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Ryan Getzlaf

West Notes: Canucks, Coyotes Injuries, Ducks

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Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and interim GM Stan Smyl held a press conference today following the sweeping changes that were made late Sunday.  Aquilini told reporters, including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link) that there is no timeline to try to find a replacement and that they will conduct “a thorough and exhaustive search” to find the right candidate.  It’s a similar line to what Chicago and Anaheim have used following their vacancies being created and it would suggest that Vancouver may wait until the offseason when they’re able to speak to candidates currently employed with other teams.

Meanwhile, earlier today, Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reported (Twitter link) that former Montreal GM Marc Bergevin is someone the Canucks are very interested in.  When asked about that, Aquilini acknowledged (via Drance) that he hasn’t approached Bergevin about whether or not he’d be interested in the position.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Coyotes should be getting some help on the injury front soon. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports (Twitter link) that centers Nick Schmaltz (upper body) and Jay Beagle (lower body) could return from their respective injuries this weekend while center Johan Larsson (lower body) is a couple of weeks away after being re-injured on Friday.  Meanwhile, goaltender Carter Hutton has cleared COVID protocol but isn’t yet fully recovered from his ankle injury; with Karel Vejmelka and Scott Wedgewood providing decent goaltending in his absence, they’re in a spot where they can afford to be cautious in bringing him back.
  • Ducks centers Adam Henrique and Ryan Getzlaf could rejoin the team at some point on their five-game road trip, relays Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. The veterans are having strong bounce-back seasons; Henrique is only five points shy of his total from 2020-21 while Getzlaf has already surpassed his total from last season and sits second in team scoring.  Both are dealing with lower-body injuries.

Ducks Captain Ryan Getzlaf Out Week-To-Week

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12/5: The Ducks have transitioned Getzlaf to the injured reserve, the team announced. In his place, the team has recalled young two-way center Benoit-Olivier Groulx from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Anaheim did not issue any update to Getzlaf’s condition, but the IR stint will keep him out a week minimum- though they also did not disclose if the placement was retroactive to the initial date of Getzlaf’s injury on Tuesday.

12/3: Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, per a team tweet.

Getzlaf appeared to suffer the injury about halfway through the first period in Tuesday night’s 5-4 shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings. He took just four shifts and played 2:48 before exiting the game. The captain didn’t play Wednesday night against Vegas.

The 36-year-old Saskatchewan native has already eclipsed his point total from last season, scoring a goal and 19 assists for 20 points in 23 games. He was playing 19:01 per game, his most ice time in three years.

Needless to say, the leading scorer in Ducks history has been a huge part of his team’s unexpected success so far this season. He and Troy Terry have teamed up for a combined 45 points already this season, guiding the Ducks to a 13-8-3 start.

With Getzlaf out, it looks like 23-year-old Sam Steel will get a chance on the top line between Terry and Adam Henrique. The 2016 first-round pick has just five points in 17 games this year, but it’s a big opportunity for him to demonstrate he still has the ability to be an NHL player.

Ryan Getzlaf Sets Anaheim Ducks Franchise Points Record

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In what could be potentially his last season in the NHL, Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf set the team’s all-time points record today with his 989th point. In doing so, he passed previous record holder Teemu Selanne.

The 36-year-old center, historically known for his playmaking ability, set the record with a primary assist on a Troy Terry breakaway game-winning goal today in a 4-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens.

While there was some speculation about Getzlaf’s future playing status this offseason, the longtime Ducks captain signed a one-year, $3.0MM deal on July 28, 2021, to stay with the team. Getzlaf’s had a hot start this season, notching seven assists in 10 games while averaging over 18 minutes a game still. It looks to be a solid uptick on last year’s production, where he had just 17 points in 48 games, the lowest totals of his career.

Getzlaf’s played in every Ducks season post-lockout, he’s now had eight seasons with 50+ assists. He’s played over 1,100 games as a Duck and his 17 seasons in Anaheim eclipse Selanne’s 15 years.

Department Of Player Safety Fines Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf For Dangerous Trip

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a $1,000 fine for Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf for a dangerous trip on the Minnesota Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek.

During yesterday’s overtime period against Minnesota, Getzlaf and Eriksson Ek engaged in a net-front battle. With Getzlaf standing behind Eriksson Ek as they both faced the Ducks’ net, Getzlaf tripped Eriksson Ek by pushing the Wild forward’s left skate out from under him with his stick. Neither player had control of the puck.

It’s worth noting that Getzlaf was not fined the maximum allowable amount as defined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Getzlaf has started strong this season, scoring four assists in six games.

The money from the fine goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Ryan Getzlaf Expected To Re-Sign With Anaheim Ducks

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The Anaheim Ducks won’t lose their captain after all. Ryan Getzlaf is expected to be back on a one-year deal according to Kevin Weekes of NHL Network. Getzlaf had recently spoken about how watching former teammate Corey Perry find success elsewhere gave him a bit of an “itch” to test free agency, but he’ll stay with the organization he’s been with all along. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic confirms that the deal will be worth $4.5MM when officially filed.

Now 36, Getzlaf doesn’t really need to go Cup chasing like other veteran free agents. He already has his championship, winning with the Ducks back in 2007 before becoming the team’s captain a few years later. He already sits as the franchise leader in games played and assists, but will also pass Teemu Selanne for the franchise scoring lead this season (he sits six points behind). Getting that record and playing his entire career in Anaheim could very well mean more to Getzlaf at this point, but it’s also the $4.5MM price tag that looks like a win from the player’s perspective.

It’s hard to see how any other team in the league would be able to commit that much to a 36-year-old forward that scored just five goals and 17 points in the 2020-21 season. That was a sharp decline for Getzlaf, who hadn’t finished a season with fewer than 39 points previously. This is a legacy contract more than anything, giving him a reason to stay and continue to mentor the next wave of talent in the Ducks system.

Ryan Getzlaf Intends To Re-Sign With Anaheim

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There were many pending unrestricted free agents that were left unprotected for Wednesday’s expansion draft but the expectation is quite a few of them will ink new deals between the lifting of the transactions freeze on Thursday and the start of the free agent market next Wednesday.  Among those appears to be center Ryan Getzlaf as Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register notes that the veteran is believed to be intending to return to Anaheim and re-sign with the Ducks before free agency opens up.

The 36-year-old has spent his entire 16-year career in Anaheim and is the longest-serving captain in franchise history after taking on that role in 2010.  In his prime, he was a dominant top-line center but his production has tapered off sharply in recent years.  This past season, he posted career lows offensively with just five goals and 12 assists in 48 games despite still averaging more than 16 minutes per game.  That had him in trade speculation at the trade deadline although with an $8MM AAV, a viable deal never materialized.

Now that he’s set to hit the open market, it’s fair to say that Getzlaf will be taking a significant drop in pay whether it comes from Anaheim or someone else.  At this stage of his career, he’s probably better off on the third line or lower so his salary will be more commensurate with that role.  Worth noting, he is eligible to sign a contract with performance incentives as long as it’s a one-year contract.  Such a structure would seemingly make sense for both sides as it would allow the Ducks to get him on a lower base rate but allow Getzlaf the opportunity to make more if his production rebounds next season.  Either way, it certainly appears as if Getzlaf’s tenure in Anaheim might not be done just yet.

Ducks Notes: Volkov, Drysdale, Getzlaf

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Anaheim’s acquisition of Alexander Volkov from Tampa Bay last month raised some eyebrows considering the relatively low acquisition cost of prospect Antoine Morand and a 2023 seventh-round pick.  But Tampa Bay needed more cap flexibility and the Ducks were able to take advantage of that.

However, it turns out that wasn’t the only factor in the trade.  The 23-year-old told Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register that he had requested a trade from the Lightning, citing a desire to play more regularly instead of being someone that was in and out of the lineup.  He should get that opportunity with Anaheim and played a season-high 13:32 in his debut last night while scoring a goal.  A good showing down the stretch would go a long way towards bolstering his case in restricted free agency where he will have arbitration eligibility for the first time this summer.

More from Anaheim:

  • Jamie Drysdale played in his seventh game of the season on Friday. Normally, that’s not a particularly notable milestone but using the proration factor that’s being applied this season (56/82), he has reached the equivalent of the ten-game mark that officially activates the first year of his entry-level deal, meaning the contract can no longer slide.  The next threshold to watch for in these situations is the 40-game mark for accruing a season towards UFA eligibility.  Using that same proration factor, that will be hit at 27 games.  However, Anaheim only has 20 games left in their season and with them sitting last in the West Division, they’re not making the playoffs so it’s safe to say that Drysdale isn’t going to reach that threshold.  That means they will still have seven years of team control remaining.
  • Center Ryan Getzlaf left Friday’s game in the first period due to an upper-body injury, Teaford notes in a separate column. It has been a tough season for the long-time captain as he has just three goals in 36 games so far.  GM Bob Murray has previously indicated that he wouldn’t move Getzlaf unless he wanted to be traded but with so many teams being close to being capped out, it would be difficult to put a viable trade together regardless of his no-move clause.

Latest On Ryan Getzlaf’s Future

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The Anaheim Ducks lost again last night, adding just a single mark to the goals for column that they have struggled so much to fill this season. The team has just 33 goals in 17 games, the fewest on a per-game basis in the league and a historically low rate. They do have some offensive weapons pushing for a call-up but some wonder if the team should be selling off some expiring or aging assets to rebuild for the future. When you scroll over the Ducks’ CapFriendly page looking for potential trade chips, one name might stick out above all the rest: Ryan Getzlaf.

The 35-year-old center is on the last season of the eight-year, $66MM contract he signed in 2013 and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. That could potentially make him an attractive piece on the market, especially since he isn’t actually earning the $8.5MM cap hit that his contract carries. Getzlaf is owed just $6MM for the 2020-21 season, and half of that was in a signing bonus. That means he would come at a considerable discount for a cash-strapped contender, though obviously, the cap structure would need to work.

Hold that thought. Getzlaf also has a full no-movement clause in his contract and Frank Seravalli of TSN reported last night on Insider Trading that the Ducks have no plans to ask him to waive it at this time. The only way the veteran forward would be on the move is if he asked for a trade to go chase a Stanley Cup. That chase, which is so alluring to many of the league’s greatest players as they get to the twilight of their career, may not be so for Getzlaf, who already won a championship in 2007 with the Ducks.

There’s also the fact that he’s not the same Hart Trophy-level star that he once was, meaning the return wouldn’t likely be a big one. Getzlaf has just six points through 15 games, including zero even-strength goals. His ice time is down and he’s now just playing a support and leadership role as the team transitions to the next wave of talent.

As of now, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll be on the block. But Seravalli points out that could change if he “raises his hand” and tells the Ducks he wants to chase another ring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pacific Notes: Getzlaf, Hughes, Demers, Ekman-Larsson

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While some veterans will be considering whether or not to leave their teams in pursuit of a Stanley Cup title, it doesn’t appear as if Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf has any interest in doing so.  Speaking with Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required), the veteran stated that he has “no desire to try to chase a Cup somewhere else”.  The 34-year-old has spent the entirety of his 15-year career with the Ducks and still has one year on his current deal left after this one with a cap hit of $8.25MM and a full no-move clause.  The lack of interest in a trade appears to be mutual as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that management has no intention of taking calls from teams that might be interested in bringing the veteran in for the stretch run.

More from the Pacific:

  • Quinn Hughes’ second period assist on Thursday against Minnesota may not have seemed like a big deal at the time but it was a notable one for the Canucks. Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston notes that the helper ensured that the rookie would max out his Schedule A bonuses in his contract, worth a total of $850K.  He had to hit four separate marks to get there; he has already reached 25 assists, 40 points, and played in the All-Star Game.  His point per game average is also guaranteed to be over the 0.49 threshold which is the fourth one he’ll hit.  With Vancouver already into LTIR, it’s likely that the bonuses will be carried over and applied on their salary cap for next season.
  • Coyotes defenseman Jason Demers is dealing with an oblique injury that will keep him out for a while, reports Craig Morgan of The Athletic (Twitter link) who notes that the likely designation will be week-to-week. The 31-year-old ranks fourth among Arizona defenders in ice time per game at just under 21 minutes a night.  Meanwhile, Morgan adds that blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has been out with a lower-body injury sustained late last month, is expected to travel with the team for their upcoming four-game road trip which suggests that he could be nearing a return.

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.

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