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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.

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.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Swedish Forward Anton Rodin

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The Ducks are importing some scoring help for the coming season. Sportsnet reports that Anaheim has signed Anton Rodin, a former Swedish Hockey League MVP and brief member of the Vancouver Canucks. Rodin finished the 2017-18 season with HC Davos of the Swiss NLA, but will now return to North America to join the Ducks. Contract terms are not yet available.

Rodin, a second-round pick back in 2009, has had trouble making his mark in the NHL. He came over to the U.S. for the 2011-12 season, but found himself playing in the AHL for next two seasons without a callup, prompting the Swede to return to the SHL, the next season, which is where he stayed for another three years. He returned to Vancouver and got into three NHL games, but spent most of his time with the Utica Comets before asking for his release in November of this season.

Ducks Notes: Carlyle, Kesler, Henrique, Bieksa, Eaves, Vermette

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Despite suffering a sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks executive vice president and general manager Bob Murray gave a vote of confidence to coach Randy Carlyle today, according to Mike Coppinger of the Los Angeles Times. However, Murray also said he is looking for changes in the team’s style of play.

The team made the playoffs despite being plagued by injuries. Carlyle, who has coached the team for the past two years after serving previously as the Ducks’ coach for seven years from 2005-2012, had no players who played the full 82-game season. First liners Ryan Kesler only played 44 games, while Ryan Getzlaf only played 54 games. Even Corey Perry missed 11 games due to injury. However, with an aging offense, the team needs to increase its speed if it wants to compete in the same division as the Vegas Golden Knights or the San Jose Sharks.

  • Kesler admitted he struggled trying to get his way back this season after undergoing hip surgery last offseason. He was forced to re-learn how to skate. “Learning how to basically skate again, and coming back behind the eight ball when everybody is in mid-season form and you’re in training camp mode, is hard. It’s not an excuse. I’m way better off now than I was before the surgery.” Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register adds that Kesler lost 20 pounds in the last month to increase his speed. He intends to play at his new weight next season in hopes of lengthening his career. Kesler, originally listed at 202 pounds, will be needed to return to full form next season if they want to continue with their playoff success. He is locked up for another three years at $8.625MM with a no movement clause.
  • Center Adam Henrique, who the team acquired back in November, has said he is interested in signing an extension with the team this offseason. The 28-year-old scored 20 goals in 57 games with the Ducks and 24 total goals. He has one more year at $4MM and is eligible for an extension on July 1.
  • Veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa didn’t leave the team on a positive note, suggesting that despite having a ruptured tendon in his finger, it was “very disappointing” that he didn’t get more playing time in the team’s playoff series. The 36-year-old played in just one game against the Sharks. “It didn’t turn out to be a good-looking decision,” said Bieksa. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
  • Stephens added veteran winger Patrick Eaves, who had surgery on his shoulder in March, will be ready this fall with an October timeline. Eaves, who scored 32 goals between Anaheim and Dallas last year, played in just two games this season.
  • Antoine Vermette says he believes he has more hockey left in him. The 35-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He said he will discuss his situation with his family about whether he will return next season. “I’ve never been in this situation. I’ll take my time to kind of see what we want to do here,” said Vermette about his uncertain offseason.
  • The Ducks also announced that Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell and Korbinian Holzer will each play for their respective countries in the 2018 IIHF World Championships.

 

2017 Year In Review: May

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2017 has been quite a busy year in the hockey world. There have been several big trades, the first expansion team in over 15 years, and much more. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is a look at May.

Playoff Injuries Abound: As teams continued their chase of the Stanley Cup, their bodies began to break down. As each subsequent round was completed, and teams were eliminated from the playoffs, reports of surgery and rehab surfaced daily. Players like Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Jason Zucker, Andrej Sekera and Ryan Johansen all went under the knife in May, with the Anaheim Ducks perhaps announcing the worst of the bunch. Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen would both require shoulder surgery, not only putting the start of their 2017-18 seasons in jeopardy but complicating the expansion process for the Ducks. A seemingly inevitable Vatanen trade was put on hold until just recently, when he was sent to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Henrique.

Toronto Bolsters Blueline: The Toronto Maple Leafs had some depth issues on their blueline in 2016-17, when Morgan Rielly was forced to log big minutes despite suffering from a high-ankle sprain for much of the season. They decided to add to that depth when they signed both Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman out of the SHL, and locked up a key newcomer long-term. Nikita Zaitsev officially signed his seven-year, $31.5MM extension on May 2nd, ensuring he’d be part of the core for some time.

Ben BishopBig Ben In Big D: The Dallas Stars, coming off an extremely disappointing season, decided that something had to be done about their goaltending duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. The Stars went out and traded for Ben Bishop, almost immediately signing him to a six-year, $29.5MM contract. Because Bishop was set to become an unrestricted free agent and was coming off one of his worst seasons in the NHL, he cost the Stars just a fourth-round pick. An improvement in Bishop’s play was one of the keys we identified recently for a potential Stars turnaround, after which he immediately posted a 24-save shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Buffalo Gets Botterill: After canning their coach and GM the previous month, the Buffalo Sabres announced that Jason Botterill, formerly an assistant GM with the Pittsburgh Penguins, would be the new man to captain their ship. Botterill had some interim GM experience with Pittsburgh, but had never truly been the head man before and had a tough task ahead of him in Buffalo. The Sabres are once again one of the worst teams in the NHL, but have their star locked up long-term and several blue chip prospects on their way.

Vadim, Las Vegas: On May 4th, 2017 the Vadim Shipachyov era in Vegas officially began when the team announced a two-year, $9MM contract for the Russian star. Shipachyov was just the second player to sign with the Golden Knights, and was immediately penciled into their first line. Unfortunately, the rest of 2017 would not go as smoothly. Shipachyov was first left off the NHL roster to begin the season, and would eventually terminate his contract with Vegas in order to return to the KHL. He scored one goal during his brief NHL career, and has spoken quite candidly about the disappointing situation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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).

Snapshots: Athanasiou, Dubois, Lindholm, Vatanen

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Although Andreas Athanasiou has now agreed to terms on a new deal with Detroit, it’s still going to take some time before he rejoins the team.  GM Ken Holland told reporters, including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, that the team will apply for a work visa for the winger on Monday morning.  As we’ve seen in recent weeks, it can take a few days if not longer for that to be approved.  Once that happens, he’ll need some practices before being game-ready; while Holland wouldn’t definitively rule out an AHL conditioning stint for Athanasiou, he did note that it’s an unlikely scenario.

In the meantime, Holland will likely be busy working the phones as he looks to make a roster move or two to free up the cap space required to add Athanasiou to the active roster.  A trade seems likely but if there is a significant injury between now and then, the Red Wings could use LTIR to get back into cap compliance in the short-term and give them more time to work out a trade.

More from around the league:

  • While Blue Jackets winger Pierre-Luc Dubois isn’t lighting it up (just one goal through seven games), Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that there are no indications that the team is planning on sending him back to junior before he plays his tenth game next week. The 19-year-old isn’t eligible to play in the AHL yet and the fact that he is playing a regular shift (he’s averaging nearly 13 minutes per game) is a good sign for him to officially burn the first season of his entry-level contract.  The focus will then shift to 40 games on the active roster when he will accrue a year towards UFA eligibility.
  • Although Ducks defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen have started skating with the team, both are out for tonight’s game against Montreal, the team announced (Twitter link). Both players had been targeting November 1st as a return date and while they’ll miss at least one more game, they still appear to be ahead of schedule in their recoveries from offseason shoulder surgeries.

Afternoon Notes: Duchene, Chabot, Lindholm, Vatanen

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While Colorado Avalanche’s Matt Duchene remains with the team despite the constant trade rumors that have hounded the 26-year-old center all offseason and entering the preseason. In fact, despite earlier reports that general manager Joe Sakic still has high trade demands for Duchene, there are others who look at the situation differently. Long-time Avalanche great Peter Forsberg was a guest in-studio analyst for a Swedish of the Avalanche-New Jersey Devils game said the team needs to “bench and trade” the disgruntled center, according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.

Duchene, who has reportedly been visibly unhappy to still be with the Avalanche and has said very little to the press, was a target for Forsberg during that broadcast, who believes that while putting up points might be important to raise his value, the center is not going go all-out to help his team.

“Doubtful that he should be allowed to play (with Colorado),” Forsberg, whose words were translated by Expression reporter Robin LIndgren, said in the Swedish broadcast. “Put him in the stands. If I were playing with a player that I know doesn’t even want to be in the team, it’s not like he is going to throw himself on the ice and block shots with his head. It is mostly difficult to have a player like that in the team, although he is skillful and is doing his best. I would rather play with someone that wants to be there. I would put him on the bench and trade him.”

  • CBS Sports reports that Ottawa Senators have recalled top defensive prospect Thomas Chabot Sunday to help fill in for their many defensive injuries. The team is currently without Erik Karlsson, who is still out after foot surgery this offseason, as well as Johnny Oduya, who is out with a lower-body injury. The team attempted to fulfil their defensive needs a couple days ago when they promoted Ben Harpur, who has two years of AHL experience, unlike Chabot who has just two games of AHL experience, but Harpur suffered an upper-body injury in last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 20-year-old Chabot had a goal and an assist in his first two games with the Belleville Senators. The 2015 first-rounder was one of the team’s final cuts, which surprised many, but he was held responsible for a poor preseason performance, a 9-2 drubbing to the Montreal Canadiens, in which he finished the game with a plus/minus rating of -5.
  • Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register tweeted that Anaheim Ducks’ injured defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen were both full participants in practice today, suggesting the team may eventually be getting back their top defenders. They are not that close to returning, however, as they are both on LTIR, which requires them to miss 24 days and 10 games. Both required shoulder surgery at the end of last season.

West Notes: Duchene, Ducks, Steen, Juolevi

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With the start of the regular season now less than a week away, Matt Duchene remains a member of the Avalanche and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested to 630 CHED in Edmonton (audio link) that things are currently pretty quiet on the trade front with Colorado.  GM Joe Sakic has set a very high asking price and as of yet, no one has been willing to meet it so it appears there’s a good chance that this will drag out into the season.  Friedman notes that Columbus remains very interested in Duchene’s services while a trio of Western teams, Edmonton, Anaheim, and Nashville have been in and out of talks at times as well.  Duchene has two years left on his contract with a $6MM cap hit but aside from the Ducks, the other three teams all have the cap room to take him on without sending any money the other way.

More from the West:

  • Ducks defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen are progressing well from their respective offseason shoulder surgeries, head coach Randy Carlyle told Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. Both players have been skating in recent days, albeit in non-contact jerseys.  Both rearguards are expected to miss all of October but have set a target to return to Anaheim’s lineup on November 1st.
  • While Alex Steen’s hand injury will keep him out for the first week of the regular season, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the issue isn’t expected to keep him out too long beyond that. Steen is going to be counted on to play a big role when he returns, especially with long-term injuries to center Patrik Berglund (out until December) and winger Robby Fabbri, whose season is over before it even started due to a torn ACL.
  • The Canucks have not yet decided where to assign defenseman Olli Juolevi. His agent Markus Lehto told Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 (Twitter link) that a team in Europe could be a possible landing spot.  The OHL’s London Knights – where he has spent the past two seasons – seems to remain the likeliest destination for the 19-year-old for now.

Injury Notes: Lindholm, Stolarz, Dubinsky

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While many pundits and fans alike are picking the Anaheim Ducks to push for one of the top spots in the Western Conference once again this year, one of the biggest question marks heading into the season was the health of top defenders Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen. Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register gives us an update on the former, talking to Lindholm about his recovery and where he’ll be for the start of the season.

I feel real good but it’s up to [the medical staff] to say when I’ll be ready to go out there and play a hockey game. As I said, I’m feeling really good out there. Feeling really good in the gym. Strength is coming back real quick. But we’ll have to talk to each other and discuss when they think I can be back.

The Ducks went out and added depth in the form of recently bought-out defenseman Francois Beauchemin this summer, bringing the veteran back to the place his career really took off. While Beauchemin isn’t the defense horse he once was, he’ll have to weather some tough minutes until Lindholm and Vatanen return at some point during the season.

  • Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Anthony Stolarz underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee yesterday and will be out indefinitely. The operation explains why the Lehigh Valley Phantoms signed another goaltender last week, inking Leland Irving to an AHL deal. Stolarz, who has flashed huge amounts of potential but has been unable to stay healthy, will now have to work his way back from an injury that can take quite some time to recover from. For the time being, Alex Lyon will take the starter’s duties in the AHL, something he’s more than capable of.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky was back on the ice doing some puck drills this week, a little over three months since he underwent wrist surgery. Tom Reed of The Athletic spoke with Dubinsky, who explained the injury has bothered him since 2015-16. He’s not sure if he’ll be ready for the start of the season, which would give even more of a chance to youngsters like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Sonny Milano, depending on how coach John Tortorella decides to deploy his other forwards. An interesting thing to watch will be how Dubinsky’s faceoffs are affected, as wrist surgery often hurts a player’s efficiency in the dot after his return. The 31-year old has long been one of the better faceoff men in the league, never losing more draws than he’s won in a season.

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