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The Anaheim Ducks are a hurting unit right now. They lost amother heart breaker in St. Louis last night.
The Ducks are currently 1-7-2.
Who saw this coming? The Ducks, with the same lineup mi us Matt Beleskey, were eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks from the Western Conference Finals just five months ago.
They and the Toronto Maple Leafs are the only one win teams in the NHL right now. The anemic Ducks offense have only scored 10 goals in its first 10 games.
How do you explain and rationalize being shut out in 5 of your first 10 games when you have snipers like Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Jakub Silfverberg, Carl Hagelin, Andrew Cogliano, Cam Fowler and others on your roster?
Head coach Bruce Boudreau's employment is in serious jeopardy as it appears clear as mud that his message is being ignored by his players.
Trade talk has surrounded the Ducks for the first three weeks of the season and rightfully will continue until the team starts winning games on a consistent basis.
The Ducks have played the past two games without it's captain Ryan Getzlaf who left the recent road trop and flew home to SoCal where he underwent an appendectomy.
The Ducks were expected by many critics and observers to represent the Western Conference in the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. Today, they are the 30th place team in the NHL standings.
Something has to give, right?
This team needs a kick in the hockey pants.
Today, Ducks GM Bob Murray issued this statement to Helen Elliott of the LA Times:
"We were 1 game away from the Final just 5 months ago. So while this has been a terrible start I'm not inclined to make rash changes. I'm going to be patient. That said, we are severely underperforming as a group, I can't recall a time where a vast majority of our players have underachieved simultaneously and I fully expect a turnaround."
My Take:
Of course Murray is issuing a "nothing to see here" statement today. He is flummoxed and embarrassed by his team's putrid performance in the first ten games. What else is he going to say right now?
Murray has been on the road scouting. His assistant general manager and player personnel director are also scouting live and in person in the East.
Change is inevitable.
In hockey as in life, if you are not growin you are dying.
Bob Murray will fix what is ailing his team. He has 72 games remaining to make up the points that have been squandered in October by his listless, lethargic star-laden team.
Be it via trading Freddie Andersen, a top four D, or a superstar top six forward.
Bet on it.
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Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma held an optional skate at First Niagara Center this morning following last night's 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh.
It's a three games in four nights situation for the Sabres. Chad Johnson was in the net for Buffalo's last two games. The team travels to Brooklyn tomorrow to play the Islanders on Sunday night.
Bylsma is giving his net to rookie Linus Ullmark when the Philadelphia Flyers come trick or treating in Buffalo.
Michal Neuvirth will do his dead level best to prevent the Sabres from egging and toilet papering the Philly net.
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Those of you who have read this space on a regular basis know that I have been banging the drum loudly for Ryan O'Reilly for the past four years.
I'll accept the primary assist for delivering ROR to Buffalo.
From the time he played juniors for the Erie Otters, I have been a devout disciple of O'Reilly.
Personally, I don't give a rip what happened to sour ROR's relationship in Colorado. He was in need of a change of scenery. For years, you heard tales of how ROR was a solid supporting actor but not a leading man. That's all a bunch of bunk. Not only is he a difference maker but he has quickly asserted himself and has been re-branded as Buffalo's #1 center.
O'Reilly has been every bit as effective and dominant as the top center men in the NHL. He is scoring, defending, blocking shots, winning faceoffs, dominating special teams, and leading by his rookie and veteran teammates by his own unselfish examples.
Let's go inside the numbers to evaluate O'Reilly's first 10 games as a Sabre.
ROR is one of the top centers in the NHL.
He has scored 3 goals and added 7 assists in 10 games played.
He has scored 2 PPG.
He is winning 59.6% of his draws.
He is averaging 21:06 TOI.
He has taken 25 shots on goal.
Perhaps his best attribute is his fight and determination to gain possession of pucks that he is not in control of. O'Reilly inately terrorizes opponents when he loses draws. He wants his puck and will stop at nothing to regain possession of the biscuit. There are no such things as loose pucks and 50/50 pucks in ROR's world. He truly believes that the puck belongs to him. Like Jonathon Toews, Pavel Datsyuk, Anze Kopitar, Ryan Getzlaf and Claude Giroux, O'Reilly prides himself on puck possession. He makes smart decisions when sharing his luck with his linemates, too.
We haven't seen a center man of O'Reilly's ilk since Chris Drury skated out of town in July 2007.
Sheryl Crow was correct. A change will do you good, Ryan.
Not bad for a "complimentary" player.
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Sportnet's Elliotte Friedman appeared on Calgady's AM 690 this morning and was asked about the Anaheim Ducks situation.
Freddie Andersen staying or leaving?
You know my take on this matter. Check my archives for my extensive coverage of the Anaheim Ducks and their current goaltending schmozzle.
Andersen is a pending RFA and is most likely going to lose the full time , long tern netminder job to John Gibson.
Sabres GM Tim Murray's eyes and ears are always open to trades that will add immediate value and winning benefits to the Sabres and their current roster.
“The Anaheim one to me is really interesting. They signed John Gibson for three years and he’s in the minors this year. I think the only reason he went to the minors this year is that – or agreed to the contract, the way it was – is because he knew that it wasn’t going to be that long. And Frederik Andersen is a guy, depending on how the contract talks – I think is going to be available at some point. I do think that Anaheim and Buffalo had some conversations last year. I think some other teams have called Anaheim about it. I know that there have been teams were looking at their long term radars last year and were saying, ‘What is Anaheim going to do with those two goalies? And which direction are they going to go in?’ I think Anaheim – Bob Murray is probably going to be the guy, when makes his decision of which one of those two he’s going with, I think that’s a decision that’s going to have some ramifications around the league".
Thanks, Nichols On Hockey
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