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Opportunity Coming For Ducks Prospects

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The Anaheim Ducks still don’t have a head coach for the 2019-20 season, but we now know whoever it is will be leading a much different group. The Ducks are on the edge of a huge roster overhaul, one which might bring plenty of opportunity with it for their young prospect core.

Ryan Kesler won’t be back on the ice for the Ducks this season, if ever again, after undergoing a major hip surgery in May. The procedure was completed in part to restore some sort of normalcy to Kesler’s daily life and reduce his pain. He had fought through that pain to reach 1,000 games played for his career but was a shell of his former self on the ice and finished 2018-19 with just eight points in 60 games. Despite the three years remaining on his contract, no one should be expecting a contribution from the 34-year old.

Patrick Eaves too is a question mark for the Ducks after playing just nine games over the last two years. The veteran forward was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome in 2017—a diagnosis that has subsequently been changed to post-viral syndrome—and doesn’t appear to be expected to play at all this season. Even if he was to somehow come back, it’s hard to expect much from a 35-year old who hasn’t played a meaningful stretch of games in more than two years. Eaves has just one year remaining on his contract, but like Kesler is likely headed for long-term injured reserve if the Ducks need some cap space.

That brings us to Corey Perry, who the team is apparently ready to move on from after 14 seasons with the organization. Perry was the 28th-overall pick in 2003 and became a superstar in Anaheim, recording a 50-goal season in 2010-11 to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. He and partner in crime Ryan Getzlaf were the faces of Ducks hockey for more than a decade, something that appears to be coming to an end. If Perry’s contract was traded or bought out, it would not only open up cap space and salary for the front office to work with, but also another roster spot to use on the talent they have coming up through the system—that’s where there’s a glimmering silver lining for fans hoping to get back to the playoffs quickly.

All is not lost if the Ducks manage to open up some roster spots. If everyone was healthy and retained, they would have 12 one-way contracts already signed and not much to look forward to next season. But with the above trio potentially out of the mix, opportunity is coming for some of the prospects just outside of the NHL.

For some of those prospects, they’ve already shown a glimpse of what might be possible.

In 32 games last season Troy Terry recorded 13 points, including back-to-back three-point efforts in early March. The late round draft pick developed into a powerhouse offensive player at the University of Denver and proved he can hang in professional hockey with a point-per-game effort in the minor leagues this year. While the NHL is a different beast, Terry showed enough flashes during his short stint with the Ducks to think he can be a regular contributor as soon as this season.

Sam Steel, another highly touted forward that comes with a considerably higher draft pedigree also proved that his junior scoring totals weren’t a mirage. He put up 11 points in 22 games for the Ducks and was a legitimate scoring threat in the minor leagues. His 13 points in 16 playoff games were good enough for third in team scoring, and he should push for a roster spot in camp.

It doesn’t end there however. The team also has the trio of Isac Lundestrom, Max Jones and Max Comtois ready to push for full-time jobs in the NHL. All three received a taste of the action this season and impressed, strengthening their cases for a spot this fall. There is plenty of time to wait for each of them, but any of the three could be on the roster to start the season, especially if the Ducks make moves to remove some of their other veteran options.

There are big changes coming in Anaheim, and for fans of the team it may be hard to watch familiar faces like Perry and Kesler limp out of town. But make no mistake, their struggles are another player’s opportunity and in this case there is more than enough talent ready to seize the chance and continue their development at the highest level. So many in fact that the team could potentially consider other moves to free up space and embrace the youth movement that is coming in California.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pacific Notes: Kovalchuk, Hoffman, Ritchie, Karlsson

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The Los Angeles Kings may have moved one of their biggest trade chips several weeks ago in Jake Muzzin, but don’t expect the Kings to stand pat as the deadline nears. Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times writes that general manager Rob Blake has spoken to veteran winger Ilya Kovalchuk, who is seriously considering waiving his no-move clause to go to a contender.

However, Kovalchuk, who signed a three-year, $18.75MM deal last summer, might not fetch a big return for the Kings. A team has to be willing to take on two more years of the 35 year-old’s contract which carries an expensive $6.25MM AAV with it. He has scored 13 goals and has 28 points in 50 games so far this year, while dealing with injuries, but few teams would be willing to give up more than a lower-level prospect to take on Kovalchuk.

Elliott also points out that Los Angeles are far more likely to hold onto defenseman Alec Martinez, who might not bring back the return they were hoping for, while few teams have shown much interest in Jeff Carter so far.

  • Sportsnet’s Marc Savard tweets that the Florida Panthers are getting a lot of calls on forward Mike Hoffman and the Arizona Coyotes, who are looking to make a late playoff run, are pushing hard to acquire the speedy winger. The 29-year-old is having a nice season as he has 26 goals and 51 points, which is in line for a career year. Hoffman could bring back a signficant return as he has another year on his deal at $5.19MM and would be another significant addition of scorers for the Coyotes.
  • The Anaheim Ducks may make a quiet move or two, but after agreeing to a five-year extension with Jakob Silfverberg, the team lacks any significant trade assets to move at the trade deadline. However, The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that with the play of Max Jones and the Max Comtois (currently in juniors), winger Nick Ritchie might be expendable now and be potentially available. A holdout at the beginning of the season, Ritchie eventually signed an inexpensive three-year deal, totaling just $4.6MM, which some teams might covet. Ritchie, of course, hasn’t proven he can be anything more than a 15-goal scorer.
  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Erik Karlsson, who left in the second period of Saturday’s loss to Columbus, tweaked his groin injury in the game. No word on the severity of the injury, however. Karlsson already missed a month between January and February with that lower-body injury, and more missed time would be a setback for a Sharks’ team trying to work their way to the top of the Pacific Division. Head coach Peter DeBoer said he is concerned. “Absolutely,” said DeBoer. “I thought we were as conservative and cautious as you can be but muscle injuries you don’t know. Sometimes you get in positions or over-extend it. We’ll see where it’s at tomorrow.”

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.

Snapshots: Jones, Martinez, Kravtsov, Comtois

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The San Jose Sharks have won four of their last five games and seem to be trending in the right direction. They stand in third place in the Pacific Division with a  23-13-7 worth 53 points, but one thing that could hold the team up is the play of their goaltending.

Paul Gackle of The Mercury News writes that the Sharks rank 31st in the league in even-strength save percentage (89.85 percent) even though the defense seems to have found their game in the month of December. The root of the problem has been the play of starter Martin Jones, who just started a six-year, $34.5MM contract, who has a 2.88 GAA and a .897 save percentage in 31 appearances this year. Head coach Peter DeBoer has put more responsibility on backup Aaron Dell lately, but Gackle writes the team might start to worry whether they can count on Jones for the playoffs.

While a trade is a possibility, Gackle writes that the team’s other option would be to give some playing time to one of their AHL goaltenders in Antoine Bibeau and Josef Korenar, who was just named to the AHL All-Star game. The team could also consider trade rentals such as Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth, Keith Kinkaid and Petr Mrazek, but with Jones’ contract, the team is quite limited.

  • Despite being rumored to be ready to return, Los Angeles Kings head coach Willie Desjardins said that defenseman Alec Martinez is “not quite there yet,” according to Los Angeles Times’ Curtiz Zupke. Martinez has been out with an upper-body injury since Dec. 8.
  • New York Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov had two things going against him at the World Juniors, according to NHL.com’s Igor Eronko. The Rangers’ 2018 first-round pick played through a torn triceps during the WJC playoffs for Russia, which finished with a bronze medal. The scribe also points out that Kravtsov moved to the center position in November with his KHL team, Chelyabinsk Traktor, despite never having played that position before in his career. Despite that, he centered Russia’s first line despite just 12 games of center experience.
  • Speaking of injuries at the WJC, Anaheim Ducks announced that prospect Max Comtois will miss the next two weeks due to the fact that he played throughout the tournament with a separated shoulder. Comtois, who scored five goals and an assist in five games for Team Canada, played for the Ducks for 10 games earlier this season, but was returned to the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL. The 2017 second-round pick will return there after he recovers from his injury.

Canada, Sweden Upset At World Junior Championship

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The quarterfinal round of the 2019 World Junior Championships in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, is underway today and the first two results have both been stunning surprises. Sweden, the Group B winner, fell to Switzerland 2-0 earlier, while Canada, the host team and tournament favorite, lost to Finland 2-1 in overtime after giving up the lead in the final minute of regulation. The United States and Russia remain alive for now, ahead of their semifinal match-up on Friday, but two of the top teams and many of the best NHL prospects are now out far earlier than expected.

For Canada, the defending WJC champs, this loss is historic. It marks the first time that Canada has failed to medal in a World Junior on home soil. The Canadians, the leading team in goal differential following a definitive 14-0 win over Denmark to open the tournament, were heralded for their depth and talent this year. Anaheim Ducks prospect Max Comtois, who played in ten games with the team to begin the season, led a skilled group that also counted first-rounders Morgan Frost (PHI), Cody Glass (VGK), and Owen Tippett (FLA) among its top scorers. However, the group recorded only 25 shots against Finland’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) in the loss and will depart the tournament with little to show for their efforts.

Meanwhile, Sweden continues to have terrible luck in the elimination stages of the World Juniors. The Swedes have not lost in group stage at the WJC since 2008, a whopping 48 wins in a row, but have just one gold medal and an overall losing record in the subsequent rounds in that time. This year, behind an incredible early effort from Emil Bemstrom (CLB) and Erik Brannstrom (VGK), the team finally looked primed for a deep run. Instead, undrafted Luca Hollenstein got the shutout for the Swiss as Sweden failed to produce many high danger chances.

With either Finland or Switzerland, whoever wins their resulting match-up, now guaranteed a spot in the gold medal game, this World Junior has already been turned on its head. Can the U.S., who won’t have to face Canada at all in the WJC for the first time since 2005, and Russia, the points leader through group play, avoid similar surprising fates? Or will one of those teams capitalize on the early upsets to seize the World Junior title this year?

Klim Kostin, Max Comtois Among World Junior Captains

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The NHL’s Western Conference will be well represented at the World Junior Championships, an international tournament that begins today. The event will feature some of the very best U20 players in the entire world, and will include several that have already made their NHL debuts. One of those players is Max Comtois, who started the year with the Anaheim Ducks and has now been named captain of Team Canada. Comtois is the lone returning player from last year’s gold medal-winning squad, and will be helped by Evan Bouchard (EDM), Ian Mitchell (CHI) and Jaret Anderson-Dolan (LAK) who have all been named alternates.

The young Ducks forward got off to a great start, recording seven points in his first ten NHL games and even added another goal during a four-game conditioning stint with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Comtois is now back with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL, a team that is expected to compete for the Memorial Cup after making several high profile trades.

The United States meanwhile will be captained by University of Minnesota-Duluth defenseman Michael Anderson, a Los Angeles Kings prospect. Selected in the fourth round during the 2017 draft, Anderson is a rock solid defenseman capable of shutting down the opponent’s best forwards while contributing offensively from time to time. The 19-year old has seven points in 16 games this season, but will be relied on to stop some of the most potent forwards from around the world while Quinn Hughes—named an alternate for the team—carries the offensive load from the blue line. Josh Norris, another returning player and an Ottawa Senators prospect, rounds out the leadership group.

For Russia, the captain role is often given to a veteran player from their development system who hasn’t reached North America yet. Not so this time around, as St. Louis Blues prospect Klim Kostin will serve as the team’s leader in the upcoming tournament. Kostin played all of last season in the AHL, and has 11 points in 28 games for the San Antonio Rampage this year. He’ll be assisted by Vitaly Kravtsov and Dmitry Samorukov, prospects of the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers respectively.

Finland’s entry looked young and inexperienced until they got some late-December additions, and several will play a big part in the leadership group this time around. Urho Vaakanainen (BOS) and Henri Jokiharju (CHI) have both been named alternates, but will leave the captain duties to Aarne Talvitie who served in the same role at the Summer Showcase. Talvitie, a New Jersey Devils sixth-round pick, currently plays for Penn State U and has 16 points in 17 games as a freshman.

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.

Pacific Notes: Ducks, Quick, Chychrun

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The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries over the past year or so. The team is still far from healthy, but finally full strength is within sight, particularly among their battered forward corps. The likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Patrick Eaves are healthy, and recent injuries like those to Jakob Silfverberg and Kalle Kossila have also run their course. Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are on the mend and expected to be active sooner rather than later. Corey Perry (knee) and Carter Rowney (upper body) are still far from a return, but in terms of players the Ducks reasonably expected to be healthy, things are looking up. However, a full set of healthy forwards also brings with it some tough choices. While Anaheim has the flexibility to send the likes of Ben Street, Pontus Aberg, Sam Carrick, and Kiefer Sherwood – currently on the roster – to the AHL, they have to be concerned about whether there is enough ice time to go around for the more permanent pieces. Already, the team sent promising rookie Isac Lundestrom to the AHL today to bring up Kossila and fellow top prospects Sam Steel and Troy Terry are already down with the San Diego Gulls. As the team grows healthier, it it possible that they could explore returning rookie Max Comtois to his junior club, the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltiguers. While Comtois has already played in ten games this season and tolled the first year of his contract, he cannot be sent to the AHL and could be better served getting guaranteed top-six minutes at the junior level than fighting for ice time with the Ducks. Comtois is currently sidelined, buying Anaheim some time on the decision, but with conceivably an upwards of 20 forwards expecting to see action in the NHL this season, eliminating even just one option by sending Comtois back to junior would help the Ducks with their impending roster crunch.

  • The Los Angeles Kings took another hit in net today with the news that backup goaltender Jack Campbell will be out four to six weeks with a torn meniscus. The team is already without starter Jonathan Quick due to the same injury and are left to lean on veteran Peter Budaj and rookie Cal Petersen for the time being. Fortunately, GM Rob Blake did assure the media later on that Quick remains on track to return sometime around the end of the month, per beat writer Curtis Zupke. Quick underwent surgery on October 31st and was given a timeline of roughly a month to return. So long as his rehab continues to progress positively, Quick could potentially be ready to return by the Kings’ November 30th clash with the division rival Calgary Flames. Yet, even in that best-case scenario, Budaj and Petersen will still be on the hook for the nine games between now and then.
  • In more immediate injury news, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is “probable” to make his season debut on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Chychrun has been sidelined since late last season with a torn ACL in his right knee. The first-round pick was establishing himself as a reliable top-four defender prior to his injury and his return should come with an automatic starting spot, likely bumping Ilya Lyubushkin down to the minors and Jordan Oesterle from his starting slot.

Minor Transactions: 11/10/18

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As usual, it’s a busy Saturday around the NHL with 22 teams in action.  As a result, there is bound to be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep tabs on those moves here.

  • The Bruins announced that they have recalled goaltender Dan Vladar from Providence of the AHL on an emergency basis.  He’s taking the place of Tuukka Rask who was granted a leave of absence on Friday.  After spending most of last season at the ECHL level, Vladar is off to a solid start with Providence this season, posting a 2.52 GAA and a .909 SV% in seven appearances so far.
  • Logan Shaw’s time with Anaheim’s farm team has come to an end.  The San Diego Gulls announced (Twitter link) that they have released the 26-year-old from his AHL contract.  Shaw was off to a strong start with the Gulls, collecting five points in seven games to start the season.  It’s likely that he will be looking for an opportunity with a team that is in need of some depth down the middle after playing in 72 games last season between the Ducks and the Canadiens.
  • The Stars have brought up defenseman Ben Gleason, per a team release.  The 20-year-old is off to a strong start to his first professional season, picking up six points in eleven games to lead all Texas blueliners.  Gleason signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent back in September and should get an opportunity to play quickly with four defensemen currently injured.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have assigned forward Max Comtois to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL on a long-term conditioning loan. Comtois was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 27 after sustaining a lower-body injury and has already missed eight games with the injury. He will likely stick there for up to six days or up to three games. The impending return of the 19-year-old would be good news for Anaheim, who has struggled scoring goals. The second-rounder from 2017 put up an impressive two goals and seven points in 10 games this season.

Anaheim Ducks Place Maxime Comtois On Injured Reserve

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The Anaheim Ducks have placed winger Max Comtois on injured reserve today after he sustained a lower-body injury earlier last week, according to CapFriendly. The hope was that the 19-year-old Comtois might be ready for Sunday’s matchup against San Jose after a two-day break. No word if the move was retroactive. Regardless, Comtois will likely miss a few games after this transaction.

Comtois has been one of the Ducks’ bright spots this season as he has two goals and seven points in his first 10 games of the season. A bit of a surprise to make Anaheim’s opening day roster out of training camp, the second-round pick from the 2017 draft has already burned the first year of his entry-level deal and continues to thrive in the Ducks struggling offense. He had a breakout season last season with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL after posting 44 goals and 85 points in 56 games there.

The Ducks made a couple of other roster moves, including officially sending Andrej Sustr to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL after the veteran blueliner cleared waivers earlier today. The team has now recalled defensemen Jacob Larsson and Andy Welinski from San Diego, according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens. Larsson, the team’s first-rounder from 2015, has struggled with injuries over the last year, but the 21-year-old has been heathy so far this year with two assists in six games this season. The 25-year-old Welinski started the year in San Diego on fire, posting two goals and five points in five games so far this year. The offensive defenseman played in seven games for the Ducks last year.

Stephens also notes that Jakob Silfverberg could be close to returning to the Ducks lineup. That could be a significant return as Silfverberg was hot before getting injured against St. Louis on Oct. 14. The 28-year-old had three goals and seven points before going down with a hand injury.

 

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