- While Pat Verbeek eventually landed the Anaheim Ducks general manager job, another assistant GM was apparently close. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Jason Botterill, AGM of the Seattle Kraken, was a finalist for the Ducks position. It would have been Botterill’s second chance in charge of a front office after his short stint with the Buffalo Sabres, one which did not go well. In three years leading the Sabres, the team finished no higher than sixth in the Atlantic Division and his draft results were certainly mixed. While he did land Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens, other high picks were used on Casey Mittelstadt (8th, 2017), Marcus Davisson (37th, 2017), Mattias Samuelsson (32nd, 2018), and Ryan Johnson (31st, 2019), all players who have either struggled or been unable to quite make their mark at the NHL level just yet.
Ducks Rumors
Anaheim Ducks Hire Pat Verbeek
Official now, the Anaheim Ducks have hired Pat Verbeek as their next general manager. Verbeek leaves the Detroit Red Wings where he has spent the last three years as assistant GM. Ducks’ owners Henry and Susan Samueli released a statement on the hire:
Susan and I are delighted to welcome Pat Verbeek to our community to guide our hockey club as the next General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks. Pat’s outstanding work ethic and vast knowledge of the game as a successful executive and player throughout his 35-plus years in the NHL make him an outstanding fit to lead us forward. He brings a unique pedigree, having vast experience and serving in integral leadership roles for championship teams as both a player and executive at the NHL level.
Verbeek, 57, has a long history of success as a player, scout, and executive, being part of Stanley Cup-winning teams at all three levels. He has been moving through front offices right alongside Steve Yzerman for the last decade-plus but will now get a chance to run an organization of his own.
Replacing Bob Murray, who resigned earlier this year, Verbeek has an interesting challenge ahead of him with the exciting young Ducks’ group. There are core pieces reaching the end of their contracts this season–Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents–but the youth of Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale and others have helped the team stay competitive in the Pacific Division. Selling off rentals isn’t something that playoff contenders do very often, but it would also be difficult to watch a player like Lindholm walk without getting anything in return.
With more than six weeks until the deadline, there is plenty of time to make those decisions and Verbeek comes right at the start of the All-Star break, meaning he’ll have a few days to get familiarized with his new staff and organization.
It’s an organization that does have a history of success, despite its relatively short lifetime. Since entering the NHL in 1993, Anaheim has reached the Stanley Cup Final twice, won it once, and gone to three other Conference Finals. The most recently long playoff run came in 2017, when a Randy Carlyle-led group fell in six games to the Nashville Predators in the third round. Currently, the Ducks sit seventh in the Western Conference with a 23-16-9 record, but they have played six more games than a couple of the teams chasing them and could quickly slip out of a Pacific Division playoff spot. Sorting by points percentage would drop them to ninth, making Verbeek’s job even more difficult in the coming weeks.
Of course, unlike some of the other managers that have taken over this season, Verbeek also isn’t really dealing with a cap table bloated with long-term deals. Only Adam Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, John Gibson, and Cam Fowler are signed through the 2023-24 season, with just the latter two under contract past that. That sort of flexibility will allow Verbeek to put his stamp on the Ducks in short order, even if this case doesn’t require a tear-down.
Anaheim Ducks Expected To Name Pat Verbeek As GM
While many have been linking the two for a few weeks now, an official announcement is now imminent. According to multiple sources, including TSN’s Pierre LeBrun and The Athletic’s Eric Stephens, the Anaheim Ducks are expected to name Pat Verbeek as their next General Manager. Verbeek will be the official replacement for Bob Murray, who resigned in November, stepping in for interim GM Jeff Solomon. A formal announcement is expected on Thursday.
Verbeek, 57, is currently an Assistant GM for the Detroit Red Wings and the GM of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. He returned to Detroit, where he initially launched his hockey ops career as a scout back in 2006, when Steve Yzerman became the Red Wings GM. Verbeek had previously worked with Yzerman in Tampa Bay, where Verbeek had worked his way up through the organization since 2010. If Verbeek can find success like Yzerman and protégé Julien Brisebois have had, then the Ducks will be in good hands.
An experienced executive, Verbeek of course also had a long playing career. A skilled forward, Verbeek broke into the NHL in his draft year, launching a 19-year career that produced over 1,000 points and nearly 1,500 games with five different clubs. Verbeek even cracked 80 points three times and 40 goals four times and spent four seasons as captain of the Hartford Whalers. He wrapped up his playing career in 2001-02 with the Dallas Stars, posting 20 points at the age of 37.
Verbeek will have a major decision on his hands right off the bat when he accepts the Ducks job. Anaheim is enjoying a surprising strong season and currently sit in a playoff spot. However, their postseason position is far from secure and the team possesses a multitude of high-value rental options. Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson are all on expiring contract and would each be one of the top trade deadline options if made available. The rebuilding Ducks could certainly use the trade capital that they would fetch; however, the young team could also use the invaluable playoff experience. Verbeek will have to decide before next month’s deadline if he wants to sell and jeopardize the team’s postseason hopes this season, stand pat and try to re-sign some of these core UFA’s, or perhaps even buy and give his upstart group a real chance at a deep run through the weak Pacific Division.
Latest On Anaheim GM Search
- Pat Verbeek appears to be the frontrunner for the Anaheim Ducks vacant general manager position, as Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff names him “the man to beat.” Verbeek, who has served as an assistant general manager under Steve Yzerman in both Tampa Bay and Detroit, played over 1,400 regular season games in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999. He sits 72nd on the all-time points list with 1,062 and has been linked to potential GM openings for several years.
Trade Rumors: Canucks, Tippett, Mrazek, Ducks
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek didn’t hold back on their reporting late this evening on “Hockey Night in Canada”. The duo behind “32 Thoughts” had plenty to contribute, starting with Friedman’s report on the Vancouver Canucks. With the Vancouver front office finally coming together, with Patrik Allvin being named GM of Jim Rutherford’s new-look front office, the Canucks are starting to get busy in trade talks. Although the .500 club is still in the Western Conference wild card race, the reality is that any true playoff success for Vancouver lies in the future. It should come as no surprise then that the Canucks are listening to trade offers – and not just for talked-about target J.T. Miller. Friedman reports that nearly any Vancouver forward could be had for the right price outside of captain Bo Horvat and young star Elias Pettersson. That includes Conor Garland, who the team just acquired themselves this past summer and signed to a reasonable five-year, $24.75MM deal. It is believed that the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and New York Rangers are in pursuit of Garland, though there is likely no shortage of interest in the skilled forward, who has 102 points in 155 games dating back to the start of the 2019-20 season.
- The Florida Panthers are one of the biggest surprises of the season, currently leading the top-heavy Atlantic Division with a .744 points percentage that is also third-best in the NHL. The Panthers are expected to go all-in on a Stanley Cup run this season and specifically are hoping to land a legitimate top-four defenseman. As they go about working the phones, Marek reports that one major name they are dangling is Owen Tippett. The 2017 first-rounder still has yet to make his mark in the NHL, struggling to find enough consistency at the top level to stick in the Florida lineup. However, he is only 22 and still a well-regarded as well as well-liked prospect. Tippett will likely end up as the centerpiece to any big trade the Panthers make this season.
- With Jack Campbell playing at an elite level this season while Petr Mrazek has struggled with injuries and inconsistency, the latter has proven to be little more than a pricey backup for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season while the former will be the team’s offseason priority as an impending free agent. As a result, teams have begun to inquire about Mrazek’s availability. If Campbell does stay in Toronto, the team will have a proven starter and have some promising young options like Joseph Woll and Ian Scott behind him. Marek also adds that the Maple Leafs are in hot pursuit of undrafted OHL standout Mack Guzda, who would further boost the depth chart if Toronto can win a heated race for his services. This hypothetically makes Mrazek and his $3.8MM cap hit expendable, even though he just signed with Toronto this past summer. However, for now the Leafs are maintaining that Mrazek remains a part of their plans. Marek was not so sure about that, but does report that any decision on a Mrazek trade will have to wait for the offseason.
- Among the other suitors for Guzda are the Ducks, Hurricanes, Islanders, Rangers, Penguins, and Predators. (Notably, Guzda is a Tennessee native.) One of those teams is about to get much more serious in their pursuit, as well as in the trade market. Friedman notes that Anaheim is closing in on naming a general manager. While there are still several names in contention, he believes that Pat Verbeek is the odds-on favorite. Once a permanent GM is named, the Ducks will become a fascinating team to watch; they are both well within the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, yet also possess numerous high-value rentals.
Josh Manson Injured Against Ottawa
- The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Josh Manson suffered an upper-body injury in today’s game against Ottawa. He suffered the injury on a hard hit from Brady Tkachuk in the first period. Manson, a pending unrestricted free agent, has six points in 42 games heading into today’s contest although he is second in the team in hits with 111.
Latest On Anaheim GM Search
The Anaheim Ducks are one of the teams that still need to make a decision on who will be their next general manager, and initial interviews have been completed according to Pierre LeBrun on last night’s Insider Trading segment.
What we’re being told is that the Ducks have wrapped up the first round of interviews. They’ve interviewed ten candidates, three in house that we’ve discussed before. Two of the external candidates are Pat Verbeek, assistant GM from Detroit and Ryan Martin, assistant GM from the New York Rangers. The Ducks plan to start second interviews shortly here, they should have a GM in place over the next month.
Jeff Solomon, who currently serves as the interim GM of the team is one of the internal candidates for the full-time job and certainly has his plate full at the moment. Not only is the team searching for a new leader, but preparation will need to begin for the March trade deadline. The Ducks are one of the most interesting teams in the league to watch as that deadline approaches, given their mix of high-end players on expiring contracts and surprising early-season success.
Once again last night Trevor Zegras wowed the world with an impressive show of skill, scoring a lacrosse-style goal with ease partway through the second period. It was the first of two goals he would tally last night, enough to lead the Ducks to victory over the Montreal Canadiens despite a third-period push.
It’s that success that will complicate things for Solomon and whoever takes over as the new GM. Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell, and Josh Manson all present opportunities to secure shiny new draft picks and prospects, but are also part of the backbone of a team that is currently in second place in the Pacific Division. With that in mind, getting a general manager in place sooner rather than later seems prudent.
Injury Notes: Stars, Ducks, Golden Knights, Devils
Dallas Stars digital manager Kyle Shohara reports from team practice that defenseman John Klingberg and center Radek Faksa took the ice today after missing time with an upper-body injury and non-COVID-related illness, respectively. Klingberg missed the team’s last game, a 5-1 win against the New Jersey Devils, while Faksa missed that game and the night prior against the Philadelphia Flyers. Both would be huge returns to the Stars lineup, especially Klingberg. With the Swedish defenseman reportedly requesting a trade out of Dallas, every game (and every good play) matters for Dallas to recoup as much value as possible if a trade occurs.
A busy night in the NHL yields more injury news:
- The Anaheim Ducks get two key contributors back tonight versus Montreal, activating center Adam Henrique from injured reserve and defenseman Josh Manson from COVID-19 protocol. Both return to prominent roles in the lineup, with Henrique’s 16 points in 24 games likely to help boost a stagnating Ducks offense as of late. To make room on the active roster, the team reassigned defensemen Jacob Larsson and Greg Pateryn to the taxi squad and Brendan Guhle to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
- Two gigantic contributors are returning to the Vegas Golden Knights lineup, as wingers Max Pacioretty and Reilly Smith make their returns tonight, per the Las Vegas Sun’s Justin Emerson. Pacioretty’s rarely been healthy this year, but when he has, he’s scored at a torrid pace, netting 12 goals and 21 points in 16 games. Smith, coming off COVID protocol, has a respectable 29 points in 41 games.
- The New Jersey Devils got some good news with defenseman Ty Smith coming off injured reserve today, but he’s been replaced on the list by center Michael McLeod. Despite Smith’s strong rookie campaign last season, he’s having a serious sophomore slump with poor defensive numbers and just 10 points in 33 games to show for it. Hopefully, a reset can help jumpstart an improvement in play for the 21-year-old. The Devils will miss McLeod and his 11 points and 41 games in a depth role.
Anaheim Ducks Activate Troy Terry, Cam Fowler
The Anaheim Ducks are getting some big names back into the fold. They tweeted today that they’ve activated forward Troy Terry and defenseman Cam Fowler from COVID-19 protocol, assigning forward Vinni Lettieri to the team’s taxi squad to make roster space.
Anaheim is still in playoff position in the Pacific Division. However, they’ve entered a bit of a slide with big names out of the lineup, posting just a 3-7-0 record in their last 10 games.
The Ducks’ return to relevancy certainly came sooner than expected this season, and Terry and Fowler are big parts of that. Heading to his first All-Star Game this year, Terry leads the team in goals (22) and points (36) in 38 games. Fowler’s once against logged big minutes this year, playing 23:42 a game and notching 20 points.
Lettieri comes out of the lineup playing decently well in injury relief, notching seven points in 15 games while receiving a top-six role at times.
Cam Fowler Clears COVID Protocol
- Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler has cleared COVID protocol and is set to rejoin Anaheim on their road trip in Boston, relays Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The activation means that Anaheim has just two players remaining that are in the protocol in goaltender Anthony Stolarz and defenseman Josh Manson. As for Fowler, he leads all Ducks defenders in ice time per game at just under 24 minutes a night while chipping in with 20 points in 39 contests so his return will certainly be a welcome one.