Endless Summer

I had to challenge my inner Dalton before writing this. For those not familiar with the movie Road House, I was nice until it was time not to be nice.

On the verge of season opening training the Ducks may be shorthanded. Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm, restricted free agents, remain unsigned. As a matter of fact, neither appear on Anaheim's training camp roster.

There really isn't much of an excuse for negotiations to drag on this long. Just because they were on Sweden's World Cup Roster (more on Rakell's status later) didn't mean their agents weren't available. Its ridiculous that Lindholm, a player who is supposed to be a franchise cornerstone of the franchise for the next decade, is without a contract on September 21. The GM needs to let the young defenseman know he is a priority to the organization.

GM Bob Murray said in June that new deals wouldn't happen until August or September. The week training camp starts has to be some kind of deadline. Summer is over but there is still offseason work to be done. Tick Tock.

Ricky Rak Goes Under the Knife

Rakell was forced to leave Sweden's World Cup team due to abdominal pain relating to his appendectomy last March. He needed surgery to remove accumulated scar tissue. His recovery time should make him practice ready by the end of next week.

Rookies Finish with a Bang

Line changes by coach Dallas Eakins did the trick for the Ducks rookie squad. Camp ended with a 5-3 win over San Jose's rookies on Monday. Nick Ritchie scored two goals to lead the way. Other notable achievements included 45 shots on the Sharks net and a shutout period by goalie Kevin Boyle.

Little PTO

At this time of year, its always interesting to see where unsigned free agents go for their professional tryouts. As for the Ducks, they will bring in wingers David Booth and Sean Bergenheim. Two players with plenty of NHL experience who played overseas last season. Goalie Yann Denis also received a PTO. He is a career minor leaguer with 55 games of NHL experience.

One UFA that deserves at least a tryout with the Ducks is Alex Tanguay. He put up 35 points in 70 games last year and 55 points in 80 games in 2014-15.

Adios

After a disappointing 2015-16 in Anaheim, Shawn Horcoff has decided to hang up his skates. He will head up player development for the Red Wings. Last year he scored 15 points in 59 games. His season was interrupted by a 20-game suspension for violations of the NHL drug policy.

-Ed


Friday through Monday, Ducks practices and scrimmages will be free of charge at Anaheim Ice. If you attend, please email me your scouting reports.

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