I need to disagree with a few of my colleagues. In yesterday's hot stove, “What team has had the worst off-season” Todd Cordell and Jason Lewis both chose the Ducks. With all due respect, I don't concur. Anaheim's 2016 summer has been disappointing, but the worst, no way. Without putting any other teams down (including the huge acquisition of Jack Campbell), here's a few reasons why the Ducks off-season isn't as bad as they think.
Lemonade
Some tout the loss of Frederik Andersen as a big negative. They don't understand how the Ducks front office works. They have an internal budget which is less than the cap. After John Gibson signed an extension last year, the chances of Andersen coming back as a restricted free agent (RFA) was slim (and he left town when Gibson came back from San Diego in November). Bob Murray turned an unsignable player into a 1st round pick in a weak goalie market; it speaks volumes about the GMs ability to swing a good deal.
Insurance Plan
After moving out Andersen, Anaheim was in need of a capable back up to Gibson. Murray went out and found a great replacement at a budget friendly price. Toronto picked up roughly half of Jonathan Bernier's $4.1M salary leaving the Ducks with a high caliber understudy for this year and a player they won't have to worry about exposing in next year's expansion draft.
Surprise
Even though they are yet to ink new deals, its a given that RFAs Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm will don a Ducks sweater next season. Sami Vatanen on the other hand was a coin toss at best when the season ended. After signing a new four year deal for less than $5M per season, #47 remains a Duck. He is easily the most creative player they have and a hufe part of the power play.
Who?
Which forwards the Ducks didn't resign would be considered a big loss? David Perron is very streaky. Jamie McGinn played well during his brief OC stay, but come on he's a borderline top six player. Brandon Pirri? Mike Santorelli? Not big losses. Reality check please.
At the Top
Make no mistake Bruce Boudreau needed to go. If you don't know why, go back and watch the 2014-15 Western Conference Finals where Boudreau was seriously outclassed by Joel Quenville. When push came to shove Boudreau proved time and again that he couldn't win a) when he didn't have a big talent advantage and b) clutch games, in the playoffs. I'll be the first to say that Randy Carlyle wasn't my first choice as head coach. He may not be the regular season coach Boudreau is, but Carlyle has a ring. I'll take the Stanley Cup over the President's Trophy every time.
The biggest reason Anaheim is considered an off-season disappointment is because they didn't add an impact player. One thing we can say about Bob Murray is that he is patient. No one expects Mason Raymond or Jared Boll to be the missing piece of the puzzle. They big domino is yet to fall and it may not for another month or two.
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