Ed Stein: Squeezing the Nickel Tight

Feathers, I mean first!

trade them both along with fowler and a 1st round pick for OEL

Good thing they signed Vermette.

Not to sound like a broken record .... but whoever couldn't see this coming in July ... well they just weren't paying attention - but money for Vermette , Boll , Raymond - that is what ... 3 mil a yr just with those 3 Bozos - plus 2 million more for Bernier - when you had Tokarski in SD - I just can't imagine how Murray could have @#%#%^^^ this up any more

While I agree the Ducks " normally" have an internal budget, this year might be an outlier. Bernier has a 4.2 million cap hit (approx), but Toronto paid 2 million of it on July 1, so that's 2 million the Ducks saved. Secondly, the team gets approx 11 million for the Las Vegas team coming into the league. I don't think the Ducks are worried about the cap this year. imo

There's been zero indication any of the talks between Lindholm/Rakell and the Ducks have been contentious. Figure no news is good news in that regard. Let's see how the next two weeks play out. Lindholm played for team Sweden, so he's ready to go. Rakell is still injured and can't start skating for another week or so. Not panicking yet (only starting to prepare to).

While I agree the Ducks " normally" have an internal budget, this year might be an outlier. Bernier has a 4.2 million cap hit (approx), but Toronto paid 2 million of it on July 1, so that's 2 million the Ducks saved. Secondly, the team gets approx 11 million for the Las Vegas team coming into the league. I don't think the Ducks are worried about the cap this year. imo

There's been zero indication any of the talks between Lindholm/Rakell and the Ducks have been contentious. Figure no news is good news in that regard. Let's see how the next two weeks play out. Lindholm played for team Sweden, so he's ready to go. Rakell is still injured and can't start skating for another week or so. Not panicking yet (only starting to prepare to).
- quackup

I think you are living in fantasy land if you think this is going to have a good ending-
just so many poor decisions over the summer have led to this point
- If and this is a big IF Murray can somehow sign these 2 he is going to have to gut some other portion of the team and then one hole just becomes another - none of the summer signings have addressed the scoring needs - and to Ed's point these PTO's if any show signs of being ok additions - where does that money come from -

I think you are living in fantasy land if you think this is going to have a good ending-
just so many poor decisions over the summer have led to this point
- If and this is a big IF Murray can somehow sign these 2 he is going to have to gut some other portion of the team and then one hole just becomes another - none of the summer signings have addressed the scoring needs - and to Ed's point these PTO's if any show signs of being ok additions - where does that money come from -

- dozerD10

Why are you so full of gloom and doom? Serious. The sky isn't falling. Trade Despres. Period. You honestly think you're going to "gut the team" getting rid of him. No way. Ducks won the Jennings award last year without him (he missed practically the entire season with concussions). You have Theodore without a spot. You have Montour on the doorstep. Maybe Stoner can be moved, but I think if Despres is healthy, he'll get a better return. Move Despres and there's all the cap space the team needs. Then there's still the Fowler rumors that keep floating around.

I don't give a damn if this team wins the Pacific. Making the playoffs is all that matters. Whatever concerns the team has can be addressed at the trade deadline. McGinn, Perron, etc., were deadline deals last year. We can make the same moves this year if necessary.

Relax.

Why are you so full of gloom and doom? Serious. The sky isn't falling. Trade Despres. Period. You honestly think you're going to "gut the team" getting rid of him. No way. Ducks won the Jennings award last year without him (he missed practically the entire season with concussions). You have Theodore without a spot. You have Montour on the doorstep. Maybe Stoner can be moved, but I think if Despres is healthy, he'll get a better return. Move Despres and there's all the cap space the team needs. Then there's still the Fowler rumors that keep floating around.

I don't give a damn if this team wins the Pacific. Making the playoffs is all that matters. Whatever concerns the team has can be addressed at the trade deadline. McGinn, Perron, etc., were deadline deals last year. We can make the same moves this year if necessary.

Relax.
- quackup

Wish I could be as cool about this as you my man - my anger is that all of this could have been avoided so easily and now here we are end of September neither is signed despite Murray guaranteeing that it would be handled - and who exactly is lining up to take Despres ?? all the other GM's know Murray is screwed - no one is going to give him a break he is totally screwed -

Wish I could be as cool about this as you my man - my anger is that all of this could have been avoided so easily and now here we are end of September neither is signed despite Murray guaranteeing that it would be handled - and who exactly is lining up to take Despres ?? all the other GM's know Murray is screwed - no one is going to give him a break he is totally screwed -
- dozerD10

Murray didn't win GM of the year by not knowing what he's doing. That's the difference between us armchair GM's and him. We "assume" we know what's happening behind closed doors. He actually knows. Unless we're in on all negotiations, all we can do is argue back and forth and make a ton of assumptions. You know that.

Some tough decisions need to be made ASAP by this management group. I'm furious mostly because it's important that Lindholm starts working with Carlyle when he's available. His last World Cup game was a few days ago, so he should be at training camp.

I think the Ducks will spend to the cap this season considering all the pay raises their core was/is entitled to. Nevertheless, the numbers aren't there to finance both these players right now. I still believe both will be resigned, but someone is getting moved. Until the dust has settled, I won't throw management under the bus.

Also, Boll and Vermette are good pick-ups. Someone has to burden the heavy lifting when games get out of hand. Josh Manson can be more than a depth enforcer, and Perry and Getzlaf are getting up there in age to be having fisticuffs. This is the NHL. It's a team game. This team has a lot of talent on it, but their brand of physicality puts other teams on edge. Boll is a necessity for this group! As for Vermette, Thompson went down badly, and Vermette is a solution. Getzlaf-Kesler-Rakell-Vermette is SCF caliber. Wagner can fill in, but Wagner or Vermette in the crunch?

Moving on, the World Cup of Hockey is over. Congratulations to Canada! Being away in a hotel room for 27 days would drive me insane. Especially with a new coach in town. However, hopefully Perry and Getzlaf's time with other top tier pros and Mike Babcock will help cleanse the lack of decision making this team has participated in, which Getzlaf and Perry have been culprits of.

On the other side of the coin, it's been reported that Carlyle has been working them hard in training camp. Breakouts and initiative are key areas where this team could be better, so maybe not having Getzlaf and Perry in practice has given Cagliano, Garbutt, Silfverberg and company more opportunity to take initiative.

I think you are living in fantasy land if you think this is going to have a good ending-
just so many poor decisions over the summer have led to this point
- If and this is a big IF Murray can somehow sign these 2 he is going to have to gut some other portion of the team and then one hole just becomes another - none of the summer signings have addressed the scoring needs - and to Ed's point these PTO's if any show signs of being ok additions - where does that money come from -

- dozerD10

You aren't actually concerned about signing PTOs to the roster are you? Your'e upset about Boll and Raymond, but you want Bergenheim, Booth, and Jones on the team???

Agreed this team will be fine

Hopefully Ray is calling is buddy up again

You aren't actually concerned about signing PTOs to the roster are you? Your'e upset about Boll and Raymond, but you want Bergenheim, Booth, and Jones on the team???
- sniper11

What I want is 47 & 67 signed / and no I don't "really" want any of the pto's signed however if one was to stand out out in camp offensively then yes Boll & Raymond hinder that ability - and what's with all the Boll love on the thread all of a sudden - 900k a yr for 5 min a night and press box duty - because if he plays more than that this team is in serious trouble -

Lindholm is worth every penny of what he is asking, if not a little more.

He's a legit number 1 defenseman.

Lindholm is worth every penny of what he is asking, if not a little more.

He's a legit number 1 defenseman.
- kingcong39

Exactly -

Hopefully Ray is calling is buddy up again
- blizzzard

We certainly have the cap space.

Trade for Kucherov

My problem with this fiasco is prioritization. Why wasn't Hampus the number one fiscal priority this off season? Is Bob Murray trying to tell me that there was a huge demand for the services of Jared Bill and Antoine Vermette that they couldn't wait until this contract got signed? Now Murray has to deal from a position of weakness when trying to trade the plethora of defenders Anaheim has. Horrible mis-management by Murray this off season. I've got a feeling this is going be a looooong season for Anaheim.

I was hoping that Hampus was holding out for Ekblad money. Oh well.

The solution?

Trade Vancouver South away (Kesler, Bieksa and Raymond). That clears $12 million off of the books.

Oh wait. Nobody will take any of them?

Oops, sorry, carry on.

Lindholm is worth every penny of what he is asking, if not a little more.

He's a legit number 1 defenseman.
- kingcong39

Absolutely!

Last time I looked you needed to suit up 12 forwards every night and have at least 1 in the press box. With Thompson gone, the Ducks only have 11 forwards on their NHL roster even after Rakell signs. Raymond is on a 2-way deal - if he performs at NHL level he's a bargain, and if not he's in San Diego. He's low-risk and not part of their cap issue. They haven't made any commitment to Jones, Bergenheim, and Booth, but unless 2 or 3 of the kids step up, at least one of the those guys will be needed on the 4th line just to fill out a lineup card.

The logjam and cap issues are on the blue line. Very few teams can afford to carry 6 D-men who are all making $3.25M and up. With Getz, Perry and Kesler eating up $23M+, the Ducks can't afford to carry all those contracts. And they need to make lineup spots for Manson and Theodore. There will be some movement of D-men once Lindholm's contract is resolved.

My problem with this fiasco is prioritization. Why wasn't Hampus the number one fiscal priority this off season? Is Bob Murray trying to tell me that there was a huge demand for the services of Jared Bill and Antoine Vermette that they couldn't wait until this contract got signed? Now Murray has to deal from a position of weakness when trying to trade the plethora of defenders Anaheim has. Horrible mis-management by Murray this off season. I've got a feeling this is going be a looooong season for Anaheim.
- duxcup07

Well said - this has been my point all along - all this other garbage could have waited until 47 & 67 were done - but no...

I'm assuming you've all seen the post about the Ducks "in trade talks with an Eastern Conference team to unload a significant contract and get room for RFAs" by Pierre McGuire.

If not, now ya know.