Ed Stein: Hotstove Rebuttal Why the Ducks offseason isn't as bad as they think.

I shake my head too when reading the Hotstove. Anaheim has an unreal core and the players that walked are secondary players at best.

Anyone with a brain should know that Montreal is the only team that got significantly worse over the summer.

All good points.
However, they still had a bad offseason, maybe not the worst (debatable), but certainly the team is not better.

The beauty of this time of year. Every fan base is happy with all the moves their club made in the off season. I'm predicting a 30-way tie for 1st place this year.

agree with all points except Carlyle. He really has to show a change in mindset in order to succeed.

I'm surprised they didn't re-sign Perron.. He didn't exactly break the bank with his deal with the blues and he played well in his short stint riding shotgun with getzlaf

You really can't rationally defend the firing of Boudreau and the hiring of Carlyle. The Ducks have had a pretty brutal offseason.

Credit where credit is due - the FA trade / Vats signing & JB have been solid -

However Murray has completely failed to address the huge hole - which is lack of scoring / finishing / big time wing - even though plenty of teams with surplus of forwards have D needs that match Duck needs up front - and the longer 47 & 67 remain unsigned gives us fans imaginations room to run wild with the worst possible scenarios unfolding - The Seth Jones signing should have been the template to get Hampus done - and Rakell is no less important - lets go Murray quit worrying about the peas & concentrate on the steak -

Thanks Ed for the reality check.

You left off Perron, and I'll admit that's the only player I would have liked back, but I'm not going to lose sleep over losing him. I would expect Jason Lewis (Kings blogger) to cite the Ducks. Why not? But man, talk about a team with zero meaningful moves and in cap/salary hell. Maybe I should be impressed signing Purcell.


Rumors are Ritchie came into rookie camp in great shape and impressed with his added speed. He already has NHL hands. If Theodore makes the team, that's 9D, so you know more deals are coming. Lindholm and Rakell will be signed later this summer (as Murray told us in June). The Ducks are sitting on a wealth of D talent that other squads are in desperate need of (ie: Detroit).

I'll be more than happy to let you judge the quality of moves made come October when the roster should be finalized.

Credit where credit is due - the FA trade / Vats signing & JB have been solid -

However Murray has completely failed to address the huge hole - which is lack of scoring / finishing / big time wing - even though plenty of teams with surplus of forwards have D needs that match Duck needs up front - and the longer 47 & 67 remain unsigned gives us fans imaginations room to run wild with the worst possible scenarios unfolding - The Seth Jones signing should have been the template to get Hampus done - and Rakell is no less important - lets go Murray quit worrying about the peas & concentrate on the steak -
- dozerD10

What is your obsession with this? MURRAY SAID THEY WILL BOTH BE SIGNED SOMETIME IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER. What part of that sentence don't you get?

It's not about fans being ignorant of Anaheim's internal budget (I'm pretty sure that's common knowledge by now). The reality is that you don't get bonus points for doing well within an owner-imposed framework when there are other teams that don't have those same constraints. So yes, you could say that the deal for Andersen was good given the parameters the Ducks had to deal with, but that doesn't mean it makes the Ducks a better team. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see Gibson become a bonafide #1 this year.

I won't rehash the Boudreau/Carlyle thing, except to say that winning a Cup when your top two defenders are Pronger and Niedermeyer is not the hallmark of a great coach.

Which forwards the Ducks didn't resign would be considered a big loss? 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.

David Perron also walked. Not a huge loss, granted, but the Ducks essentially gave up Hagelin for nothing. As a Kings fan, not really throwing stones cause I know what that's like, but at least we didn't overpay to retain Lucic.

What is your obsession with this? MURRAY SAID THEY WILL BOTH BE SIGNED SOMETIME IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER. What part of that sentence don't you get?
- quackup

I don't believe him -

So if not Anaheim then who?

How would ducks fan feel bout a cam fowler for evander Kane trade?

How would ducks fan feel bout a cam fowler for evander Kane trade?
- Kunit[/quote

I don't believe him -
- dozerD10

Why don't you? Where do you think they're going, as they're under team control? Do you think they're going to sit out a year to become UFA? What are you so concerned about?

note: both were extended "qualifying offers" by the club (Noessen also). Until I hear otherwise, I assume they signed them.

It's not about fans being ignorant of Anaheim's internal budget (I'm pretty sure that's common knowledge by now). The reality is that you don't get bonus points for doing well within an owner-imposed framework when there are other teams that don't have those same constraints. So yes, you could say that the deal for Andersen was good given the parameters the Ducks had to deal with, but that doesn't mean it makes the Ducks a better team. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see Gibson become a bonafide #1 this year.

I won't rehash the Boudreau/Carlyle thing, except to say that winning a Cup when your top two defenders are Pronger and Niedermeyer is not the hallmark of a great coach.
- DonzoBean

You left out a 1st line of Selanne, McDonald and Kunitz that combined for 100 goals and a second line that had two kids named Getzlaf and Perry. And Dustin Penner scored 29 goals that year. WTH. And the best shutdown line in the league.

Give Randy credit for getting the best out of that group, but that team was stacked. Anything less than a cup would have been a major disappointment. I don't see the same talent level or depth in the current group. They'll be competitive, with strong D, but they don't look like a contender today. Lucky for us, the playoffs aren't until April. I'm more concerned with what the roster looks like after noon on deadline day than what it looks like today.

So if not Anaheim then who?
- Njuice

Montreal.

So if not Anaheim then who?
- Njuice

NYR, LAK, STL

You really can't rationally defend the firing of Boudreau and the hiring of Carlyle. The Ducks have had a pretty brutal offseason.
- eichiefs9

Yes I can. Again, Carlyle isn't my first choice, but I'll take the guy who has won over the guy I know can't win the big one. I think Boudreau is a very good coach, however making the playoffs and succeeding in the playoffs are two different things.

Why don't you? Where do you think they're going, as they're under team control? Do you think they're going to sit out a year to become UFA? What are you so concerned about?

note: both were extended "qualifying offers" by the club (Noessen also). Until I hear otherwise, I assume they signed them.
- quackup

You said the magic word ... Assume - and when you leave yourself so little time to sign both things get magnified / contract disputes or questions about this and that -
Or worse alienating one or both with short term bridge or qualifying offers & perhaps costing yourself bigger money down the road - both these guys I think have proven themselves past any doubt -

Yes I can. Again, Carlyle isn't my first choice, but I'll take the guy who has won over the guy I know can't win the big one. I think Boudreau is a very good coach, however making the playoffs and succeeding in the playoffs are two different things.
- Ed Stein

No, you don't know that. What has Boudreau done, tangibly, that shows he doesn't coach well in the playoffs? You are putting too much weight in circumstances objectively outside his control. To wit:

https://twitter.com/Japer...status/725657169375301632
and
https://twitter.com/Japer...status/725659765989232641


There is nothing a coach can do to get his goalie to stop pucks or his players to shoot the puck more accurately. I get why the Ducks felt they needed to move on, but Boudreau is an excellent coach, in both the regular season and playoffs.

It's not a bad thing that nothing has happened. Making a move or trade just to change things doesn't work well in the long run . Look at last year . We trade palmarri , trade for haglein . And after a year we got nothing . We lost a 50+ point winger and traded his replacement . I'm not opposed to making deals but the slow erosion of talent from this roster over the last 3 years is a big problem . So codo's to bob for not panicking.

No, you don't know that. What has Boudreau done, tangibly, that shows he doesn't coach well in the playoffs? You are putting too much weight in circumstances objectively outside his control. To wit:

https://twitter.com/Japer...status/725657169375301632
and
https://twitter.com/Japer...status/725659765989232641


There is nothing a coach can do to get his goalie to stop pucks or his players to shoot the puck more accurately. I get why the Ducks felt they needed to move on, but Boudreau is an excellent coach, in both the regular season and playoffs.
- DonzoBean

Most of that is contradictory. I'm pretty darn good at math, but there is an old saying, "figures can lie and liars can figure." Say what you want about percentages, the most important numbers are 1-8 in Game 7's and 5-13 in closeouts. Winning is the most important stat and he wasn't getting the job done.