The Ducks acquired left wing Tim Jackman from Calgary last November from Calgary in exchange for a 2014 sixth round draft pick, to add a physical presence. Jackman played in 26 games for Anaheim, he put up four points and 62 penalty minutes. Additionally, he did not play in any playoff games. I'm not that impressed and I have several reasons why the Ducks are better off without him.
Reason 1 – The Future
The ice time he gets, albeit somewhat limited, should be given to younger players. I'd like to see more of Emerson Etem and Devante Smith-Pelley in the lineup. DSP can be a physical presence when he wants and the playoffs showed he is ready to play on this team full time. Etem has plenty of talent and posted 11 points in 29 games. Rickard Rackell has earned a shot with the big club. Additionally, Louis LeBlanc was acquired this off-season from Montreal and he is inline for an NHL opportunity as well.
Reason 2 – Redundancy
Other people can fulfill the “enforcer… role Jackman has right now. Patrick Maroon is a big man and he can throw punches. He also scored 29 points and had 101 PIM in 68 games. Matt Beleskey can fight (not as well as Jackman or Maroon) and he has an offensive upside as well. If the Ducks really feel they need a fighter with limited ability the could always call up Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond from Norfolk for a game or two. P-L L-L is a much better fighter and has had some highlight reel fights during his career. For purely selfish reasons, I just like saying Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond.
Reason 3 – Not a Great Fighter
According to user ratings on hockeyfights.com, Jackman has the following fight stats over the past five regular seasons:
2009-10: 10 fights, 3 wins, 5 losses, 2 draws 2010-11: 12 fights, 2 wins, 7 losses, 3 draws 2011-12: 14 fights, 5 wins, 5 losses, 4 draws 2012-13: 8 fights, 4 wins, 3 losses, 1 draw 2013-14: 10 fights, 2 wins, 4 losses, 4 draws 5-year total: 16 wins, 24 losses, 14 draws
That is a 42.3 winning percentage with draw and 40% without. Again, not very impressive. If Bruce Boudreau feels he want to keep an experienced enforcer on the roster, get Zenon Konopka. Big Z could put up the same point totals as Jackman, is a much better fighter and has won almost 60% of his career faceoffs. Paul Bissonnette is still available. Biznasty is also a much better fighter than Jackman, he is a good locker room guy. Finally, you have to respect a guy that used a helicopter and glacier water while standing on a mountain in a banana hammock for the “Ice Bucket Challenge….
-Ed
I'm moving the rookie and prospect preview to the beginning of training camp.