Anaheim Ducks Round Table: Bob Murray’s Best Move of the Season
The Anaheim Ducks season is almost finished, and Bob Murray is in the hot seat. What was his best move of 2018-19?
General Manager and Head Coach, Bob Murray, has provided a very interesting experience for Ducks Nation this season. The Anaheim Ducks 25th Anniversary season has been a difficult one for the players and the fans. However, in the last few months, since firing Randy Carlyle, there have been quite a few positives we can take away from this season.
The Pucks of a Feather staff has come together for a round table to discuss the moves Bob Murray has made this year. Despite the frustration we’ve all felt towards him, we choose to focus on the good he has done in 2018-19.
Each of our contributors has answered this question: Aside from firing Randy Carlyle, what was the best move Bob Murray made this season?
Chris Bushell — Contributor, Pucks of a Feather
The best move that Murray has made on the season was throwing himself into the fire after firing Carlyle. He absolutely waited too long and put the blame on the wrong people. He could have he could’ve fired Carlyle, let the assistants finish out the season, and then just come into the summer.
Nevertheless, he put himself in the room with the boys. He’s on the ice, he’s on the bench, and he’s learning what the problems were and are. Murray is learning who he can trust and who he wants on this team first hand.
I haven’t been the biggest fan of his sit back and see approach or a lot of moves he’s made this season, but I must give him credit for taking responsibility and learning first hand what this team needs this summer to get back to Cup contention next season. I’m truly excited for the summer and next season.
Jonathan Maxfield — Site Expert, Pucks of a Feather
I’ll throw you a curveball here with my answer. I think the best move that Bob Murray made all season was not firing Carlyle until he did. He said last season that making the playoffs was most likely a mistake. Since firing Carlyle, the Anaheim Ducks have 21 points in 21 games, good for roughly an 80 point pace over a full season, which would have them right in the thick of the playoff race right now.
By hanging onto the “dinosaur” as long as humanly possible, what Murray did was take a team with some potential, get them far enough out of the playoff picture that they would need a miracle to make it, and then fire the coach, to evaluate the players over the last 1/3 of the season.
If Murray would have fired Carlyle sooner, the Anaheim Ducks could very well have made a push (as they are doing now) and either just missed the playoffs or made the playoffs to a rude awakening of a 4 game embarrassment similar to last season. Instead, we’ll, hopefully, get a 7th-10th overall draft pick this franchise desperately needs.
Now, I’m not giving Murray credit as though he was playing some 4D chess. It’s quite obvious he had faith in Carlyle and didn’t see him as the problem. However, from an outside perspective, and looking at things in hindsight, letting Carlyle dig this season’s grave, only for Murray to push him in at the last possible moment may unintentionally be the smartest move Murray has made in quite some time.
Kennyth Marcial — Contributor, Pucks of a Feather
There’s a fairly easy answer, and his name is Daniel Sprong. Although Marcus Pettersson is a good prospect, he has limited upside due to his slender build and was expendable as a result of drafting by Bob Murray and company.
Sprong has, perhaps, the highest goal scoring upside of anyone in Anaheim’s pipeline. Not only does he have one of the best shots in the NHL, but he’s also equally adept to creating goals with finesse. Further, he’s also shown some nice passing abilities at times.
Not only was acquiring the young sniper a coup for GMBM, but he has handled Sprong’s development wisely. When DS11 first arrived in Anaheim, his only impact came in games where he scored. Even then, his impact was relegated to the shift he scored on.
After being scratched for 4 straight games, speculation began to arise that Sprong may not be in the Anaheim Ducks long term plans. In reality, GMBM was sending a message to the youngster. When reinserted into the lineup, Sprong displayed a more complete and consistent game. At this point, his ability to score goals makes him an indispensable part of the Ducks “retooling.”
Phil Dunn — Contributor, Pucks of a Feather
The Anaheim Ducks General Manager has helped keep Ryan Kesler on the ice long enough to get to his 1,000th (and 1,001st) NHL game onto the stat sheet. I’d categorize this as generous “support” as opposed to some kind of genius move. It was one for the fans and the player.
The hobbled veteran could have whimpered into the postseason and nursed his injuries, but Murray and the staff kept him healthy enough to post the games played and check that box. Even while Kesler’s production numbers have significantly tanked, he’s shown the grit that makes him, well, Kesler.
He is an amazing two-way venter that deserves to be mentioned with the likes of Sidney Crosby (936), Ryan Getzlaf (1,000 next season), Patrice Bergeron (1,029), and Anze Kopitar (who will be hitting the 1,000 game mark soon.) I’m glad Kes got it done this year and soaked in the spotlight for that 1,001st game in front of Ducks Nation.
Ed Stein — Site Expert, Empire Writes Back
In my opinion, this has not been one of Bob Murray’s best years in the GM chair. Too often, Ducks Nation has wondered what the direction of the organization is. Quite often, the Ducks said they wanted to be younger and faster, but put a team on the ice that was anything but.
That changed a bit when Randy Carlyle was relieved of his duties as the Anaheim Ducks head coach. That, as the question stated, was his best move. However, it came about two months too late. It’s easier to write about GMBM’s missteps in 2018-19 than his good deeds, but after careful consideration, I have two moves that I think were his best.
First of all, I think it took plenty of guts to install himself as head coach with no previous experience. He needed to see the team from behind the bench to evaluate talent. It almost doesn’t matter what his record is, because the season was lost by the time he took the reigns.
The other thing Murray has done is he welcomed younger players onto the roster. We often talk about the next wave of Ducks players, but if they don’t get any ice time at the NHL level, they can’t develop. Troy Terry has been a staple of Murray’s lineups as has been 20-year-old, former first-round pick, Max Jones. Daniel Sprong, Jaycob Megna, and Brendan Guhle have also benefited from Murray youth-friendly team.
Ciara Durant — Site Expert, Pucks of a Feather
There have been a lot of moves, or lack thereof, that Bob Murray has made this season that has left Ducks Nation scratching their heads. However, despite his lackadaisical attitude for the majority of the season, he has still made quite a few moves that he should be applauded for.
He has taken on the role of head coach, adding to his already heavy workload as Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, in order to personally fix the mistakes he was somewhat responsible for. Despite being a fan favorite, he traded Andrew Cogliano, for the younger and slightly more talented Devin Shore. Murray even brought back everyone’s favorite player, Elite 1 C, Derek Grant.
However, in my opinion, trading Brandon Montour was probably one of his smartest moves of the season. I admire Montour tremendously. He took on an insane amount of responsibility last season and did so with finesse. Nevertheless, despite being one of the most productive defensemen on the team, it was clear that being with the Anaheim Ducks no longer beneficial for him. At the age of 24, his development seemed to hit a wall.
Murray saw the value of young Montour, and with a retool and the draft on the horizon, he wisely used Montour as a pawn in his ultimate plan. Going into the 2019 draft, the Anaheim Ducks were two draft picks short.
By trading Montour to the Buffalo Sabres, the Anaheim Ducks acquired a conditional late first round draft pick and Brendan Guhle. Guhle was the favorite defensive prospect of the Sabres up until they drafted Rasmus Dahlin last summer. He was no longer found to be as valuable after Dahlin entered the scene. By moving to the Anaheim Ducks, Guhle makes the team younger and, from what we’ve seen, brings more talent to the blueline.
In the wake of their “re-tool”, the Ducks now have a second first-round draft pick. While it is later in the first round, it will still serve to benefit them. Murray has done a great job drafting late in the first round over the past few years, and with two picks in the first round this season, this could be very similar to the 2003 draft when Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were drafted.
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This move not only makes the team younger and more skilled, but it is a sign that Murray is invested in the future of the Anaheim Ducks. I, for one, am excited to see what he does in the 2019 draft with two first-round draft picks.