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Low Risk-Low Reward Management Could Start Hurting the Ducks

August 2, 2018, 2:56 PM ET [28 Comments]
Bobby Kittleberger
Anaheim Ducks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
I think that Bob Murray has done a decent job in Anaheim.

He’s a good GM and has kept this team competitive, particularly through his drafting and ability to sign players inside the organization. Adam Henrique (sort of), Brandon Montour, Hampus Lindholm (the year before) and perhaps soon John Gibson, are all good examples of that.

Where I think Murray has been far weaker, is in his ability to take risks by bringing in players from outside the Duck’s organization.

This has been particularly evident during the last two seasons and especially during last year’s trade deadline.

Mitigating Risk

In post-Brian Burke Anaheim, risk mitigation has clearly been held in high esteem. This means that the Ducks have stayed competitive primarily through the draft and being able to develop and re-sign homegrown talent. It’s not a bad strategy but becomes problematic when it’s your only strategy.

At least on the surface, from the fan’s perspective, this has resulted in a reluctance to go after big names in free agency, trade prospects, trade draft picks or to make significant moves during the trade deadline.

This has become the culture of Anaheim’s organization, despite the fact they’ve consistently gone into drafts, free agency periods and trade deadlines as contenders.

Perhaps it was most evident during last season’s trade deadline where the Ducks, as a team within striking distance of the Pacific division title made only two moves, picking up 38-year-old Chris Kelly off Canada’s Olympic team and 39-year-old Jason Chimera. The two combined for four points and one goal down the stretch.

It personified the idea of low risk-low reward.

Repeating the Cycle in Free Agency


We’ve continued to see this approach during the 2018 free agency period, all while Anaheim sat on 8 million dollars in cap space. It seems even the signings of Luke Schenn and Andrej Sustr were made under duress, simply because Francois Beauchemin and Kevin Bieksa had to be replaced.

And while it’s understandable that “capitalizing” on free agency is difficult and never a certainty, you didn’t hear Anaheim’s name come up in association with any of the big name free agents, perhaps outside of Jack Johnson who eventually signed in Pittsburgh. There were players available that could have been really good fits for Anaheim; that would have made the team better and made the workload easier for guys like Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell, players that would have fit into the faster style that Murray has espoused.

And a lot of teams strike out in free agency, I get that. But it doesn’t seem like the Ducks were even stepping near the plate.

A Problematic Outlook

I’m not saying that the Ducks need to rush out and beg Rick Nash to sign with them. But it does seem like the culture in Anaheim is one that really pumps the brakes when it comes to risky changes, perhaps even down to their coaching decisions.

Up to this point, Anaheim has been winning Pacific division titles, or at least coming close, so all of this is “okay.” But I think you’re going to see this become problematic for Anaheim as their core ages and they continue to patch roster spots with players like Carter Rowney and Brian Gibbons. Eventually, that’s going to cost them wins and make it harder for them to compete.

Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne and Chris Pronger made it to Anaheim by a combination of big name free agent signings and risky trades.

I’m not saying you can’t win it all with in-house talent, but your chances are a lot better if you can combine young, homegrown skill with big name acquisitions, even if the latter costs you.

Wouldn’t we all rather put Sam Steel on a line with someone like Max Pacioretty instead of Gibbons?

I would.
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