gold this past summer.
Dallas Eakins, coach of the San Diego Gulls, seems to be a popular option among fans as well. I think Eakins is the guy who gets the job on interim if Carlyle is fired midseason. Then, I think the Ducks will reassess in the off-season.
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What says you Ducks Nation? What do you think the Anaheim Ducks have to do in order to turn this team around? Let us know by leaving a comment down below or finding us on Facebook or Twitter.