Anaheim Ducks: Some Wings Must Be Clipped
The Anaheim Ducks have been off for a month now after failing to qualify for the playoffs. It will be another 5 months before the Ducks are back on the ice and with what is sure to be significant changes.
The long summer in SoCal is well underway but nowhere close to being over. The Anaheim Ducks have a lot to do this summer. First and foremost, they must fill the coaching void, and there are a number of wonderful candidate on the market.
Nevertheless, there are holes throughout the line-up that must also be addressed. The ones that will make the most headlines are what to do with Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves due to health issues and concerns. However, the Ducks biggest turnover and change may be where they are all of a sudden deep to a fault.
The Ducks biggest surplus these days is on the wing. There is a case to be made that they currently have 12 NHL ready wings and unfortunately, they can only play 8 of them at the NHL level. There isn’t even a case to be made that any them still need time at the AHL level and keeping them from the NHL now is truly stunting their progression.
So with that said, what will GM Bob Murray do with this sudden surplus? They could be moved for assets on the backend or at center, but which of the 12 stays and which ones go? Let’s break this down by must keep, could move, should move.
Must Keep: Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg, Daniel Sprong, Troy Terry, Max Jones, and Max Comtois
Six of the eight in the “must keep” category is a lot, but at the same time, are you really moving any of these six? Rickard Rakell had a down year but looks to be a top line winger who can produce 70-80 point seasons. Especially with Ryan Getzlaf still here for a few more seasons and seeing his last chance at a Cup could show his best and allow Rakell to benefit big time.
Jakob Silfverberg just signed a 5-year extension set to pay him $5.25 million per over that next five years. Silfverberg could be considered the Ducks best player this past season and if he can build upon that with healthy and improved linen the Ducks will look like geniuses for locking him in as he comes into his prime.
Daniel Sprong was a breath of fresh air being brought in from Pittsburgh. The Penguins never really put Sprong in the best areas to succeed and the change of scenery did Sprong wonders. 19 points in 47 games was a good point total, especially when he was in and out and up and down the line-up. But, Sprong’s speed and shot are top level and putting him on a line with Getzlaf and Rakell where he will get the benefit of one the greatest passers in the game as his center and what looks to be a faster more wide-open game plan and he could be one of the top league scorers.
The kids are ready. Troy Terry and Max Jones looked great during the final stages of the season showing they want an NHL job next season. Terry’s hockey IQ and skill, along with gained confidence from a year in the AHL, were unbelievably noticeable and proved he will be a great player at 5v5 as well as a good weapon on the power-play.
Max Jones could be the next great power forward as he showed the perfect blend of puck possession and skill which proved extremely difficult for opposing teams to defend. He will only get bigger and better and could be quite the handful for all opposing players next season. Cycling, speed and a nose for the net could lead to many goals and grade-A chances, something the Ducks drastically lacked last season.
Max Comtois scores at every level he plays at. He showed that in his limited action with the Ducks beginning of last season, showed it during the season with 48 points in 25 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL, and when he most recently potted the game-winner in quadruple OT during the Gulls Game 1 Pacific Division final. He is going to be a great NHLer and one that Ducks fans will be cheering for years to come.
Could Move: Corey Perry, Kevin Roy, Ondrej Kase
Yes, this is the toughest category, but as I said, changes need to and will be made so that never again will fans have to deal with a year like the Ducks just had. Corey Perry always has been and always will be one of my favorites and I stand by that he can be a huge component of this team. But, he is coming off significant knee surgery and hasn’t been the same “Scorey Perry” he used to be in years. Perry is still on the books for another two years at a big $8.6 million per cap hit. That is a lot of money for what most teams may see as “damaged goods.”
However, it is only for two more seasons, and for a team that thinks they have a great roster and could use a proven veteran on the third line, a la Justin Williams in Carolina, the Ducks could find a taker. I think Perry could be that for the Ducks this season with the right linemates. I also think Murray and by extension, the Samulies, will not allow Perry to play anywhere other than Anaheim.
Kevin Roy has shown flashes of what he can be. He is undersized but his puck handling and shot are NHL ready and NHL level. He has suffered through injuries keeping him from helping the Ducks or the Gulls and you wonder how many chances he has left. Murray could move him for draft picks or other prospects for a team willing to give Roy a shot. He has shown since his college days he can rack up the points, he just needs to stay on the ice.
Ondrej Kase has been a great story and player for the Ducks. He was a 7th round pick who has proved he is a top 9 if not top 6 forward in the league. His season was poised to be a big one but started late due to a concussion and was ended early due to a shoulder injury.
Kase could be a huge part of the Ducks present and future. But aren’t Kase and Sprong the same player? Undersized speed driven players with great hands and great shots. Do you need both of them? The case could be made, yes, but does Kase have good trade value now to bring in another center with the health status of Ryan Kesler in question?
Kase is set to make $2.6 million per for the next two seasons while Sprong makes just $750,000 next year before he is an RFA. The Ducks could also choose to move Kase for a draft pick/prospect and gain cap room to sign a bigger free agent. Time will tell, but Kase could be on the block.
Should Move: Nick Ritchie Devin Shore, Kiefer Sherwood
Call it bias or not, the truth remains. Nick Ritchie should no longer be an Anaheim Duck. If you want to say it’s unfair to hold him to his draft position, fine. If you want to say he was better this season with taking bad penalties, also fine. But the hard truth remains, he isn’t very good, or at the very least the Ducks have better younger players that can fill his role.
Ritchie did post career highs in assists (22) and points (31) and is set to only have a $1.5 million cap hit for the next two seasons. That is extremely enticing to a team for draft picks or prospects in return and could save the Ducks some cap room as well. The free agent class could be a good one and any cap room helps that cause especially for another center with Getzlaf and Adam Henrique. Ritchie could flourish with a change of scenery and if he does good for him, but if the choice is between him and say, Max Jones, the answer is Jones without hesitation.
More from Pucks of a Feather
- 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?
I actually like Devin Shore and think he could fit in well here. But he could simply get caught up in a numbers game. Shore is a good player, but the Ducks have better options. Shore also has perhaps the most enticing contract on the Ducks roster. Set to make $2.3 million in the final year of his deal could make a team want to take a chance on the 24-year-old.
Shore has skills, grit, and a hard-nosed approach to the game. He may just be coming into his own and could be a very serviceable player. If not, his $2.3M doesn’t take up a lot of cap room and he is up following next season. So, if he doesn’t work you let him walk.
At this point, Shore is blocking other players and is worth more to the Ducks as trade bait. Murray should look to move Shore at the draft for perhaps a 3rd round selection, something the Ducks lack and could do damage with.
Kiefer Sherwood is a good player, and if there is one player you could stash in the AHL to save the space its Sherwood. But, if you feel he has gained all he will from the AHL level there simply isn’t room in Anaheim for him. Sherwood is a hard-working, 100% effort player at all times. He is responsible in his own end and has some offensive instincts to put up points as well. Unfortunately, his ceiling is a bottom six player, and the Ducks, like some of the other players mentioned above, have better options. Sherwood will be a good NHL player, it may just not be in Anaheim.
Next. Ducks as Avengers. dark
Long summers in the NHL are never a good thing, but as the playoffs continue and we get closer to the actual off-season it will be a busy and interesting summer on Katella Ave. Who would you keep or trade? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter/Facebook!