Anaheim Ducks: Predicting Who Will Be Part of the 2019-20 Flock
The Anaheim Ducks still have just under half the season to go and at this point, its anyone’s guess how it ends. But its never too early to turn to the future and see where this team will be.
As we approach the end of January the Anaheim Ducks sit just over .500 and with their most recent stretch of play that in and of itself is a tremendous achievement. And despite being winners in 2 of their last 3 games and a playoff spot still within their grasp I think it is foolish to expect a big spring from this team. Sure they could sneak into a wild card spot but as currently constructed with the scheme they play I have seen no reason to feel optimistic about a deep post-season run. I would never root against the Ducks or give up hope just merely stating facts of the season. With that, I have decided to turn my attention to next season and see how the Ducks line-up.
As upset as I am with the moves or lack of moves that GM Bob Murray has made this season I have looked back at some of his comments and read between the lines to an extent. I believe Murray is allowing this season to just play out and significant moves are coming to Anaheim late spring and summer 2019. I could be dead wrong it just seems to be feeling that way and with it, I guess better late than never. But we will look at the 4 major components of this team and I will give my predictions of who will be here and not come October 2019.
Coaching
Friend or not vouched for him or not, I cannot imagine that Murray or ownership for that matter will allow Randy Carlyle to return as the Ducks coach next season. For all of Murray’s defense of his friend this season, there is no denying that the system doesn’t work and that the team seems to have tuned him out. A new voice needs to be installed into the room and the summer will allow that person to have the entirety of the off-season to build the staff and scheme they want. The safe and logical choice is to promote Dallas Eakins from AHL San Diego.
Eakins first go as an NHL coach didn’t go well in Edmonton but he has done a great job with the Gulls in San Diego and has had a hand in helping many of the players that made the jump from SD to Anaheim. The team is getting younger and will continue to and having a young coach who understands the changing game wouldn’t be a bad move. The smart move would have been to make him the interim coach this season to see what he could do but hey guess there is a reason I am not the Ducks GM.
Should the Ducks want to keep Eakins in SD to continue grooming the young players at the AHL level they could look outside the organization. Joel Quenneville remains unemployed after he was fired from Chicago in the fall and our own Eddy Jones is angling for current Sweedish National team head coach Rickard Gronborg to take the reins. This is a fluid situation that is difficult to predict for many reasons. But to see a great breakdown of our Top 5 candidates take a look at Eddy’s article here.
Goalies:
2019-2020: 1 signed, 6.4 million cap hit
As it stands the only goalie signed for the Ducks next season is John Gibson. And thank god for that because where would the Ducks be without him. Gibsons 8 year contract extension begins next season assuring he will be the Ducks goalie for roughly the next decade. And with what he has dealt with and the workload he has faced 6.4 million is an absolute steal. But Gibson cant play all 82 games and a back-up goalie will most likely be a priority for Murray and Co. come July. Ryan Miller comes off the books and although he has played well since coming to Anaheim age may finally catch up to him. If he thinks he has one more go I’m sure the Ducks would welcome him back but he may be hanging them up.
Chad Johnson will be gone most likely the second Ryan Miller returns from injury as he has looked brutal in his limited action here. There is the chance that Kevin Boyle gets the promotion with the likes of Olle Eriksson Ek or Lukas Dostal ready to take the reigns in SD but the Ducks may want a more proven back-up. Boyle has had a good year in SD to this point, 16-6-1 with a 2.84 GAA and .909 SV%. Those stats could use a little improving but it may be time to give him a shot. And with it, the Ducks should only need to have about 8 million committed in cap space to their goalies which is a small number when one of your goalies could be a Vezina winner. So, expect the Ducks goaltending to stay the same where it should and change where it needs to.
Defense:
2019-2020: 5 signed ~ 20 million cap hit
Believe it or not the Ducks “Big 4” are all under contract for next season with relative newbie Jacob Larsson responsible for the 5th D-man signed. Whether all of those 5 are on the team come next season is a different story altogether. In my mind, the two untouchables are Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm. They aren’t going anywhere and will be the two stalwarts on the back-end the Ducks continue to build around. Brandon Montour and Josh Manson have both recently been linked to trade rumors and if it could land the Ducks forward help they would most likely swing the deal. Larsson will most likely remain and Josh Mahura down in San Diego may make one of Manson or Montour expendable.
Recently acquired Trevor Murphy has 7 points in his first 10 games with the Gulls and has put up decent numbers in the AHL through his relatively young career. He could be a late season call up by the Ducks just to see what they have and could be someone pushing for time next season. The likes of Andrej Sustr and Andy Wellinski most likely will not return however recent acquisition Michael Del Zotto isn’t signed for next season but if he plays well he could return to help guide a young defenseman on the bottom pair. If the Ducks move either Montour or Manson they will be in the FA market looking for a good number 3 or 4 D man to solidify the back end. If not the D core should look like this:
Fowler-Montour
Lindholm-Manson
Del Zotto- Murphy/Mahura
Forwards:
13 signed ~ 46.4 million cap hit
Admittedly this is the hardest group to predict. Mainly because of injuries and the possibility of buy-out/retirement. The group that is signed to be here come next season includes; Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, Rickard Rakell, Nick Ritchie, Troy Terry, Max Jones, Daniel Sprong, Ondrej Kase, and Devin Shore. Ryan Kesler and Corey Perry should also be a part of that group. Patrick Eaves is completely up in the air along with the likes of unsigned players Jakob Silfverberg, Brian Gibbons, Justin Kloos, and Derek Grant. And then you have the kids posied to stick in Anaheim with Sam Steel, Max Comtois, Isac Lundestrom and Kiefer Sherwood.
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You only get 12 forward spots and by my count that is 20 players. 20 players internally and not even counting if they make a move for scoring help they desperately need. Normally you could say send the kids down but at this point what more are they gaining from spinning their wheels in the minors? Silfverberg could be traded for defense help and the likes of Gibbons, Kloos, and Grant could all be allowed to walk. This reduces the number down to 16. Lundestrom and Sherwood are still very young and as much as I don’t want to, you could let them spend one more year in the minors reducing the forward number to 14.
From there it will come down to the health of specific players. Eaves Kesler and Perry are all dealing with significant injuries that they may or may not come back from. Finding out the answers there could mean everything for the Ducks and what moves they will need to make in the off-season. Based on the current track and not accounting for outside moves the lines could look like this:
Sprong-Getzlaf-Rakell
Jones-Henrique-Terry
Kase-Kesler-Perry
Shore-Steel-Comtois
Those lines I think could do some real damage but again the health of Kesler and Perry changes everything. And those lines require the likes of Eaves to retire and Ritchie to be traded. What do you think Ducks fans? Know it’s early to be thinking about this but contingency plans to have a vastly more successful season and put the franchise back on track need to start sooner rather than later.
dark. Next. Anaheim Ducks: Troy Terry Nets His First NHL Goal