Anaheim Ducks: Mid-Season Buy, Try, Sigh, or Cry

Rumors are a dime a dozen in the NHL, and the Anaheim Ducks are no exception to that rule. Jonathan Maxfield addresses a few of the most popular rumors and gives his honest assessment.

If you keep up with the hockey twitter-verse you’ll know that rumors are a dime-a-dozen, most of them are just blowing smoke, while some seem plausible and others are just laughable. I want to take a look at some of those rumors periodically and separate the wheat from the chaff. I’ll give each rumor a rating, and assess what the Anaheim Ducks should do.

“Buy” is a rumor that is entirely plausible. It is something that is positive for the team and is a good thing. “Try” would be something that is not likely to happen, but would be positive if it did happen. It is also something I want Bob Murray to try to make happen.

“Sigh” is a situation that I think would negatively influence the team but is not exactly likely to happen. “Cry” would be something that is entirely plausible and is not good for the team. We can probably expect to happen, but we all wish it wouldn’t.

Some of these rumors will be from big name sources, some will be from rumor writers, and some will be ideas spit-balled by some of you and other Anaheim Ducks fans.

The season is at its mid-way point, and this is usually the calm before the storm. Any day now we’ll start hearing rumblings of trades as teams start to have a real firm idea of where they stand in the grand scheme of things and feel more likely to tinker with their team to cement that position.

So, for this edition, we’ll cover 3 rumors. One major, one pretty minor, and one somewhere in between. As we approach the trade deadline, more rumors will begin to circulate and a bigger edition of this series will be in my agenda if this one receives positive feedback!

Rumor 1: Charles Hudon Asks for Trade

Charles Hudon is a 24-year-old forward currently part of the Montreal Canadiens organization. He’s been a prolific scorer at every level he’s played including an impressive 30 point rookie campaign with the Canadiens last year. That is quite impressive given the lack of success the Habs had last year.

Hudon is a smaller stature skater, standing under 6 ft tall and under 200lbs. He’s a smooth skater who’s played just about every role imaginable for the Habs and their farm team in St. Johns, now the Laval Rockets.

Hudon is a fairly skilled player who is quick on his skates. He has been highly touted by Habs fans in recent memory, being one of their more interesting prospects. However, he has found himself falling out of favor a bit in Montreal mainly due to the resurgence of Tomas Tatar.

The emergence of Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin leave little room for the lefty in the lineup. The rumor states that Hudon has asked for a trade, hoping to find himself in a situation where he can thrive at the NHL level with a chance to play.

Rating: BUY

If you remove names, and team names from that paragraph above, you could be mistaken for thinking I was talking about recently acquired Daniel Sprong. This is the type of move that Bob Murray continues to make year after year, a guy who’s looking for an opportunity, and has fallen a bit in their current team’s plans.

So far the Sprong trade has paid dividends. Could the Anaheim Ducks look to double down and acquire someone who fits the same bill as Sprong? I think Murray would love to make that type of move. If the price is right I could see the Ducks taking on Hudon in a move to get younger, faster, and more skilled.

Rumor 2: Tyler Seguin

Now, Tyler Seguin hasn’t asked for a trade by any reports I’ve seen, but he has been called out by ownership publicly. That’s not great, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that he’d welcome a move to a team that would not publicly throw him under the bus.

Seguin is a 26-year-old center, he’s a Stanley Cup champion, and is good for 30 goals and 70 points on a yearly basis. There’s some questions regarding his character given there’s been 2 teams now who have not exactly had glowing reviews of their young, elite, center. It’s pretty odd honestly.

Rating: SIGH

I don’t see much of a chance of this happening for a couple reasons. First of all, the Anaheim Ducks would have to part with players that I don’t see Murray parting with. It would cost Cam Fowler, high end prospects, and picks just to get Jim Nill to pick up the phone.

Murray has said he won’t part with players like Sam Steel or Troy Terry, and while it’s not out of the question he’d reconsider for a player of Seguin’s caliber, I find it unlikely.

Secondly, Murray likes reclamation projects, but he likes them at discount prices, not at a premium that Seguin would surely cost. Don’t expect to see Seguin in a Ducks jersey anytime soon, even if it’s nice to think about.

Rumor 3: Randy Carlyle to Remain Coach Through Season

The Ducks aren’t good, that’s putting it bluntly, and honestly, that might be putting it lightly. They’re only remotely close to a playoff spot because John Gibson is having a season most goalies could only dream of.

More from Ducks News

• Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
• Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
• Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
• Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
• How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?

The Anaheim Ducks find themselves currently in the midst of an eight-game losing streak. Their second extended losing streak of the season. Fans are quickly jumping onto the “Fire Carlyle” train once again, and it’s not hard to see why.

It’s not exactly common for a coach to survive a 7+ game losing streak without having their seat at least somewhat hot, but Randy Carlyle did, and it’s even more unheard of for a coach to survive two 7+ game losing streaks in the same season, before the trade deadline.

So, is Carlyle’s seat growing increasingly hot, or is a common thought that Carlyle will finish out the season true?

Rating: CRY

I think it’s time for Ducks fans to just face facts that Carlyle isn’t going anywhere this season. The Anaheim Ducks are a terrible team, a coaching change would help them, but it’s not going to make them a cup contender.

The Ducks are also a budget team, and firing Carlyle to bring in someone new, without the plan to contend for a Cup is not likely. Bob Murray stated last year that the Ducks may have made a mistake by making the playoffs. If Murray isn’t convinced that the Ducks can contend for a Cup, it’s likely that he will just let the season play out, and assess the coaching situation in the off-season once Carlyle’s contract is expired.

What are you guy’s thoughts on these rumors? Again, if this article is well received I’ll do more, and make sure to follow me on Twitter @NoJolt where I will likely open the floor to you guys for rumors for the next edition of this series.