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Corey Perry

Pacific Notes: Perry, Bennett, Smith, Clarkson

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One major decision that the Anaheim Ducks must make is decide what to do with longtime star Corey Perry, who has struggled with injury and a decline in play recently. The former superstar scorer saw his totals drop to 19 goals in 2016-17; 17 goals in 2017-18; and just six goals, albeit in 31 games last season. With two years remaining at $8.625MM, the team must decide whether to keep him around or buy him out.

Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required), in a mailbag piece, writes that the team might be better off challenging the 34-year-old to attempt a comeback rather than a buyout. If the team attempts to buy him out, it would save quite a bit of money this season, but still leave them with a $6.625MM cap hit for next season, all for paying him not to play for them. The team has to hope that Perry can bounce back with a 20-goal campaign and make his contract look acceptable. Unfortunately, Perry’s six goals and 10 points over 31 games last year only would have translated to 16 goals and 23 points over a full season. Probably not the return, the would like.

  • Sportsnet’s Eric Francis writes the Calgary Flames should be worried about losing forward Sam Bennett to an offer sheet. The scribe writes that Bennett, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is the type of player who wouldn’t cost too much in compensation for other teams as a contract between $1.82MM and $3.65MM would only cost a team a second-round pick. Considering the salary cap issues that the Flames are in with the need to re-sign Matthew Tkachuk, several other restricted free agents and two starting goaltenders, the team might not be willing to spend $3.65MM to retain the 22-year-old Bennett, who scored 13 goals and 27 points last season. Francis writes that the Vancouver Canucks could be the perfect team to attempt to sign Bennett to an offer sheet.
  • In a separate piece, Francis writes the Flames must also make a decision on whether to bring back goaltender Mike Smith, who struggled for much of the season until the end when he played much stronger for the Flames in the stretch run of the season. Smith, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, has indicated a willingness to return next season, but would there be better options? While Robin Lehner, Sergei Bobrovsky and Petr Mrazek would all likely be out of Calgary’s price range, the team could consider trading for a goalie such as Jake Allen or attempt to sign Semyon Varlamov, who at 31, might come at a reasonable price.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, in his 31 Thoughts column, writes that the Vegas Golden Knights are likely to explore trading away the contract of David Clarkson. If the Golden Knights can find a team that would be willing to take on his $5.25MM cap hit, it could seriously ease some of Vegas’ salary cap concerns as the team is already projected to be above the salary cap for next season with just 19 players under contract so far. One benefit is that Clarkson is due only $3.25MM in cash, which could make him easier to trade to a team with extra cap room along with either a prospect and/or pick.

Anaheim’s GM Bob Murray Talks About Taking Interim Coaching Job

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When the Anaheim Ducks fired head coach Randy Carlyle earlier today, many were a bit surprised when Executive Vice President/General Manager Bob Murray named himself the interim coach. The general manager has never been behind the bench, but made it clear in a press conference earlier today that he wants to see things for himself.

“I think this is the only way for me to determine what all the problems are,” Murray said (via Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston). “I don’t think it would be fair to put anybody else in this position right now.”

The Ducks are mired in a horrible slump in which it has won just twice in the last 21 games and have had multiple embarrassing losses recently as they have been outscored 37-8 in their most recent seven-game losing streak. Murray said that Carlyle’s fate was decided last Tuesday after the team’s loss in Montreal. However, with the look that the team has given up on the season, Murray has said that he wants to see for himself where the problems lie.

“It’s my job. I’m looking forward to figuring out what the issues are,” Murray said (via the Ducks). “One of the biggest things I have to determine is if we have people who can (lead). I haven’t given up on them yet, but I’m worried. I don’t think it would be fair to put anyone else in this position right now. I felt I needed to be in the trenches. I strongly felt this way. I know this is the right move for our organization right now. In order to win, you need to have people who aren’t afraid of the adversity. That’s what I’m looking for.”

On top of coaching duties now, Murray also must solve several roster dilemmas as the team has gotten old and slow and need an influx of young talent. With the trade deadline, Murray wants to get a good look at what he wants to hold onto and what he will likley move on from. The team has a number of veterans with big contracts, including Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Getzlaf and Patrick Eaves. However, although it would be challenging to move their contracts, Murray said he isn’t afraid to ask them whether they want to leave.

“I have no fear whatsoever in asking them myself,” Murray said.

Murray doesn’t feel the team needs a full-fledged rebuild as there is already quite a bit of talent in their minor league system as they have a number of top forwards close to joining the franchise, including Isac Lundestrom, Max Comtois, Sam Steel, Max Jones and Troy Terry amongst many. Regardless of the outcome of the season, Murray said the coaching search will start the minute that this season ends.

Anaheim Ducks Fire Randy Carlyle

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It looks like the toll of losing finally was too much for the Anaheim Ducks. Despite being told that his job was secure for the remained of the year, the Anaheim Ducks have fired head coach Randy Carlyle and will replace him with Executive Vice President/General Manager Bob Murray for the rest of the season, according to TSN’s Brennan Klak.

“We thank Randy for everything he has done for the organization, Murray said. “Leading the team to a Stanley Cup and three conference final appearances, he has accomplished so much in Anaheim. Difficult decisions need to be made when times are tough, and our play has clearly been unacceptable. We have a tradition of success in Anaheim and we need to get back to that.”

Murray, who has no coaching experience at any level but has been a three-time finalist for general manager of the year and won it in 2013-14, is expected to name a permanent coach in the offseason with San Diego Gulls head coach Dallas Eakins, and former Edmonton Oilers head coach, being the front-runner to take over, according to Klak. With the Gulls deep in a battle for a playoff run, Murray didn’t want to disrupt Eakins and his team. The 51-year-old coach has been the team’s AHL head coach since 2015.

While Murray didn’t want to make a coaching change due to the success that Carlyle has had in Anaheim over the years, the fact that the team has lost seven straight games by a margin of 37-8, was enough that the franchise felt it had to make a change. The worst of it was that the seven-game losing streak wasn’t the worst. The team had lost 12 straight between Dec. 18 through Jan. 15 and have lost 19 of their last 21 games.

Granted the team has dealt with numerous injuries as the team has been without Corey Perry for all but five games, while Patrick Eaves has missed all but seven games this season. Young winger Ondrej Kase is out for the season, after undergoing shoulder surgery and played just 30 games this season. The Ducks have been held together by the impressive play of goaltender John Gibson and kept the team relevant for the first half of the season, but he has struggled of late and the team has suffered even more. The team’s top scorer a year ago, Rickard Rakell who had 34 goals a season ago, has just nine this season and has struggled. The team has quite a few issues as they have a number of veteran players over 30 who are locked in with long-term salaries, including Perry, (two more years at $8.625MM), Ryan Getzlaf (two more years at $8.25MM), Ryan Kesler (three more years at $6.88MM). Eaves also has one more year at $3.15MM. The team has a core of younger players, but few of them have developed they way they had hoped. Many of those players are in San Diego with the AHL affiliate, another reason to keep Eakins there and help develop them now.

Carlyle had already had one stint with the Ducks’ franchise between 2005 to 2012 where he had a record of 290-182-61. He won the Stanley Cup in the 2006-07 season, but wasn’t able to get the team deep into the playoffs after that. He was rehired in the 2016-17 season, leading the team to the conference championships that year before being swept in the first round of the playoffs last year at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. He finished his second stint with a 111-74-35 record.

Pacific Notes: Silfverberg, Anaheim Veterans, Edler, Kings

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The Bruins are among the teams interested in Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg, reports Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required), who classifies Boston’s level of interest as great.  The 28-year-old quietly leads Anaheim in goals this season with 12 but his 0.43 points per game average is his lowest since his rookie year.  However, Silfverberg’s two-way play and track record will make him a popular rental for teams looking to add by the deadline.  There is mutual interest in a contract extension but Anaheim’s tagging situation makes that a bit of a tricky proposition if they can’t free up some money for next season in the next couple of weeks.

More from the Pacific:

  • Still with Anaheim, don’t expect them to be able to move one of their high-priced veterans to help free up tagging room for Silfverberg deal. Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register notes that centers Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, as well as winger Corey Perry, aren’t expected to be willing to waive their no-move clauses in the event that the Ducks could find a taker for them in a trade.
  • While many expect defenseman Alex Edler to remain with the Canucks, Sportsnet 650’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link) that there are no discussions about a potential contract extension at the moment. The pending unrestricted free agent was having a very strong season but suffered a scary looking concussion earlier this week.
  • Although the Kings are clearly not going to be buyers before the trade deadline, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to be heavy sellers right away either. Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider suggests that it’s likely that Los Angeles will wait until the offseason to make moves of significance involving players signed beyond this season.  If that does wind up happening, winger Carl Hagelin and center Nate Thompson may be the most notable names to move over the next couple of weeks.

Pacific Notes: Goldobin, Silfverberg, Chychrun, Kase

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Nikolay Goldobin has found his way back onto the Vancouver Canucks top line next to Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser after having to sit out as a healthy scratch for four straight games and six of the last nine. The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that one of the key reasons for his return to the first line has been the 23-year-old’s dedication to improving on his shortcomings that has seen him slip out of Travis Green’s good graces.

Goldobin has spent countless hours the last few weeks watching game film and has proven himself to Green to earn his way back to the top line. Kuzma adds that this is not the team’s way to showcase the forward before the trade deadline as his name has surfaced on numerous occasions already.

“That’s not the case,” insisted general manager Jim Benning. “He’s a good kid and wants to do well, and he’s progressing to get better and that’s part of development. It’s also the skill set that makes it worth our time to get that out of him. We’re going to continue to work with him and hope that he can get to where he needs to be.”

While there is no guarantee that his play will be better than it was previously, the Canucks like what they’ve seen from him while sitting in the press box. Goldobin has gone 13 games without registering a point and was struggling when not possessing the puck.

  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Anaheim Ducks and forward Jakob Silfverberg, who will be a unrestricted free agent this summer, are continuing to discuss a new contract. Talks are progressing and LeBrun writes that Anaheim is very interested in locking up the 28-year-old. Silfverberg has 12 goals and 19 points this season in 42 games, but has missed some time due to injury. The team likely will want a deal in place before the trade deadline, suggesting that if the team cannot, the Ducks are likely to move him.
  • The Arizona Coyotes will be without defenseman Jakob Chychrun once again. Head coach Rick Tocchet said that blueliner, out with a lower-body injury, did not accompany the team on their three-game road trip, which started tonight in San Jose, according to NHL.com’s Dave Vest. “He tweaked something and we just want to nip it in the bud,” said Tocchet.
  • The Anaheim Ducks officially placed forward Ondrej Kase on long-term injured reserve today after the team activated both Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves, according to Orange County Register’s Eliott Teaford. Kase has had a tough season as he didn’t appear in his first game until Nov. 12 after suffering a concussion in a preseason game and now has undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. He finished the season with 11 goals and 20 points in just 30 games.

Ondrej Kase Out 5-6 Months With Torn Labrum

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The Anaheim Ducks’ playoff odds just took a major hit. The team has announced this evening that young forward Ondrej Kase suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder in last Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. The injury will require surgery, scheduled for next week, and Kase will miss the next five to six months for recovery. His season is over.

Kase, 23, had been on pace for the best season of his career despite missing 20 games already. In the 30 games he had played for the Ducks, Kase has registered 20 points and trailed only Ryan Getzlaf in points-per-game for the team. Kase is developing into dynamic right wing and a dependable one at that. In the first season of a three-year extension worth $2.6MM against the cap each year, Kase is already looking like an immense bargain for Anaheim. However, the concern moving forward is whether the upstart Czech winger can stay healthy.

Yet, the more pressing concern for the Ducks is their fate this season. GM Bob Murray has been busy lately reshaping his roster for a playoff push, but he likely won’t be able to replace Kase’s production internally and probably will be unwilling to pay the price to replace him via trade. Fortunately, Corey Perry, Patrick Eaves, and Jakob Silfverberg should all be back in the lineup sooner rather than later, providing a nice boost up front. However, Anaheim is one of seven teams currently competing for just two wild card spots in the Western Conference and likely needed their team at full strength – including Kase – to ensure they were able to secure a playoff berth. This injury could convince Murray to swing another deal or instead could switch the Ducks into selling mode. Only time will tell, but no good will come from losing the scoring punch that Kase provided.

Snapshots: Vanek, Carrier, Perry, Eaves

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Red Wings winger Thomas Vanek is no stranger to being moved at the trade deadline.  It’s undoubtedly part of the reason he pushed for a no-trade clause last summer in free agency and he managed to get one.  Although Detroit is believed to be selling between now and the February 25th trade deadline, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press suggests that it’s unlikely that Vanek will be moved as he’s valued as a leader in the dressing room.  For his part, the 35-year-old indicated that thought of waiving his no-trade clause simply hasn’t crossed his mind.  Vanek has 23 points in 42 games so far this season.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Golden Knights winger William Carrier has missed the last three weeks with what had been called an illness. Today, GM George McPhee informed reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link) that it’s actually an injury that’s keeping him out of the lineup although he declined to provide further specifics or an idea of how much longer he’ll be out.  Despite missing seven games already, Carrier remains the league leader in hits by a significant margin and is averaging just under five per game.
  • Ducks winger Corey Perry returned to practice for the first time since suffering a knee injury during the preseason, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. While there is no timetable for his return, head coach Randy Carlyle indicated that he believes Perry is a little ahead of schedule.  When he underwent surgery late in September, Anaheim announced that he was likely to be out until early March so that would suggest he’s a few weeks away from returning.
  • In the same column, Teaford adds that the Ducks received permission to extend Patrick Eaves’ AHL conditioning stint by two more games. He’s on a Bona Fide Long-Term Injury/Illness Exception Conditioning Loan which is only supposed to last three games or six days, whichever comes first.  Eaves has been out of the lineup since mid-November due to a fractured rib and has played in just five NHL games so far this season as well as the past three with AHL San Diego.

Anaheim Ducks’ Randy Carlyle On The Hot Seat

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Mired in a nine-game losing streak, The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek wrote yesterday that this is a “critical time” for the Anaheim Ducks. While he notes that the Ducks have the unfortunate designation of leading the NHL in man-games lost this season, they were set to finally add top-pair defenseman Cam Fowler and first-line forward Rickard Rakell back into the lineup last night. The team hoped that the duo’s return would finally spark a win for a team that is as close to full health now as they have been all year.

It didn’t work out that way. Despite taking a 3-0 first period lead on the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ducks ended up losing 7-4 behind four unanswered Penguins goals in the third period in one of the more disheartening defeats that any team has faced this year.

Despite the optimism that injuries were the cause of their slump and a return to health would right the ship, Anaheim lost again last night for their tenth straight game without a win. The team has plummeted down the standings, now a whopping 12 points back of the final Pacific Division seed, held by the surging Vegas Golden Knights, and a point behind Minnesota for the final wild card spot, with the Wild holding two games in hand. The Ducks are one more loss away from being a .500 team and have slipped to a -27 in goal differential, not quite the numbers of a playoff-bound team. Anaheim is second-to-last in goals for per game, fueled by the fewest shots per game in the league on average, have an anemic 14.3% power play, and – despite the best efforts of starter John Gibson playing behind a porous defense of late – are a middle of the road goals against team.

Nothing seems to be working out for the Ducks and the early indications are that injuries are not entirely to blame. With a roster that has ample talent on paper, the blame then rationally falls onto the head coach, Randy Carlyle. Carlyle, in his third year of his second stint with Anaheim, has been unable to find the cure for what ails them this season. The team has struggled to score goals as well as prevent them, has not had success on special teams, and allows far too many shots, especially in light of how few they take themselves. The Ducks have lost three games in overtime during this stretch, as well as several more one-goal and two-goal games, as Carlyle has been unable to turn any game situation in his favor. Given the talent available for Anaheim – even accounting for the absences of Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves – the fact that Carlyle has not been able to get more out of the likes of Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and more is alarming – and it may just cost him his job.

Duhatschek noted, even before last night’s embarrassing collapse, that change would be coming if the team could not get it together. He specifically refers to trades, as the team trends in the direction of “deadline seller” territory. Certainly, GM Bob Murray will need to consider moving impending free agent Silfverberg, as well as deal from his depth in goaltending and defense in the minors, but a roster move seems less likely to be the next big decision. Carlyle is absolutely on the hot seat and if he can’t find a way to motivate his players, solve his situational struggles, and string together some wins, he will likely be fired long before the Ducks begin making trades. As the team begins a five-game road trip, it begs the question whether Ducks fans will see Carlyle behind the home bench again this season.

Anaheim Ducks Return Max Comtois To Juniors

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The Anaheim Ducks have finally decided the fate of rookie Max Comtois, who found himself on the outside of Anaheim’s top-six in recent weeks. Despite having already burned the first year of his entry-level deal and the fact that the team couldn’t send the 19-year-old prospect to the AHL, the team decided to return him to the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL, according to TVA’s Mikael Lalancette (translation required).

Comtois provided the Ducks with a young top-six forward at the start of the season when the team was overwhelmed with injuries to many of their veterans, including Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, Ondrej Kase were placed on injured reserve to start the season. While some of those players starting getting healthy, other players went down after that, including Ryan Getzlaf and Jakob Silfverberg, allowing Comtois to continue his play. The rookie reached the 10-game mark with successful numbers, posting two goals and seven assists, before having to go on injured reserve himself with a lower-body injury. Once returned, the team sent him on a conditioning loan to the AHL where he scored just once in four appearances. However, with most of Anaheim’s veterans returned and the team starting to show success, there was little opportunity for playing time at the NHL level and the team was forced to make a decision about Comtois. While he had already burned the first year of his entry-level deal by one game, the team was not allowed to send him to the AHL permanently. So to guarantee quality playing time, the team had to return him to his junior team.

It’s a big deal for his new junior team, however, as he will return to the QMJHL for his final season there, but now joins the Drummondville Voltigeurs, who gave up a fortune in draft capital to acquire Comtois’ rights from the Victoriaville Tigres back in June. Drummondville gambled on moving their 2018 first and second-round picks as well as their 2019 first and second-round picks to get Comtois only to see him make Anaheim’s roster, which looked like a disaster in October. Instead, the gamble paid off as the Voltigeurs get the star forward after all for a team competing for a title this year as they currently boast the fifth-overall record in the QMJHL.

Ducks Place Hampus Lindholm On Injured Reserve

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The Anaheim Ducks continue to deal with a rash of injuries, as top defenseman Hampus Lindholm has now joined the sidelined. CapFriendly reports that Lindholm has been placed on the injured reserve, a change also reflected on the team’s official roster albeit not yet announced by the Ducks.

There has been no word yet on the type or extent of the injury that Lindholm has suffered, but Ducks fans will hold out hope that it is relatively minor. The team is already without Cam Fowler, on IR with a facial fracture, and have yet to see Korbinian Holzer this season due to a wrist injury. On top of a depleted back end, the team is also missing quite a few names up front, including core forwards Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves. A Lindholm absence of any length hurts, but Anaheim can ill afford a long-term hiatus.

Lindholm, 25, not only leads all Ducks skaters in ice time, but his 25:29 ATOI is seventh-best in the whole league. Lindholm is also tied for third in scoring for Anaheim with ten points, among the top scoring defensemen in the Pacific Division. Without Lindholm and Fowler, the Ducks are sorely lacking their regular leadership and top sources of production on the blue line. Although they have yet to announce this transaction as well, the team’s roster shows that defensemen Jake Dotchin and Josh Mahura have been recalled and both could soon find their way into the starting lineup, with Luke Schenn clearing waivers and destined for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Dotchin played in 48 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, but has yet to make his Ducks debut, while first-year pro Mahura would be making his first NHL appearance. The two have performed well for San Diego this season, but face a tall task if asked to help make up for a long-term Lindholm absence in Anaheim.

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