Anaheim Ducks Mailbag: Ryan Getzlaf’s Retirement Plans

Heading into the 2020-21 season, we all have questions about the Anaheim Ducks. You asked, so we answered.

With the uncertainty of the 2020-21 season, many questions have gone unanswered. Even more so for Anaheim Ducks fans. Bob Murray has made his expectations for the season clear; he wants his team to compete. However, his actions seem to reflect the exact opposite. This has left fans both puzzled and frustrated. We have more questions than we can count, with little to no answers.

It has been a while since we have done a mailbag here at Pucks of a Feather, but we knew you would have questions and we, as always, have a plethora of opinions at the ready. You asked, and now we are answering.

1. Will Ryan Getzlaf retire with the Anaheim Ducks?

Ben Thomasian: Yeah, probably. But, I could see him leave for a season before coming back to retire.

Garrett Brown: This feels like it could be a touchy subject. For many years now, Ryan Getzlaf has been at the forefront of Anaheim Ducks hockey, and fans may be reluctant to let him go. With players of his caliber and historically long tenure (he could feasibly get to the top 20 of games played with a single franchise after two more seasons), there are two main reasons for a player to part ways.

First, they could become a salary-cap casualty (see Corey Perry). In this instance, a player may demand long term when signing a contract in their prime, but by the end of the deal, it has become an anchor to a team based on the player’s diminishing return. Buyouts or lopsided trades will soon follow.

The second possibility is that after spending years and years chasing the illustrious Stanley Cup, a player makes the difficult decision to leave, instead of spending the twilight of their career on a contending team (see Joe Thornton or Ray Bourque). Because Ryan Getzlaf doesn’t fit this bill on either end, I am going to guess that he will finish his career with the Ducks.

Currently; yes, his salary does hurt the Ducks relative to his production. However, his contract is up next year and the next contract he signs will be considerably smaller, and I believe that Bob Murray will want to bring back a cup-winning captain who is capable of mentoring countless young Ducks.

Brad Senecal: Yes. Now I do believe that a detour may occur at some point, as Getzlaf is entering the final year of his contract term. I mentioned in my previous article if the Anaheim Ducks are on the outside of the playoff race once the trade deadline comes, I believe Murray would be crazy not to move the captain.

Getzlaf has played for a long time, and I believe he would love to make one more run for a Stanley Cup. There are a ton of teams that could use a player like Getzlaf to put their team over the top, though the Ducks would have to retain salary, I feel that they would still be able to receive a fair compensation.

However I do not believe Getzlaf is ready to retire for a couple more years, and if he were to leave at the deadline and potentially win the cup, he will return to Anaheim to finish his career, similar to Patrick Marleau (barring another trade this year of course).

Ciara Durant: Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that Ryan Getzlaf will retire with the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Getzlaf is the Anaheim Ducks. Every pinnacle the franchise has reached has been under the tutelage of everyone’s favorite chicken coop building, bald-headed, Dadslaf. Getzy not retiring with the Ducks would be an even bigger travesty than Paul Kariya, and possibly Corey Perry, not retiring with the organization.

Now, I think the more important question is: will Ryan Getzlaf spend his entire career in Anaheim? And that is a subject, much like the situation with Pears, that is painful to talk about. With all the rumors surrounding our Captain the last two seasons, it would not be a surprise to me if Bob Murray offered him the chance to play elsewhere prior to retiring for the chance at another Cup.

His contract is quite expensive, and while he is off the books after next season, Murray could rake in quite a decent asset or two by trading Getzy at the Trade Deadline. I doubt the Ducks actually pull the trigger, but I also didn’t think they’d actually buyout Corey Perry. Nevertheless, Getzlaf will retire as a Duck. I’m sure fans would rather burn down Honda Center before they let him retire in something other than a Ducks jersey.

2.) Looking at the start of the 2020-2021 season, do you see this team making a run for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot, or are they one or two years away from returning to the playoffs?

Ben Thomasian: Probably not, no, and also no to the following 1-2 seasons. They’ll get worse over the next 3 years as their prime movers get older and players of Troy Terry‘s age bracket don’t sufficiently fill the gap. Kevin Shattenkirk makes them better this year, but better enough to make the big show…? It’s possible, but I don’t think quite enough.

They’re doing the budget version of Karlsson to San Jose, and we know how that turned out. When prospects like Trevor Zegras come into maturity as players they will likely have a chance at the postseason again, but that will be determined by whether they continue to add players around him of the same ilk and age bracket, or if they attempt to chase a playoff berth and give up on rebuilding with an aim for a cup win one day down the track.

Garrett Brown: The goal is to be as competitive as possible, as it should be. The aim is the playoffs (and the added revenue that comes with it), and without sounding overly biased, I think there is an outside chance at that happening.

Let’s consider for a second that the Anaheim Ducks were only 5 points away from making the playoffs last year (11 in a normal playoff format). The ground to make up is not completely out of the realm of possibility.

Let’s also consider the (small) additions that Murray has recently made. Kevin Shattenkirk boosts a defensive corps and instills confidence in a lowly powerplay. Christian Djoos also adds some much-needed depth to a defense that will hopefully make life on John Gibson easier.

Derek Grant adds #Elite1C effectiveness to a growing, improving forward group. I, for one, also believe that Troy Terry is bound to take major steps, along with Maxime Comtois, Max Jones, and Sam Steel. It’s fair to say that the Ducks could show improvement in every position group next year.

Considering the requirements to make the playoffs (especially in a potentially altered regular season), the Ducks do have some divisional ground to make up. Vegas is sure to be in, and Edmonton is always a dark horse and seems to have had a strong offseason. Vancouver also appears to have a strong chance of clinching. Barring any surprises, the Ducks will be in a dog fight with a handful of other teams.

Brad Senecal: I think the Ducks could very unlikely sneak into the playoffs this year, but they are not close to contending. Vegas, Edmonton, and Calgary will likely be at the top of the Pacific Division. Vancouver had its fair share of losses this offseason but still hold the talent where they will be a postseason favorite. That leaves the Anaheim Ducks competing with Arizona, Los Angeles, and San Jose, along with four teams from the strong Central Division.

The Coyotes I believe will take a big step backward, barring their young talent emerging. The Kings should improve this season with their loaded prospect pool beginning to push for roster spots. The Sharks are still very intriguing with their big-money talent. I believe they are still a year or two away, but the Ducks could surprise many and make the playoffs. However, they also could finish at the bottom of the division.

Ciara Durant: As much as I would love to answer this question with a resounding yes, I don’t see how it’s possible. Yes, Bob Murray has made it clear that he believes this team can compete, and I suppose his acquisition of Shattenkirk was the evidence to back up his claims. Nevertheless, I don’t believe Shattenkirk is going to fix all of the Anaheim Ducks glaring issues.

Unless Shattenkirk can outscore every single player on his new team, and as a veteran defenseman, the chances of that happening are slim to none. Sure, he will improve the blueline, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that Dallas Eakins doesn’t seem to understand how to coach his defense.

Derek Grant is back, and maybe that counts for something, but, like Shattenkirk, he doesn’t really fix any issues. In fact, as much as we love Elite 1 C, he may be adding to them (please do not come for my head!)

I genuinely believe the Anaheim Ducks’ focus should be building through the draft. Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Lukas Dostal, and Jacob Perreault are all a good start. However, taking into consideration the competition, the possibility of a shortened season, division realignments, and everything else, Anaheim making the playoffs this season, and even the season after, seems illogical. It’s certainly not impossible, but it’s not a realistic goal for the franchise.

3.) Is Bob Murray done in free agency? If not, do you think Duclair could be a potential target for Anaheim?

Ben Thomasian: He may not be done yet. They don’t have a definite goalie signed for this year’s backup or next year’s expansion unless Stolarz is their man. Murray needs to cut salary in trade first, but he’ll likely do something.

That something won’t be anything we fans need to worry about though, so firm no regarding Anthony Duclair. He’s also not really the Anaheim Ducks “type” if that makes sense. Rumors were around about Sami Vatanen, so if they’ve given up on Jacob Larsson, Brendan Guhle, and Josh Mahura, he could be an option for what would just be a ridiculously good defense. Either way, I think we’ll see the Ducks be active on the trade market and then attempt to woo one of the cheaper veteran free agents.

Garrett Brown: Bob Murray is in a classic cap crunch. The intricacies of navigating this year’s flat cap are over my head, but as far as I know, Murray needs to make additional moves this offseason in order to make any more moves to his active roster. Ryan Kesler’s contract doesn’t come off the books until the season begins. Until then the Ducks are essentially “over the cap” and cannot go any further than 10% over. I regress.

Anthony Duclair would be a great pickup for what should be considered a rebuilding roster. He played on an Ottawa Senators’ team that didn’t offer much in the sense of help; yet, he scored 23 goals and was named an all-star. He would’ve been the Anaheim Ducks second-leading scorer.

To be able to put up that kind of production on a rebuilding team should speak to Bob Murray. Although it is something that I would love to see, I have to say, I would be surprised to see any additional “big names” come to Anaheim.

Brad Senecal: If Bob Murray does anything I believe he will look at another goaltender. Other than a rough stretch with the Edmonton Oilers in 2019, Anthony Stolarz has played well in a small sample size. However, if he is looking to push for the playoffs as he says, it is doubtful he will bank on that small sample.

I believe Ryan Miller would be the front runner should he decide to return, but keep an eye on Jimmy Howard, a veteran goaltender who does have a Stanley Cup to his name and has been on poor teams over the past few years. As far as Duclair, it would be interesting to see him join the Ducks group, but if he does I believe it will be on a short one-year. I doubt that Murray would want to bring a young player in a one-year ‘show me’ contract as his Restricted status is now no more.

Ciara Durant: Murray is done, and if he isn’t, he might make a small and very insignificant acquisition. It seems as though the Ducks are likely going to move forward with Stolarz since they have brought Lukas Dostal to North America, which to me, means he’s likely taking over duties in San Diego. As for Duclair, while it would be nice to have him on the team, Murray can’t really bring him in unless he clears some cap space. I think Murray is content with Shattenkirk and Grant, but I guess only time will tell.

4.) What do you think the Ducks should do regarding their top six heading into the 2021 season and would the changing philosophy of players coming in possibly impact guys like Rakell or Jones?

Ben Thomasian: I guess that one depends on whether you believe they need a full rebuild or can make minor tweaks to get back to cup contenders if that is indeed their aim (I doubt it is in truth, just making the playoffs has been this teams Stanley Cup for the last decade).

Personally, I think they should sell “high” if they can and try to get younger. Henrique,  Silf, Rakell are all nice players you add to an already good roster,  but they’re not players you build around. I’d attempt to trade one or two of them and persevere with a youth movement, though that may be near impossible with their current cap constraints and the market as it is.

If the Anaheim Ducks would be required to add draft picks or prospects to the trade to move those players out, like I suspect may be the case, then I guess I would just roll with it. They’re not in a bad position, but I struggle to see how a largely veteran forward group will get better, nor how the Ducks will maximize their prospects (e.g. Comtois) development, at present.

Garrett Brown: The Anaheim Ducks have as fluid of a “top 6” as I can think of. Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, and Rickard Rakell are probably fixtures, but staying true to my original notion, I can see these guys moving up and down the lineup as well. In addition to them, players like Danton Heinen, Sonny Milano, Troy Terry, and Max Jones all project to get chances playing top 6 minutes. And I have to say, this group doesn’t scream “contender” to me.

Going back to the last question, I truly do think Murray should address this through free agency or otherwise. Bulking up that top 6, and providing more talent seems like priority number one at this point. If I had my way, we would see Duclair or Mike Hoffman coming in to shore up our depth on offense. Unless something of this magnitude occurs, I think the Ducks will be moving forward with a “top 6 by committee”, and I don’t like their chances.

Brad Senecal: Disclaimer: As excited as most Ducks fans are about Trevor Zegras joining the team, I am an advocate to give him more time. I was admittedly a bit disappointed when he signed, as I believed another year in the NCAA would do him a lot of good, but I am hoping he stays with San Diego for most of this year. Between him, Brayden Tracey, Sam Colangelo, and Jacob Perreault, I believe the combinations of the top 6 will be interesting.

As far as this year goes, I hope that Dallas Eakins goes back to playing Sam Steel as a center for Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg. Steel has had a good amount of success playing with these two and I believe will give him the best opportunity to meet his potential, with Rakell the creative sniper with good hands and Silfverberg an already smart offensive and defensive winger.

For the next two lines, I am unsure who you would call the second and third line, but I would definitely like to see Max Jones paired with Ryan Getzlaf and Troy Terry pair with Adam Henrique. Getzlaf has had success with bigger body players who have a knack for getting to the net (Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, Pat Maroon are a couple that come to mind) and Jones has been a sparkplug of sorts and I believe could have a great year with the captain.

Terry has been asked to be a scoring threat, and while that has been far from the case, he has shown the ability to play well defensively, carry the puck, and dish out to teammates. Pair him with the smart center of Adam Henrique who has proven capable of putting the puck in the net and I believe Terry will see the benefits.

Ciara Durant: I honestly don’t think we’re going to see much change to the Top 6. I am in the same camp as Brad concerning Zegras. I don’t think it’s a good idea for Murray and co. to push him into the NHL too fast. While I believe he could probably handle himself sufficiently, I would like to see him spend some time with the San Diego Gulls before making the permanent jump into the NHL. Especially because I believe other players deserve a chance to prove themselves this season and with Zegras in the mix, that throws a wrench into that plan.

Again, like Brad, I have been a huge advocate for seeing Terry play permanently alongside Adam Henrique. Rickard Rakell probably won’t be affected much, he’s going to remain in the Top 6, whether it’s beside Getzlaf or Silfverberg. As for Max Jones, with players like Maxime Comtois, Sonny Milano, Danton Heinen now in the mix, I don’t know exactly where he fits in. I think this is going to be a prove-it season for both Jones and Comtois, so may the best Max win.