Anaheim Ducks: Bob Murray Receives his “Report Card” for the 2018-19 Season
From the front office to behind the bench, Anaheim Ducks General Manager, Bob Murray, has had an interesting season.
When you mention the name Bob Murray to an Anaheim Ducks fan, you get one of two reactions. Ducks Nation is a house divided, and for valid reasons. You have one half of the fan base who believes it’s time to move on and fire Murray. Flip the coin, and you have the other half who believes Murray’s bold moves towards the end of the season is proof that he is the General Manager the Anaheim Ducks need right now.
There are certainly fans who have mixed feelings about Murray as well. However, I think we can all agree that this has been a difficult season for GMBM. He had a large hand in the Anaheim Ducks failures earlier in the season. Certain decisions, or lack thereof, put the team in a rather difficult position. So, to say he retains his innocence in all of this would be a very false statement.
Nevertheless, now that the season is over and we’ve had a little time to let reflect on the season and let our boiling anger reduce to a simmer, it’s time to hand out our 2018-19 report cards, starting with the man at the helm of the Anaheim Ducks sinking ship, Bob Murray.
Earlier this year, we gave Murray an F overall for his performance at the beginning of the season. He rightfully deserved it. His refusal to keep himself, his staff, and his players accountable seemed to crack the foundation of the entire team. There was a huge lack of discipline and Murray seemed completely content sitting back and doing nothing about it. However, hindsight is 20/20 and with all of that in the past, it’s easier to evaluate his overall performance during the season now that it’s over.
We will grade several different aspects of GMBM’s 2018-19 season in order to give him an accurate overall grade. This will include free agency acquisitions, trades, coaching, and his interaction with the players and the fan base.
Bob Murray’s Free Agency Acquisitions
During the 2018 offseason, Bob Murray brought in six players during free agency. He also picked up Pontus Aberg off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, but since he was neither a trade nor a free agent, we will include him in this group.
Andrej Sustr
On July 5, 2018, Bob Murray signed Free Agent and former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman, Andrej Sustr, to a 1-year, $1.3M contract. He was expected to bring added depth to the Anaheim Ducks struggling blueline and was attributed to being both a strong and dependable player. His incredible size, standing 6’7”, was also seen as a benefit.
The Sustr experiment was short-lived, as he played only 5 games with the Anaheim Ducks, and in that time, he seemed to regress. He was placed on waivers and was eventually relocated to the Anaheim Ducks farm team, the San Diego Gulls, where the friendly giant put up an underwhelming 3 assists. He was inactive for their Calder Cup run.
Luke Schenn
Signing Luke Schenn was a necessity going into the 2018-19 season. The Anaheim Ducks needed someone to fill the 6/7 defensive role on their blueline. With the departure of Francois Beauchemin and Kevin Bieksa, they needed a veteran who was going to push the younger players as well as add a physical presence.
Schenn played only 8 games with the Anaheim Ducks and had nothing to show for it. For the rest of his time with the organization, he played 22 games with the San Diego Gulls where he registered only 10 points. GMBM would end up trading Schenn and a 2019 7th round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for Michael Del Zotto.
Jake Dotchin
Prior to the regular season, Jake Dotchin was released from the Tampa Bay Lightning after a “material breach of contract.” A month later, Bob Murray signed him to a one year $800,000 contract.
Dotchin played 20 games for the Anaheim Ducks and the San Diego Gulls, but the only thing he really produced for either team was an insane amount of penalty minutes, totaling 107 PIM between the two teams.
Brian Gibbons
After the disaster that was Jason Chimera and Chris Kelly in 2018, Bob Murray signed Brian Gibbons in free agency with promises energy and, surprise, surprise, speed. He was projected to be a decent 4th line player, especially after the Ducks 4th line was non-existent during the 2017-18 season.
In Gibbon’s 44 games with the Ducks, he posted a dismal 5 points. He did more harm on the ice than good, and to be quite honest, he clogged up the roster, taking a spot that a younger player in the organization was more deserving of. Eventually, Murray traded him to the Ottawa Senators for Patrick Sieloff.
Ben Street
Ben Street has had a rough go of it in the NHL, having never scored a goal at the age of 31 and never eclipsing more than 35 NHL games in the six seasons since his first NHL game. However, Rowney has impressed at almost every other level he’s played at. He’s smart on the ice, a hard worker, and a decent skater. So, Bob Murray, the king of the island of misfit toys, took a chance.
While Street may have scored his first NHL goal plus two, things didn’t pan out for him with the Anaheim Ducks as Murray had hoped. He was eventually sent down the AHL to play with the Gulls, where he posted an impressive 26 points in 32 games and an additional 11 points in 16 playoff games. He may not have been what the Anaheim Ducks were looking for, but he gave the Gulls an extra edge, especially during their flight to the cup, and for that, we applaud Bob Murray for turning sour lemons into lemonade.
Carter Rowney
Carter Rowney is quite possibly the one and only free agent that worked out for the Anaheim Ducks, and it was a nice surprise. Prior to being signed by the Anaheim Ducks, he had appeared in 71 NHL games at the age of 29 and had only 12 points to show for it. He wasn’t known as a natural goal scorer but was versatile and gritty in a bottom 6 role.
Despite being moved into various positions on the roster throughout the season, Rowney took his new role with the Ducks in stride. If Randy Carlyle can be applauded for one thing during his final season with the Ducks, it was finally rolling out a decent fourth line and Rowney was a huge part of that. In 62 games with the Anaheim Ducks, he registered 20 points, his best season thus far.
Pontus Aberg
Aberg was picked up on waivers after the Edmonton Oilers saw no need for him any longer. It wasn’t long after joining the roster that the Ducks put him back on waivers and sent him down to play with the San Diego Gulls. However, he only spent two games under Dallas Eakins before receiving a call up from the big club.
He became a mainstay in the lineup during his second stint last season with the Ducks. At one point, he led the entire team in goals. However, it is a reasonable assumption to say he could not maintain his point production. Due to what was rumored to be attitude issues that were having a negative effect in the locker room, Bob Murray made the decision to ultimately trade him to the Minnesota Wild for Justin Kloos.
Final Grade: D
Bob Murray’s 2018-19 Trades
Marcus Pettersson for Daniel Sprong
This is probably my favorite trade of the season. The Pittsburgh Penguins needed defense, acquiring Marcus Pettersson, and the Anaheim Ducks were in the market for a player like Daniel Sprong. Being robbed of the opportunity to make a difference in Pittsburgh, Sprong welcomed the change. Although Sprong is still young, he shows the potential to be a dangerous player for the Anaheim Ducks. He has, by far, the best shot on the team, and with a little more growth, he could be a dangerous offensive weapon for them in the future.
Andrew Cogliano for Devin Shore
After refusing to fire Randy Carlyle, Bob Murray decided to deal with his team’s issues by making a few solicited trades. First on the chopping block was Andrew Cogliano. Known for his defensive flare, his production had taken a nosedive during 2018-19 and his blatant mistakes on the ice made him an easy target.
In exchange for Andrew Cogliano, Bob Murray acquired Devin Shore from the Dallas Stars. Shore was a younger version of Coligano who was able to finish on breakaways and added a little more offensive upside.
Luke Schenn for Michael Del Zotto
Trading Luke Schenn was a victory for the Anaheim Ducks, but bringing in Michael Del Zotto wasn’t much of an upgrade. Del Zotto would go on to play only 12 games for the Anaheim Ducks before he was traded to the St. Louis Blues and went on to win the Stanely Cup.
Joseph Blandisi for Derek Grant
Everyone was excited when the news broke that Bob Murray was bringing back Derek Grant after allowing him to walk in free agency. In order to bring Elite 1 C back into the fold, Joseph Blandisi, one of the San Diego Gulls better AHL players, was sent to Pittsburgh.
This wasn’t a trade that affected the Anaheim Ducks negatively, as they didn’t lose anything players from their roster at the time. Nevertheless, this allowed the Ducks to roll out a fourth line with Derek Grant and Carter Rowney at the helm.
Pontus Aberg for Justin Kloos
It was a shock when Bob Murray traded their top goal scorer for an AHL player. However, after rumors that Aberg had an attitude problem and clashed with Randy Carlyle, it made sense as to why he was one of the first players Murray traded. Kloos didn’t have any impact on the Anaheim Ducks roster, but he would go on to score 15 points in 25 games for the San Diego Gulls.
Brian Gibbons for Patrick Sieloff
Brian Gibbons was ineffective for the Anaheim Ducks and was therefore put on the trade block during the trade deadline. It was impressive that Murray was able to even get anything for Gibbons in the long run, but the Ottawa Senators were willing to give up Patrick Sieloff.
Sieloff went straight to the AHL and played 14 games and 3 playoff games for the San Diego Gulls. He didn’t have much of an impact on the roster but it allowed the Ducks to give a spot with the big club.
Michael Del Zotto for 2019 6th Round Draft Pick (Matthew Hill)
Michael Del Zotto was rather ineffective for the Anaheim Ducks, playing only 12 games before being traded to St. Louis at the Trade Deadline. The Ducks were able to snag a 6th round pick for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, who they used to draft defenseman Matthew Hill. Hill could turn out to be a decent stay at home defenseman for the Ducks depending on how he progresses in his development over the next few years.
Brandon Montour for Brendan Guhle and 2019 1st Round Draft Picks (Brayden Tracey)
Over the past few seasons, Brandon Montour had taken on increased responsibility for the Anaheim Ducks. The young defenseman was forced into a Top 4 role and given increased ice time. He took on his new role in stride, but it was clear that his development had come to a halt under the Anaheim Ducks.
Bob Murray knew that Ducks needed to get younger and faster, so at the trade deadline, with Montour’s contract one of the easiest to move, he traded Montour to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Brendan Guhle and a 2019 1st round draft pick that they used on Brayden Tracey.
Prior to drafting Rasmus Dahlin, Guhle was one of the Sabre’s favorite defensive prospects. However, drafting Dahlin first overall made Guhle expendable to the franchise, making him the perfect trade target for Bob Murray. Although he was injured for most of his time with the Ducks, he proved that he could be responsible in both ends and create controlled chaos for his opponents. Brayden Tracey is going to be a little bit of a project, but if the Ducks are willing to put the work in, he could be an absolute steal at 29th overall.
Final Grade: B
Coaching
For weeks before the firing of Randy Carlyle, Bob Murray made the claim that his coach would be staying until, everyone assumed, at least the end of the season. However, after the fans put their foot down and things went a little haywire when it came to renewing the seats of season ticket holders, it came to the attention of Henry and Susan Samueli that something needed to change.
The solution? Firing Randy Carlyle. Instead of bringing in a coach midway through the season, Bob Murray did something very outlandish and bold. Had it backfired, he likely would have been out of a job. Putting his own career on the line, Murray stepped out of the comfort of his office and stepped behind the bench as the Anaheim Ducks interim head coach.
During his time as interim head coach, his win-loss record was 14-11-1 for a points percentage total of .558%. Compared to Randy Carlyle’s earlier season totals of 21-26-9 and .455%, Bob Murray did a decent job coaching in hindsight. Although it was not enough to pull the Ducks out of their slump and lead them to the playoffs, there was a decent incentive in the end in the form of a first-round draft pick, Trevor Zegras.
He only had 26 games to test his coaching skills, which were only really average at best. However, his time on the bench really changed the team atmosphere. The fighting spirit was instilled back into the players and there was vast improvement during the last few months of the season compared to the first few months under Randy Carlyle.
Final Grade: C+
Interaction with the Players and the Fan Base
Sometimes, the best approach is to be humble and take the low road. However, there were points during the season where Bob Murray refused to admit to any wrongdoing and it really hurt his reputation among the fans. His blatant disregard to the chaos behind the bench and in the locker room for so long is a big reason the Anaheim Ducks sunk so fast last season.
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When he finally came to the conclusion that something needed to be done, he targeted his players instead of dealing with the real issue. This came in the form of several trades. While, in hindsight, these trades would be necessary for future success, it was not fair for him to blame his players when the real problem grew more obvious with each passing day.
Although he finally relieved Randy Carlyle of his duties, the damage had already been done and there was really no possible way to salvage to the season. He did put his reputation and job on the line to try and fix things, which we certainly admire. Nevertheless, the whole situation went amiss and his interaction with both his players and the fans during the 2018-19 season is something we’d much rather forget.
Final Grade: D+
Total Grade for the 2018-19 Season: C-
Bob Murray made a few major missteps in 2018-19 followed by a few brilliant moves over the course of the season. Free agency and his interaction with the team and his fanbase really hurt him. However, his trades and his time behind the bench were his saving grace. For that reason, Murray received a passing grade on the season, but barely. We can only hope he redeems himself a little bit in 2019-20!
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Would you give Bob Murray a passing or failing grade for the 2018-19 season? Share what letter grade you would give him down in the comments below!