Ed Stein: Keys to the Stretch Drive + Game Night

It would be great to add a top 6 winger to help out with the offense but with the return of Nate Thompson I believe the Ducks have $200k in cap space. If there is a trade it will have to be money for money which probably means Vatanen is leaving. I don't have a problem with this as long as it's for someone with term left and not a UFA.

Def - some issues to address - however the team has not reached its peak and being where they are is still a testament to how the team has responded - let's see if Murray can pull a scoring winger -

Bring up Kevin Roy for a cup of coffee and see what happens. He is small. But down here in San Diego, when he steps on the ice, it's obvious. He has more skill than the rest of them. Give the little guy a shot!

Bring up Kevin Roy for a cup of coffee and see what happens. He is small. But down here in San Diego, when he steps on the ice, it's obvious. He has more skill than the rest of them. Give the little guy a shot!
- yzermaneely

Good point forgot about Roy / he is a skillful playmaker / you know Murray though - loves the power forward mindset ... Which is just dumb imo ...

I think any big move by Murray will have to wait until after the expansion draft, unless he's willing to move a body that would now be protected (Vats). Already we need Bieksa to waive his NMC, and I doubt Murray would trade an exempt player (Theodore, Montour, etc.) to acquire a player that would also need protection (thus exposing someone like Silf. to the draft).

That was a great win the other day. The top line was just about as dominant as I've seen them. Perry and Getzlaf are really good at creating good chances off the rush, and they're knocking on the door. Hopefully the mid season siesta is over and done with! Neither have played bad, but things have been a hair off for the past while. The rest boded well.

The question of Anaheim's elusive number six is still up in the air. Holzer is making a compelling case. That assist he had on the Getzlaf goal a couple weeks back was something. It's funny because other players let their guard down when he has the puck in the offensive zone. They think, Oh, looky here, Mr. Fringe defensman has the puck, no need to give him much attention. Then it's like bam, bam and the puck is in the back of their net. Moreover, his defense has been good, and I think rust has been the primary culprit of him being on the ice when misplays have happened in Anaheim's defensive zone.

Shea Theodore has all the offensive capabilities in the world, but he's a -9 with 25 games played. Obviously the solidified top 5 are Fowler, Bieksa, Lindholm, Vatanen and Manson. The question still remains, who will be number 6? I'm old-fashioned, stingy and boring, so I'll opt for Holzer. Nothing glamorous there. You know what you're getting from #5.

The trade deadline looms closer. Goal tending is set. Defense is getting there. Top 6 is good. Cramarossa-Thompson-Shaw seems reasonable. Kase-Vermette-Ritchie have been a factor. Could there be an upgrade put in place over Kase? Perhaps. Nevertheless, Kase has a lot of upside. I think he's still getting his sea legs. He's 21, and could probably put on another 10 lbs of muscle. What I'm getting at is this is a promising young forward that would be smart to keep around. I believe he has the intangibles to become a factor regularly. Where could his play level be when he's 26? That's a reasonable question to ask. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I expect this to be a very quiet trade deadline for Anaheim. Bob Murray is always on the hunt for value, so I'm not ruling anything out, but with this roster, the picks they have, and with the expansion draft; I'm thinking maybe a depth winger along the lines of a Brad May is the most we'll see.

The Ducks are in Florida right now. I forget if it was last year, or the year before, but Florida manhandled Anaheim badly. I'm talking about both teams. It's the Panthers tomorrow and then the Lightning the 4th. I could rant and rave and jape about Ben Bishop for a few paragraphs if I wanted to. To just sum it up, I don't like this towering doofus, and I don't like how Anaheim's shooters don't even put the puck on net when shooting upon the towering doofus. That's all I'm going to say about that.