Santa is making his rounds, his bag filled to the brim with gifts. The Anaheim Ducks, like many of us, are waiting to see what Jolly Old Saint Nick has left under their tree’s this holiday season.
NOTE: This is all meant as a lighthearted, fun article, none of this is meant seriously and is meant for entertainment purposes only.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, with the Ducklings lamp lighting and Dotchin’s fighting filling us fans up with cheer! Christmas is coming at an alarming pace and I may have found a way to hack into the North Pole’s database of good and bad little Anaheim Ducks.
I know everyone hate’s spoilers, but I have to do my due diligence and let my fellow fans know what each of our favorite players can expect wrapped up under their Christmas Tree on Christmas morning. Some players can expect some lovely presents while others may be getting lumps of coal.
First things first, let’s start with the GM and the coach before diving into the players.
Bob Murray- General Manager
Bob Murray has had a fairly typical year. He’s signed some bargain bin players, to slightly questionable contracts. He’s made a trade for another team’s underwhelming player in hopes of restoring their image into what they were expected to be initially.
GMBM has preached wanting change but doesn’t actually do much to make those changes. To this point, he’s about 50/50 in his additions. Luke Schenn, Andrej Sustr, and Brian Gibbons all seem like duds. Jake Dotchin, Daniel Sprong, Ben Street, and Carter Rowney have been varying degrees of good.
So, because of that, he hasn’t been bad enough to get coal, but he hasn’t done quite enough to get a shiny new toy. Since Murray loves to shop at the clearance aisle, his gift this year will be a “20% off one item” coupon for Dick’s Sporting Goods to stock up on some golf equipment.
Randy Carlyle- Head Coach- 19-13-5
Less than a month ago, it seemed the sky was falling in Anaheim. It seemed like every game that passed was “the” game that put the final nail in Randy Carlyle‘s seat behind the Anaheim bench. Since then, however, the Ducks have gone on a fairly impressive string of games that included a lengthy road win streak.
For the most part, it seems to be the players moving more towards the Carlyle brand of hockey we’re all accustomed to, and moving further away from the faster game Murray preached in the off-season. It’s somewhat working, and the Anaheim Ducks are winning more than they’re losing recently.
Going 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Ducks continue to play a mind-numbingly boring style of hockey, and their wins never come easy. Nevertheless, they’re winning, and because of that Carlyle will get a gift this year…
Do you have a situation where you have to begrudgingly give someone a gift despite knowing that you’re not wrong in your assessment of them? That’s kind of the situation we have here, and because of that Randy Carlyle can expect a nice Edible Arrangement under his tree, it says “I was obligated to get you a present, but I didn’t really want to put much thought into it.”
It is kind of similar to the mindset I have watching the Anaheim Ducks play the dump and chase.