Ed Stein: Picking Up the Pieces

Bruce, in my honest opinion, wasn't the issue here. At some point the core players need to take ownership. Perry has been incredibly underwhelming the last few postseasons during crunch time. If I was Bob I'd trade Fowler and Anderson asap to maximize assets. They should be able to get some great talent for those 2 players. What's the percentage chance the Kings and Sutter part ways and he moves down the road to Orange County? The fact that they still have yet to finalize a new contract is getting more and more interesting by the day. His main priority is to win now and he loves Southern Ca. Would the Ducks want him haha?

Bruce, in my honest opinion, wasn't the issue here. At some point the core players need to take ownership. Perry has been incredibly underwhelming the last few postseasons during crunch time. If I was Bob I'd trade Fowler and Anderson asap to maximize assets. They should be able to get some great talent for those 2 players. What's the percentage chance the Kings and Sutter part ways and he moves down the road to Orange County? The fact that they still have yet to finalize a new contract is getting more and more interesting by the day. His main priority is to win now and he loves Southern Ca. Would the Ducks want him haha?
- Woodysdemise

Sign Freddie if there's going to be an expansion draft. Gibby will be our goalie going forward. But if we expose Anderssen to an expansion team, surely he'll be gone and our defensemen will be spared. Go ahead and trade Fowler now if you can get anything decent for him. Send Despres with him for a bag of pucks. Neither one can play extended defense in their own zone. At least Cam can really move the puck. And Despres will be making $3.7 million for 4 years starting next year. Yikes!

I love Bargain Bob. But if firing Bruce means we go back to missing the playoffs 2 out of 3 years (we had one playoff round in 3 years before Bruce was our full-time coach) , I'm gonna be pissed!

Honest question, what would each of Fowler, Despres, and Vatanen cost to acquire from the Oilers? Fowler would be my main target.

I would rather trade Vatanen than the best defenseman the Ducks had his season. Vatanen is older and hes going to be more expensive than Fowler next season. He's also the easiest to replace. Theodore practically has his spot on the right side already and the Ducks, oddly, are finding themselves in need of a left side defensemen.

Regardless of who gets traded, what is this team's needs? I still contend we need a pure goal scorer to get through the playoffs, but don't know who is available. Perry is a 30-goal scorer, but his struggles in the playoffs have consistently hurt the team (not that he is the only one to blame). Is there someone akin to a Kessel that might be available? Are our potential trade pieces good enough to land someone similar?

Regardless of who gets traded, what is this team's needs? I still contend we need a pure goal scorer to get through the playoffs, but don't know who is available. Perry is a 30-goal scorer, but his struggles in the playoffs have consistently hurt the team (not that he is the only one to blame). Is there someone akin to a Kessel that might be available? Are our potential trade pieces good enough to land someone similar?
- Asplanchna

A sniper from the left side is greatly needed.

Ed every one of those candidates would be a Huge downgrade from BB -
Eakins .... I hope that's a joke - This was one of my huge concerns with
firing BB ... Is the guy who is going to replace him better... Any of those
people you mentioned are not in any way shape or form close to BB in ability of coaching chops -

You can have Lupul back for some depth scoring 20 games of the season! Just hope the 20 games are playoff games.

Aside from that, I was really hoping the Ducks would get to the cup finals. I figured they were too good not to. It's definitely got to be Murray in the hot seat going into this season, the core isn't getting younger and so he'll need to do something at some point.

Sign Freddie if there's going to be an expansion draft. Gibby will be our goalie going forward. But if we expose Anderssen to an expansion team, surely he'll be gone and our defensemen will be spared. Go ahead and trade Fowler now if you can get anything decent for him. Send Despres with him for a bag of pucks. Neither one can play extended defense in their own zone. At least Cam can really move the puck. And Despres will be making $3.7 million for 4 years starting next year. Yikes!

I love Bargain Bob. But if firing Bruce means we go back to missing the playoffs 2 out of 3 years (we had one playoff round in 3 years before Bruce was our full-time coach) , I'm gonna be pissed!
- yzermaneely

NO

If there's an expansion draft (will be next year, at the earliest), you can only protect one goalie. Period. Makes zero sense to sign Andersen, unless you plan on trading Gibson.

Honest question, what would each of Fowler, Despres, and Vatanen cost to acquire from the Oilers? Fowler would be my main target.
- MaximumBone

Hall. Fowler straight up would be my guess. Vatanen +, Despres +++

Issue though is salary. Ducks aren't in a position to take on salary and without looking up the #'s, isn't Hall making $6mil/season?

Hall. Fowler straight up would be my guess. Vatanen +, Despres +++

Issue though is salary. Ducks aren't in a position to take on salary and without looking up the #'s, isn't Hall making $6mil/season?
- quackup

$6 million for four more seasons. There's no way we can take that on long term.

NO

If there's an expansion draft (will be next year, at the earliest), you can only protect one goalie. Period. Makes zero sense to sign Andersen, unless you plan on trading Gibson.
- quackup

If the reports are correct, teams will be able to protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie.

We'll protect three of:

Lindholm (Duh! right?)
Fowler
Vatanen
Manson
Despres
Theodore (If he qualifies by then, we can't leave him exposed)

Who are you leaving exposed? Because I like the idea of signing Anderssen and dangling him like a rodeo clown to distract Las Vegas from our defensemen. If we don't lose him, then Bob will trade him. We're keeping Gibson for a long, long time.

Obviously Bargain Bob has a plan. And if he trades Fowler and/or Vatanen this summer, this all goes up in smoke.

If the reports are correct, teams will be able to protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie.

We'll protect three of:

Lindholm (Duh! right?)
Fowler
Vatanen
Manson
Despres
Theodore (If he qualifies by then, we can't leave him exposed)

Who are you leaving exposed? Because I like the idea of signing Anderssen and dangling him like a rodeo clown to distract Las Vegas from our defensemen. If we don't lose him, then Bob will trade him. We're keeping Gibson for a long, long time.

Obviously Bargain Bob has a plan. And if he trades Fowler and/or Vatanen this summer, this all goes up in smoke.
- yzermaneely

But why are you suggesting we sign Andersen? It will only take up more budget money when we need to get others signed (Lindholm, Rakell, etc.) Since Gibson will be protected, why not just trade Andersen this offseason? Let his new team sign him. You surely can't be suggesting we sign Andersen, THEN expose him to the expansion draft. You would lose him and get nothing in return. I don't get where you're coming from. (note: the parameters of the draft haven't been finalized. Might be you can protect 1 goalie and 10 skaters.)

If the reports are correct, teams will be able to protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie.

We'll protect three of:

Lindholm (Duh! right?)
Fowler
Vatanen
Manson
Despres
Theodore (If he qualifies by then, we can't leave him exposed)

Who are you leaving exposed? Because I like the idea of signing Anderssen and dangling him like a rodeo clown to distract Las Vegas from our defensemen. If we don't lose him, then Bob will trade him. We're keeping Gibson for a long, long time.

Obviously Bargain Bob has a plan. And if he trades Fowler and/or Vatanen this summer, this all goes up in smoke.
- yzermaneely

This is almost guaranteed to backfire. There is still a very good chance that Vegas would select a defenseman from the Ducks roster even if Andersen was available. He might not even be the best option for them if his salary is where it should be. There are about 10 teams that have two or more goalies that could each be starters in this league and a few of them have already won a championship. There are not as many teams with as many good young defensemen. Signing him limits what Murray can do for the next couple summers. Better to trade him sooner to get the most out of the roster before expansion.

If the reports are correct, teams will be able to protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie.

We'll protect three of:

Lindholm (Duh! right?)
Fowler
Vatanen
Manson
Despres
Theodore (If he qualifies by then, we can't leave him exposed)

Who are you leaving exposed? Because I like the idea of signing Anderssen and dangling him like a rodeo clown to distract Las Vegas from our defensemen. If we don't lose him, then Bob will trade him. We're keeping Gibson for a long, long time.

Obviously Bargain Bob has a plan. And if he trades Fowler and/or Vatanen this summer, this all goes up in smoke.
- yzermaneely

Bieksa has a NMC in 2017-18, meaning he will be required to be protected.

Report: In expansion draft, teams must protect players with no-movement clauses

Yeah . Holding on to anderson and lossing him for nothing would be bad . We should be able too get a low first round pick for him . And since we don't have enough cap space to sign them all we should trade a d man . I personally would love to trade shea theodore for leon drisille in Edmonton . But that would make too much sense for both teams so it will never happen . And a winger won't help much if getzlaf and kesler start to slow down . So getting a center for the future to replace one of them should be top priority .

If the reports are correct, teams will be able to protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie.

We'll protect three of:

Lindholm (Duh! right?)
Fowler
Vatanen
Manson
Despres
Theodore (If he qualifies by then, we can't leave him exposed)

Who are you leaving exposed? Because I like the idea of signing Anderssen and dangling him like a rodeo clown to distract Las Vegas from our defensemen. If we don't lose him, then Bob will trade him. We're keeping Gibson for a long, long time.

Obviously Bargain Bob has a plan. And if he trades Fowler and/or Vatanen this summer, this all goes up in smoke.
- yzermaneely

Teams can either protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goaltender or 8 skaters at any position and 1 goaltender. Either way, you can only keep one goaltender. Players with NMCs will be required to be protected, while NTCs will be exposable (that means Bieksa will be required to be one of your 3 protections). Players on the first two years of their ELCs will be exempted, but players on their third and final year will not. Every team can only have one player claimed during the draft if there's only one expansion team, two if there's two expansion teams.

I think brosef's point was that since Andersen is a proven starting goaltender, he will be the prime goaltending target by any expansion team. So if you sign him and leave him unprotected, he will likely get claimed, meaning your deep defensive prospects will be spared. Bieksa is a required protection since he has a NMC, so your 2 remaining protections will probably be Lindholm and Fowler, meaning Theodore, Manson, Despres, and Vatanen (if he re-signs) will all be unprotected. It's not a bad strategy, but it's risky because if the expansion team does decide to go with a defensemen, then you're on the hook for two goaltenders. Andersen's next contract will likely not be a cheap one either.

Yeah . Holding on to anderson and lossing him for nothing would be bad . We should be able too get a low first round pick for him . And since we don't have enough cap space to sign them all we should trade a d man . I personally would love to trade shea theodore for leon drisille in Edmonton . But that would make too much sense for both teams so it will never happen . And a winger won't help much if getzlaf and kesler start to slow down . So getting a center for the future to replace one of them should be top priority .
- Eman87654

No way Edmonton would trade Draisaitl for Theodore unless there were additional pieces coming back their way. They've been shallow at center for several years, and he was one of their best players this season. He's also price controlled for another 6-7 years. Honestly, you'd probably have a better chance at Nugent-Hopkins.

No way Edmonton would trade Draisaitl for Theodore unless there were additional pieces coming back their way. They've been shallow at center for several years, and he was one of their best players this season.
- tkecanuck341

They have mcdavide , nugent hopkins , drisille , and they can draft another with the 4th pick . They will listen . Will they do it? Probably not . This is Edmonton we're talking about .

Hall is one of the top wingers in the league, flat out. I like Fowler, but he is nowhere near comparable to do a 1 for 1.
*edit in response to quackup, quotes not working for me

They have mcdavide , nugent hopkins , drisille , and they can draft another with the 4th pick . They will listen . Will they do it? Probably not . This is Edmonton we're talking about .
- Eman87654

If they were going to target a defenseman with a player like Draisaitl, they'd package him up with Yakupov and go for a proven commodity like OEL, not go for a player who may or may not end up turning into a top-pairing defenseman.

Teams can either protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goaltender or 8 skaters at any position and 1 goaltender. Either way, you can only keep one goaltender. Players with NMCs will be required to be protected, while NTCs will be exposable (that means Bieksa will be required to be one of your 3 protections). Players on ELCs will be exempted, provided they have 2 or fewer pro seasons under their belt. Every team can only have one player claimed during the draft if there's only one expansion team, two if there's two expansion teams.

I think brosef's point was that since Andersen is a proven starting goaltender, he will be the prime goaltending target by any expansion team. So if you sign him and leave him unprotected, he will likely get claimed, meaning your deep defensive prospects will be spared. Bieksa is a required protection since he has a NMC, so your 2 remaining protections will probably be Lindholm and Fowler, meaning Theodore, Manson, Despres, and Vatanen (if he re-signs) will all be unprotected. It's not a bad strategy, but it's risky because if the expansion team does decide to go with a defensemen, then you're on the hook for two goaltenders. Andersen's next contract will likely not be a cheap one either.
- tkecanuck341

So in one scenario Ducks can keep 11 players total, and in the other only 9?

I think Theodore might be exempt.

But why are you suggesting we sign Andersen? It will only take up more budget money when we need to get others signed (Lindholm, Rakell, etc.) Since Gibson will be protected, why not just trade Andersen this offseason? Let his new team sign him. You surely can't be suggesting we sign Andersen, THEN expose him to the expansion draft. You would lose him and get nothing in return. I don't get where you're coming from. (note: the parameters of the draft haven't been finalized. Might be you can protect 1 goalie and 10 skaters.)
- quackup

They are still ironing out certain details of the draft, but the protection limits are set. It's 7/3/1 or 8/1.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl-pre...sion-draft-plans-1.454239

They recently announced the rules for NMCs and NTCs as well (see link from previous post).

So in one scenario Ducks can keep 11 players total, and in the other only 9?

I think Theodore might be exempt.
- quackup

Yes, they want you to have to make a hard choice if you want to protect more defensemen. They have specifically said that the draft rules are designed to make better players available.

Theodore won't be exempt. Daly is directly quoted as saying that players in their final year of their ELC will be subject to the draft (see link above).