Anaheim Ducks Raise, Call, Fold: The Return of Randy Carlyle

4. Bob Murray made the right choice by not making any bold moves during free agency.

Jonathan Maxfield: Call- I wasn’t enamored with most of the free agents available, and seeing the contracts of Trouba, Hayes, Myers, and Panarin all got, I’m perfectly content sitting these ones out. The Ducks have always built better from within and with trades, no need to have Sustr, Schenn, Allen, Souray, and Stoner 102.0.

Ed Stein: Call- If I had the answer to this one, I’d be the G.M. In my opinion, GMBM really didn’t have much of a choice. He wasn’t going to sign any of the high profile free agents such as Panarin or Mats Zuccarello. I would have liked it if he brought in a legitimate tough guy like Pierre-Edouard Bellmere to protect the kids.

Khalid Hart: Raise- I would’ve liked to see some action in free agency. However, I understand our cap situation, so it is understandable why nothing happened. Also, we’re not on the radar for overpaying anyone, i.e. that Kevin Hayes contract! There aren’t too many (if any) uber-hot players that the Ducks just have to have right at this moment. So, it’s okay to sit on that $8M for the time being. Who knows, it may come in handy during the trade deadline.

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TJ Watson: Call- I do think we could have looked into some of the free agents, but some of them would’ve broken the bank and cost us a lot of money. Plus, I want to see one year of our young guys playing under Eakins and see how his system works.

Alan Negrete: Call- In Free Agency, from the beginning, I think I can speak for most when we saw Perry leave. I thought that we would get a start payer for the space that was made with the buyout of Perry’s contract. Then again, I love seeing the confidence the organization has in the rookies, who will be playing next season, which is why I also think that free agency wasn’t such a bust.

Kenny Marcial: Call- Free Agency is typically a cesspool and Murray wasn’t in a legitimate position to sign Artemi Panarin, who I believe will be one of the only players to live up to his contract. Murray has the owner’s full support to retool the roster and didn’t feel the need to add players that will stunt the development of our prospects. Murray has options to man the right side on the second defensive pairing, so there wasn’t a need to spend a ridiculous amount to bring on via free agency or trade.

Ciara Durant: Raise- I wholeheartedly believe GMBM made the right move by staying relatively silent during free agency (aside from a few moves geared towards San Diego.) There isn’t a whole lot of room on the roster without making a few trades and the Anaheim Ducks have all the right pieces, it just comes down to finding the right combinations, which may take a while! Of course, I would rather have seen Murray sign someone in free agency than trade away a 4th round pick for Nicolas Deslauriers.

I know a lot of people are unhappy he didn’t sign someone who can increase the Ducks goal production, but we have Rickard Rakell and Ondrej Kase, who are both due for a rebound in 2019-20. Even Nick Ritchie will be a valuable asset next season, and I think under the accountability of Dallas Eakins, we will see him mature a lot. The Ducks are putting a lot of responsibility on their youth, yes, but I think the relationships they’ve already forged with Eakins will help them adjust better.

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