Ryan Shannon

I had the privilege of watching this guy get better and better from day one he stepped on campus at Boston College until he graduated. He is a skillful player, capable defensively, and a great leader. I know Anaheim has a ton of young talent up front, but what are the plans for Shannon?

Well at this point he's ahead the likes of Chistov and Kunitz based on pre-season performance. He doesn't have the versatility of the two but he's making it very hard for Burke & Carlyle to send him down. The problem is that he has a 2-way contract and with the stacked group of forwards, he might just be sent down because of his contract (all others have 1-way contracts).

Bobby Ryan is going to OHL, that much is certain at this point. Shannon doesn't really fit to 4th line (which is currently pretty much set with Fridge - Pahlsson - Rob Nieds.

After that, who knows. Shannon seems to work well with Penner who in turn works well with Marchant. Shannon - Marchant - Penner as the 3rd line? Who knows.

Shannon, Chistov and Kunitz are slotted for the first 3 lines, realistically they will be on 3 different lines as the first 2 are set with the pairings of AndyMac - Selanne and Getzlaf - Perry. So the question is who will take which spot?

Kunitz - AndyMac - Selanne
Chistov - Getzlaf - Perry
Shannon - Marchant - Penner
Fridge - Pahlsson - Rob Nieds
Green, Moen, Stewart as extras (Stewart AHL-call up)

I think that's the most likely line-up at this point.

I had the privilege of watching this guy get better and better from day one he stepped on campus at Boston College until he graduated. He is a skillful player, capable defensively, and a great leader. I know Anaheim has a ton of young talent up front, but what are the plans for Shannon?

I, for one, will send a personal note to Brian Burke if Ryan Shannon does not make the Ducks opening roster. He's been terrific thus far. I know he's a bit small, but the new NHL rules are designed for players just like him.

He's feisty, has speed and is creative. He's ready for the NHL.

I don't care if they have to ship out Chistov (or someone like him) to make room for Ryan. I'm really pulling for him to make the roster.:yo:

Kunitz - AndyMac - Selanne
Chistov - Getzlaf - Perry
Shannon - Marchant - Penner
Fridge - Pahlsson - Rob Nieds
Green, Moen, Stewart as extras (Stewart AHL-call up)

I think that's the most likely line-up at this point.

Agreed. If nothing else changes between now and the start of the regular season...that is the opening night lineup.

Agreed. If nothing else changes between now and the start of the regular season...that is the opening night lineup.

Except swap Shannon and Penner, RW and LW respectively.

Kunitz - AndyMac - Selanne
Chistov - Getzlaf - Perry
Shannon - Marchant - Penner
Fridge - Pahlsson - Rob Nieds
Green, Moen, Stewart as extras (Stewart AHL-call up)

I think that's the most likely line-up at this point.

I agree too, though I'd probably have Chistov on the third line and Penner on the second line as a very possible alternative.

Penner and Shannon also had good chemistry with the Pirates which may factor into any decision of line combos.

Kunitz - AndyMac - Selanne
Chistov - Getzlaf - Perry
Shannon - Marchant - Penner
Fridge - Pahlsson - Rob Nieds
Green, Moen, Stewart as extras (Stewart AHL-call up)

I think that's the most likely line-up at this point.
I agree however, which line matches the top line of the opposing team? Or does Carlyle match more with D pairings than our forward lines. Although three of the these four lines seem to be pretty reliable on the defensive end, do we not go with a shutdown line this year?

I agree too, though I'd probably have Chistov on the third line and Penner on the second line as a very possible alternative.

I'd like to see Penner play with the "twins" as well, but with the chemisty the penner-Marchant-Shannon line is having, I don't think we will see it anytime soon.

He's really really small.

Chistov should be looking over his shoulder pretty hard. I was at the game tonight, and he still doesn't seem to understand what backchecking is.

Heck, if you're going to pick a guy who gets shoved off the puck pretty easily, you may as well go with the one who skates harder (Shannon) on the backcheck. Contract realities probably mean Shannon gets another 40-50 games in the AHL though...

Carlyle likes pairs, he's said it over and over. Pairings we've seen a lot of:
McDonald-Selanne (this one's a lock)
Getzlaf-Perry
Penner-Marchant
Pahlsson-Niedermayer

Mix and match the extras as needed. Personally I don't think Kunitz has done anything to play himself off the top line. I'm liking Chistov less and less and I think at this point I'd give Shannon a shot at second line minutes over him. Other than that, we'll see. Caryle took like 6 weeks last season to settle on something, so our answer isn't coming anytime soon.

I am saddened by all the negative Chistov talk, makes me wish I could see the games more and more.

Surely he cant be so bad as to want to trade him already? He would have zero value right now?

Kunitz - AndyMac - Selanne
Chistov - Getzlaf - Perry
Shannon - Marchant - Penner
Fridge - Pahlsson - Rob Nieds
Green, Moen, Stewart as extras (Stewart AHL-call up)


from an opposing standpoint, i don't see where people get the "anaheim lacks offensive depth" talk i hear every so often. that lineup might not have a lot of proven top-tier nhl talent (who does?), but it's scary nonetheless, and has the potential to put up a lot of points. i can see a lot of teams not wanting to match up their 1st line with anaheim's 3rd line.

anyway, just thought i'd mention that. i'll move along now.

I will be surprised if Shannon does not make the team. He is an Andy MacDonald clone.

I was at the game last night and he really impressed. Except fo a couple of times when he fell down (the ice must have been terrible as several players fell without being hit) he was all over the ice. He got an assist on the third goal scored by Marchant, which turned out to be the winning goal as Phoenix scored on a PP with 2 seconds left in the game. BTW-this was Phoenix' first PP goal in pre-season as they were 0 for 35 or 36 before this goal.

Shannon was scating behind the net and dropped off a backhanded pass to the side of the net to Marchant who buried it past Cujo. It was a beautiful pass.

I have not seen the stats but I believe he had the most shots on goal.

The Ducks PP smelled up the Honda Center (the new name for the Arrowhead Pond). I believe they were 1 for 14 or 15.

from an opposing standpoint, i don't see where people get the "anaheim lacks offensive depth" talk i hear every so often. that lineup might not have a lot of proven top-tier nhl talent (who does?), but it's scary nonetheless, and has the potential to put up a lot of points. i can see a lot of teams not wanting to match up their 1st line with anaheim's 3rd line.

anyway, just thought i'd mention that. i'll move along now.

It's just a lot of unproven seasoned talent thats all. Getzlaf, Perry, Penner, Chistov, Shannon. Just a lot of guys who haven't done it before. If it works out we really could make a move, if it doesn;t we will have some problem.

It's just a lot of unproven seasoned talent thats all. Getzlaf, Perry, Penner, Chistov, Shannon. Just a lot of guys who haven't done it before. If it works out we really could make a move, if it doesn;t we will have some problem.

Perfectly valid point, Prof, but if some of our "proven" talent doesn't work out, we've got an even bigger problem. By that I mean, what if Selanne and MacDonald don't come close to matching their stellar performances last year? What if Jiggy and/or Bryz can't stop a beachball for the first six weeks of the season?

Granted, proven talent tends to continue to perform over time. But there are no guarantees. We have enough veterans that I'm willing to take the chance and bet that amongst the guys you cited---"Getzlaf, Perry, Penner, Chistov, Shannon"---at least three of them meet or exceed reasonable expectations. The guy I think who's mostly likely to "bomb" is Chistov.

Like most rookies, Shannon may go through a couple of rough patches where he doesn't rack up a lot of points. But my guess is that overall, he's going to be the biggest surprise on the Ducks roster.

Call me a Shannon "homer" if you like, but I really thought that backhand pass to set up Marchant's game-winning goal was pretty nifty.