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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Anaheim Ducks

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for this year. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. 

What are the Anaheim Ducks most thankful for? 

Still being in the hunt after so many injuries.

From the time the Ducks were knocked out of the 2017 playoffs, the injuries announcements have never ceased. First it was Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen needing shoulder surgery. Then Ryan Kesler needed hip surgery. Just after the season started Patrick Eaves was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and then Ryan Getzlaf took a puck to the face that required surgery. Add in more major injuries to Cam Fowler and Ondrej Kase and the team should be at the very bottom of the standings were it not for some incredible depth. 7-7-3 isn’t where Randy Carlyle and the front office expected to be after 17 games, but they’ll take it considering how the last few months have gone.

Who are the Ducks most thankful for? 

Rickard Rakell and Brandon Montour.

Everyone knew how talented Rakell and Montour were, but no one expected them to put the team on their back like they have. Rakell is playing more than 20 minutes a night and leads the team in scoring, while Montour showed off his top-pairing upside prior to Lindholm and Vatanen’s return. While he’s now settling into a more reasonable role, the future holds bright things for Montour. His five goals and nine points both lead the Ducks defense corps, including tallies in all situations (even strength, powerplay and short handed).

Nick RitchieWhat would the Ducks be even more thankful for? 

A step forward by Nick Ritchie.

Even with the opportunity afforded him with injuries, Ritchie has been a disappointment this season for those who expected him to take a step forward. Selected 10th-overall in 2014, he has just four points this season and has been demoted to the fourth-line. His ice time was limited to fewer than ten minutes in each of the last two games, and he has just a single goal on the year.

Ritchie will turn 22 in a few weeks, and the Ducks will need more out of him as the season goes on. Right now even his 28 point mark from last season seems far-fetched unless he gets back to the attacking, power game he showed in spurts last season. He’ll need to get back in Carlyle’s good books to do so.

What should be on the Ducks’ Holiday Wish List? 

Another reliable option at center.

The Ducks came into the year with questions at center behind Getzlaf and Kesler, and the injuries have only exacerbated those depth issues. They currently have the imposing quartet of Chris Wagner, Derek Grant, Antoine Vermette and Kalle Kossila down the middle, which just isn’t going to cut it. Sure, Getzlaf and Kessler will be back at some point but if they truly want to compete in the playoffs this season they’ll need to add at some point.

The question will be what the Ducks are willing to give up to acquire that center, as the 2018 draft is shaping up to be exceptional. First-round picks (even late ones) are worth a lot, and most of the options down the middle are on expiring contracts. They decided that Eaves was worth the loss last year, and even re-signed him this summer to a three-year deal. Is it worth it again to provide some backup for their top two pivots?

Remember that Anaheim already lost some of their defensive prospect capital when they moved Shea Theodore to the Vegas Golden Knights. While moving Vatanen at one point looked like a lock given what was coming up behind him, they don’t look quite as deep at the position anymore. That said, the team has several tough financial decisions looming over the next couple of summers—Montour, Ritchie, Kase, John Gibson, Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg all need new contracts before 2019-20—making the idea of shedding money from the back end a little more enticing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ducks Seeking Help At Center

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When everyone is healthy, the Ducks are one of the stronger teams in the NHL down the middle.  However, with their top two centers in Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler out long-term, GM Bob Murray has been trying to add help at that position, he acknowledged to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register.

Currently, Anaheim is running with Derek Grant, Kalle Kossila, Dennis Rasmussen, and Antoine Vermette at that position.  The team has experimented playing winger Rickard Rakell at center in the past so the fact they’re not doing so here is a telling sign that they don’t really view him as an option at that spot anymore.

[Related: Ducks Depth Chart from Roster Resource]

The Ducks were one of the teams that were in on then-Colorado pivot Matt Duchene who was eventually dealt to Ottawa last weekend in a three-team deal that also saw Nashville land and extend Kyle Turris.  They also had interest in former Vegas center Vadim Shipachyov according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman although the signing bonus repayment, as well as the Russian center simply wanting to return home threw a wrinkle in those talks.

The fact that they were willing to take the second year of Shipachyov’s contract (which carried a $4.5MM cap hit before his retirement) is particularly noteworthy.  The team already has more than $61MM committed to just 13 players for next season per CapFriendly so it’s a bit surprising that they would take on a sizable multi-year commitment to fill a short-term hole.

Further complicating things financially is the litany of injuries the team has.  On top of missing Getzlaf and Kesler, Anaheim is also without defenseman Cam Fowler (knee) as well as forwards Patrick Eaves (Guillain-Barre syndrome), Ondrej Kase (concussion), and Jared Boll (lower-body injury).  The recalls to replace those players have the team already using LTIR on Eaves and while they could transfer other players to there in the short-term, that will only create more complications later in the year when everyone is ready to return.

As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Murray and the Ducks turn to cheaper expiring contracts in the pursuit of shoring up their depth without dealing any of their established defenders.  That way, as players return, they could subsequently be waived and sent down with minimal cap consequences or simply moved elsewhere.  There aren’t many top-six centers known to be available so if they can’t add there, improving their depth would at least represent a small improvement while serving as a hedge against further injury troubles.  They already added Toronto center Eric Fehr on a minor league loan earlier in the week so it wouldn’t be surprising to see something done there if he plays well in AHL San Diego.

Snapshots: 2019 Draft, Kase, Price

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Craig Button of TSN takes an early look at the top prospects for the 2019 draft, and leading the pack is Jack Hughes. We’ve mentioned Hughes before at PHR, but his name continues to come up as a potential first-overall pick in the 2019 discussion. The son of former NHL assistant coach and Toronto Maple Leafs Director of Player Development Jim Hughes, the 16-year old is dominating in the US Development Program after an eye-opening season in Toronto midget hockey.

Hughes scored 159 points in 80 games as the captain of the Toronto Marlboros, and is an elite center ice prospect. Amazingly the Hughes family even has a chance to go top-5 in back to back drafts, as eldest brother Quinton Hughes is an outstanding defenseman eligible to be selected in 2018. He’s playing at the University of Michigan already, where he’s put up five points in eight games.

  • The Anaheim Ducks have placed Ondrej Kase on injured reserve to join the rest of their injuries, which brings to mind an interesting case going into next summer. Kase is a pending restricted free agent, and has looked early on this season like he’s about to breakout. As a rookie last year he scored just 15 points, but he already has five goals and eight points in 12 games for the injury-ravaged Ducks. Anaheim has over $60MM owed next season to just 13 players, which is going to make things tough in the summer. Kase, Nick Ritchie and Brandon Montour (among others) are all RFAs, and with the injuries all three have been given more opportunity. That could cost the Ducks as the trio heads into the summer with higher counting stats. Too many good players is never a bad thing, but Anaheim will need to be careful with how they distribute their funds.
  • Speaking of injured reserve stints, the Montreal Canadiens have moved Carey Price to their IR list. Price hasn’t played since November 2nd so he won’t be kept out any longer than he needs to recover, as the stint will be backdated to cover the seven-day minimum. While you never wish for injury, perhaps this break will be exactly what Price needs to get his season back on track. In his first 11 games, Price registered a save percentage above .900 just three times. For a goaltender who averaged a .928 mark over the last four seasons, his performance so far this year was shockingly unfamiliar.

Ryan Getzlaf Undergoes Surgery, Out Up To Two Months

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The hits just keep coming for the Anaheim Ducks. Today, the team announced that Ryan Getzlaf has undergone surgery on his zygomatic (cheek) bone and will be out up to two months. Getzlaf was hit in the face with the puck on October 29th against Carolina, and had the surgery yesterday to repair a fracture. This is just the latest in what has been an incredibly injury-filled season so far for the Ducks, who are still without Ryan Kesler and Cam Fowler long-term.

Getzlaf’s absence has been tough on the Ducks, who had questions about their center position even before losing their top two options. The team has had to rely on players like Derek Grant and Antoine Vermette to pick up the slack, but could eventually need to look outside the organization for some help.

GM Bob Murray did tell Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register that Kesler and Fowler were progressing, but even when he gets back into a game it will likely take some time before he’s at full strength. Kesler hasn’t played this year following hip surgery, and back in September the hope was to have him back by Christmas. If the Ducks do go outside the organization, they don’t have a ton of cap space to play with.

Interestingly, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Ducks tried to acquire Vadim Shipachyov from the Vegas Golden Knights, but couldn’t get around the issue of the bonus repayment. Had he been moved, the Golden Knights wouldn’t be entitled to the nearly $2MM that Shipachyov will give back as he files his retirement papers.

Cogliano To Become Fourth Player In NHL History To Play 800 Straight Games

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  • Ducks winger Andrew Cogliano is set to become only the fourth player in NHL history to play in 800 straight games when he suits up tonight against San Jose, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. He will become only the second player to do so in the first 800 games of his career.  The record is held by Doug Jarvis at 964, meaning that if he can stay healthy, Cogliano should have a chance at beating the record in a couple of years.

Reto Berra Placed On Waivers

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UPDATE (11/4): Berra has cleared waivers and is expected to be reassigned to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls prior to tonight’s game against the rival San Jose Sharks.

The Anaheim Ducks had been carrying three goaltenders for the past few days, but have now decided to place Reto Berra on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Adam Clendening, the only player on waivers yesterday, has cleared and is being sent to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL.

As we spoke about in our live chat yesterday, placing Berra on waivers seems like a risky proposition at the moment. With the Vegas Golden Knights struggling to continue their early pace, and relying on a tandem of Maxime Lagace and Dylan Ferguson, sneaking a goaltender with NHL experience through waivers will be tough. While there is always no guarantee of a claim, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Berra on his way out of the Anaheim organization.

The 30-year old goaltender has 73 games of NHL experience under his belt, including a run of 27 starts for Calgary in the 2013-14 season. Though he’s never been a goaltender you can rely on as a full-time starter, his career save percentage of .903 is at least good enough for an emergency. With a cap hit of just $700K, he will come completely off the cap for the Ducks if they’re able to successfully bury him in the minors.

Kevin Bieksa Could Return By The Weekend

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  • Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa could be available to return to the lineup as soon as Friday, head coach Randy Carlyle noted to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. The veteran rearguard is set to miss his fourth straight game due to a hand injury against Toronto.  Anaheim has been dealing with injuries on the back end all season; they’ve been without at least two of their regular defenders in every game so far.

Ryan Getzlaf Leaves Game With Facial Injury

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The already injury-riddled Anaheim Ducks have yet another health concern and possibly the most worrisome to date. The latest casualty was none other than captain Ryan Getzlaf, who took a shot to the face from his long-time partner in crime, Corey Perry, in the opening seconds of tonight’s game versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Getzlaf was evaluated for an “upper body injury” before eventually being declared out for the game by the team.

Initially, the injury seemed far from serious (video). Getzlaf seemed only stunned by the shot, which lost much of its momentum after a deflection by the ’Canes Sebastian Aho. There was no blood nor any exaggerated reaction and Getzlaf skated off the ice without issue. However, when he did not return, things became somewhat more daunting for the Ducks. Getzlaf, without a doubt, is the leader of the Anaheim forward corps and plays an invaluable role for the team. Fortunately, the injury still does not have the appearance of anything major and Getzlaf’s absence could be purely precautionary. At worst, a facial injury – even a bone break – tends to be a short-term loss. The Minnesota Wild’s Marcus Foligno for example missed only a week with a facial fracture suffered in a fight earlier this season.

Yet, in the context of Anaheim’s mounting losses, any extended absence for Getzlaf could be problematic. Ryan Miller finally made his ducks debut tonight and Hampus Lindholm and Ondrej Kase re-joined the team this week as well, but that still leaves an injured reserve that features Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, Cam Fowler, and Kevin Bieksa and an active Sami Vatanen who still seems unprepared to resume play. The Ducks already have Korbinian Holzer and Jaycob Megna playing key roles on the blue line; the team can’t afford the same lack of depth up front, particularly at center, where a long stretch with 35-year-old Antoine Vermette as the top option down the middle could spell disaster for the team. The Ducks need to get healthy, and suddenly that starts with avoiding any sidelining of Getzlaf (if possible).

Vegas Expected To Promote Shea Theodore

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One positive of all the recent Vegas Golden Knights waiver moves is likely to come out of everything. And that’s TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s report that with veteran defenseman Jason Garrison having cleared waivers today and the team placing defenseman Griffin Reinhart on waivers today, the Golden Knights are expected to recall top prospect defenseman Shea Theodore from Chicago of the AHL today and have him join the team for Monday’s game against the New York Islanders.

Theodore is the 22-year-old prize of Vegas’ expansion draft this summer when they got the 2013 first-round pick from Anaheim in an expansion draft trade in exchange for selecting Clayton Stoner and his pricey contract. Theodore was a key contributor for the Anaheim Ducks last year, especially during their playoff run, putting up nine points in 34 regular season games, but also eight points in 14 playoff games.

While he was one of the team’s top defenders in training camp, the Golden Knights sent Theodore, who is waiver eligible, to the Wolves, while the team sorted out its roster. The blueliner didn’t disappoint while waiting in Chicago, dominating in the AHL. He put up five goals and six assists in eight games and looks ready to take a major role on the Golden Knights 8-1 team.

As for Garrison, who cleared waivers today, the 32-year-old defender has been assigned to Chicago and is expected to play for the Wolves on Monday, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp.

 

Western Notes: Vlasic, Shipachyov, Kossila, Oleksy

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The San Jose Sharks seem to have faired well on a five-game East Coast road trip and the team is 5-5. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) released his 10 Sharks observations, and is quick to lodge his complaint on the team’s usage of veteran defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who he believes should not be used on the power play any more.

While Kurz writes that he isn’t taking away from Vlasic’s defensive game as he is fantastic at covering other team’s top players, he points out that he is the wrong guy for the power play and has been for some time. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Vlasic has played 169:25 minutes of ice time on the power play for San Jose, sixth-most on the team. He has one goal and seven assists in those two-plus years on the power play and just a lone assist this year in 25 minutes of power play time.

The team needs to look for a younger defenseman to take over that role on San Jose’s second power play unit and Kurz pointed to rookie Joakim Ryan as a possible candidate. While the 24-year-old has been pointless so far this season, Ryan led the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in shots on goal last season with 185. His 10 goals and 39 assists last year, suggest he might be able to handle that role.

  • The Vadim Shipachyov saga isn’t over yet. Expected to skate tonight with the AHL Chicago Wolves after being assigned there Wednesday by the Vegas Golden Knights, the 30-year-old playmaker is not in tonight’s lineup for the Wolves in their game against the Milwaukee Admirals, according to Jesse Granger of The Las Vegas Sun. Chicago has not specified why he isn’t in the lineup. However, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Shipachyov will not play and is returning to Las Vegas to be with his family. He did practice with Chicago yesterday, which is why he was expected to play today. The KHL veteran had been assigned at the start of the year to Chicago, but didn’t report and Vegas allowed him to stay in Vegas. However, there is no indication the team had planned to allow him the same courtesy this time around.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have reassigned center Kalle Kossila and defenseman Steven Oleksy to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Two moves had to be made after the team activated both Sami Vatanen and Ryan Miller for tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kossila, played in two games for Anaheim this week, putting up a goal and an assist. The 24-year-old had two goals and four assists in five AHL games. Oleksy was called up Thursday, but did not play. The 31-year-old blueliner has two goals and two assists in five games for the Gulls.

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