Anaheim Ducks: The Curious Case of Randy Carlyle
Most NHL coaches wouldn’t survive one losing streak let alone three but the Anaheim Ducks bench boss remains in power. It’s time we investigated the curious case of Randy Carlyle.
As the Anaheim Ducks are entrenched in, yet another, losing streak, the chants to fire Randy Carlyle are echoing throughout even the quietest corners of the hockey world. So much so, fans have begun questioning the competency of General Manager Bob Murray.
In the midst of chaos, it’s important to view the struggles objectively. I hope to shed some clarity on why his re-hiring made sense, why he’s no longer fit for the job, and possible reasons Murray has decided to keep the much-maligned coach.
Why He Was Re-hired
Randy Carlyle led the Ducks to California’s first Stanley Cup Championship back in 2007. After several successful seasons as the club’s bench manager, Anaheim’s roster was beset by the salary cap rigors from the pursuit of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup. Several players, most noticeably Chris Pronger, were shipped out as they transitioned to a younger core of players.
Carlyle was considered a good coach, but his demanding coaching style was lost on a group with youthful ears. In 2011, Murray fired his long-time friend for, the more “Player-friendly,” Bruce Boudreau. Murray’s reading of the situation was correct, and the Anaheim Ducks flourished the proceeding 4 1/2 seasons.
Boudreau Era Errors
Under Boudreau’s tutelage, the Ducks captured 4 straight division titles and were one win away from an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. For every achievement; however, there was an equal disappointment in Ducks fandom.
All 4 trips to the playoffs saw the team going up 3 games to 2, with home-ice advantage in tow. Subsequently, in NHL record fashion, all 4 series they entered games 6 and 7, unprepared and sent home questioning their shortfalls.
After the fourth repeated season, Murray realized he needed another change behind the bench. Even the most fervent supporters of Boudreau, myself included, could see his tenure was at an end. What was once a youthful and transitioning core of players, was now a prime Stanley Cup contender. Re-enter Randy Carlyle.
The Carlyle Compass
When Murray went looking for a coach in 2016, he circled back to Randy Carlyle. Ensuring he didn’t send a negative rift through the locker room, he met with his leadership core and reported, “I got nothing but good feedback. They were unbelievably supportive and were even pushing for him.”
To win the Stanely Cup, a coach with a demanding work ethic was imperative if they wanted to escape their game 7 demons. Re-hiring Carlyle was received with cautious optimism and not so silent skepticism. Be that as it may, Carlyle led an injury-riddled club to the Western Conference Finals and was proving the naysayers wrong.
Unfortunately, the Ducks trip to the WCF was the apex of his second coaching tenure. Beset by injury, the Ducks roster quickly turned from competitor to a team in transition.
Why Randy Carlyle Needs to Go
The All-Star break was supposed to give the Anaheim Ducks time to get healthy and field a competitive roster for the season’s stretch run. The Ducks were 1 point out of a wildcard spot and Corey Perry, Jakob Silfverberg and Patrick Eaves returned from injury. Then, in the first game back from the break, a “White-out” happened.
On February 2, 2019, instead of mounting a playoff push, the Ducks surrendered 6 goals in the opening period verse the Winnipeg Jets. Mercifully, after 6 goals, Carlyle pulled John Gibson from the contest. Conversely, it was not without contention between himself and Anaheim’s players.
Initially, as captured by Winnipeg’s fed of the game, Carlyle refused to pull Gibby. Although his teammates don’t often defend him on the ice, Getzlaf was quick to come to his emotional aid. It was an ugly moment and the hockey world was collectively gasping at Carlyle’s idiocracy.
Goalie’s Confidence Reigns Supreme
By refusing to pull Gibson, I can only imagine Carlyle was trying to evoke an emotional response from his team. Whatever the reasoning, the head coach can’t jeopardize the psyche of the franchise’s most important player. Goaltenders perform off of confidence, so any actions negatively impacting their confidence in such a dramatic fashion is not acceptable.
To illustrate the impact this season has had on Gibson, according to nhl.com, he had a phenomenal .937% save percentage in the first month of the season. Since then, it has been on a steady decline. In January, his save percentage dipped to underwhelming .899%. February’s onslaught has the stud backstop posting a horrendous .775%. If this continues, GMBM risks doing permanent damage to the netminder “Mojo.”
Poor Line Combinations
One of the biggest issues plaguing Randy Carlyle, besides an outdated system, is his disastrous lineup decisions. Firstly, there was very little to gain from splitting up Josh Manson and Hampus Lindholm. The duo was highly effective in the defensive zone and provided a steady dose of offense. Secondly, Brandon Montour and Cam Fowler flourished once paired together during last seasons playoff push.
Both pairings, Fowler-Manson and Lindholm-Montour, looked lost this season and Carlyle didn’t revert his error in judgment until the seasons 53rd game. It’s just baffling how incompetently slow RC processes needed changes in the lineup.
Further proof of his incompetence is with Ryan Kesler. Kesler is beloved by fans, but it is painfully obvious his days as an offensive weapon are over. At this point in his career, Kes should strictly be deployed as a defense-only, 4th line center.
To Randy Carlyle, Kesler remains a top unit power-play performer and someone to rely on for offense late in games. To Carlyle, Kesler is among the first choices to send over the boards with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker. To Carlyle, the year is 2008 and his mind hasn’t adjusted to the realities of his roster construction and the changing style of the NHL.
If Anaheim is fortunate, Kesler will hang his skates up and focus on life post-hockey (while he maintains the ability to walk).
Why Bob Murray is Riding the Randy Train
I don’t think for one minute Bob Murray believes Randy Carlyle is the coach his team needs at the moment. Why then, would he keep the “bench boss” when the entire fan base wants him gone? I attempt to examine some of the reasons.
No Longer a Contending Roster
As mentioned earlier, Murray brought in the demanding Carlyle to take a contending roster to the Stanely Cup. Falling just short of a trip to the finals in 2017 took its toll on the entire team, but none more so than the aforementioned Kesler. When the rest of his team was getting ready for training camp, the impact pivot was learning to walk again. He’s never been the same.
Anaheim was a defensively minded hockey club, with success predicated on having two elite centers. Arguably, they possessed the best 1-2 center combination in the entire Western Conference. After Kesler’s injury, the Ducks have become a team with no identity and whose talent isn’t developed enough to remain competitive.
Carlyle was never the long-term answer. He was hired for a team with a limited window of contention. The window closed for numerous reasons, and last years second place finish was a feat unto itself.
It’s Hard to Fire Results
The most fervent of Carlyle haters, and there are many, wanted him fired before the season started. After the 2018 first round playoff embarrassment, it was understandable from a fan perspective. In actuality, in his first two seasons with the club, the oft-criticized coach was able to take an undermanned team to the Western Conference Finals, and an injury-riddled lineup to a second place finish within the Pacific Division.
His on-ice tactics left a lot to be desired, but the results in his first two seasons are undeniable. Some candidates will look for any head coaching opportunity, but in-demand coaches will dissect their possible suitors. Firing Carlyle after two successful seasons in the face of adversity wouldn’t help our desirability, so it’s understandable Murray retained him.
No Bridge for This Road
BM owed it to Carlyle to begin the season as head coach. Once it was clear he wasn’t the answer, it became a matter of who the next guy would be.
After Joe Quenneville was fired in early November, he became the ideal candidate in the minds of Ducks fans. Unfortunately, he was not eager to continue coaching this season and is awaiting the offseason to mull over his options.
Besides Coach Q, fans wanted to see Dallas Eakins get promoted. With Anaheim not being serious contenders and the number of talented prospects in San Diego, it would be a mistake to disrupt their development.
With little practice time remaining, any interim-coach would find it difficult to make major changes to the systems in place and would likely come from the current staff. If fans don’t like Carlyle, I highly doubt you want guys employing his techniques taking over. RC’s contract is up at the end of the year, so GMBM is already engaging in a search for his eventual successor and I prefer he spends his time there.
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The Players Aren’t Helping
My next point is the easiest to see, but the hardest for fans to comprehend. While RC systems aren’t helping his players, the entire roster (outside of Gibson) has lacked emotional engagement from the moment puck dropped on opening night.
Not to their own fault, Anaheim’s players have had a lot to deal with the past couple seasons. Kesler’s career effectively ending two years ago, the game 7 collapses, the embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Sharks, the injuries, and the list goes on. It’s almost as if the Ducks have been dealing with what appears to be a “locker room depression.”
Whatever the reasoning, the players have not done what’s necessary to win. For perspective, here’s the list of areas the players have done well in this season; Gibson stopping the puck, end of the list. Subsequently, the following is a list of areas the players have not done well in: fighting for loose pucks, making outlet passes, looking where they pass to, not passing to the other team, leaving guys open in the slot, having a power play that creates more opportunities than the opposing team’s penalty kill, hitting, taking a shot on net…
As Eric Stephens reported via the Athletic, Ryan Getzlaf recently commented, “When you’re in a locker room, if you always have one or two guys taking, the message gets old… delivering the same message all the time, eventually the guys tune it out.”
If fans believe the team has given up on Carlyle, it definitely appears they also gave up on the team’s leadership. In actuality, neither is singularly responsible, but a combination of both created the current turmoil.
Bob Murray has continually stated he is waiting for the leaders on the team to show themselves. On Sirius radio, Mike Rupp echoed the sentiment, “This is character check time. We’re not winning the Stanley Cup. Let’s see which guys we wanna be a part of this moving forward. The right leaders who aren’t going to quit on this team. I wouldn’t really do anything.”
Elite Talent via the Draft
At the heart of Mike Rupp’s comment to remain status quo, as well as many others, is the Ducks can potentially be picking an elite talent like Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko via the draft. After last years playoff debacle, Murray stated, “But in making the playoffs, did we screw up some other things? That’s where I’m trying to get my head around.”
The Ducks have several high-end prospects, like Troy Terry, in their pipeline, but are in dire need of elite talent. Eventually, the Anaheim Ducks will have to replace Getzlaf and a prospect of that caliber has yet to enter the system.
With only 27 games remaining with Carlyle. It’s time for fans to accept the losing streak as a positive and embrace the tank.
Next. 4 Hard Truths The Ducks Face, and Why It's Okay. dark
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