A look at Bob Murray's work so far

I thought it would be good to break down the trades that Bob Murray has made since taking over for Brian Burke and analyze them. Brian Burke did not leave the team in a great position in 2008-2009, the Ducks were dangerously close to the cap wall, lacking in young talented depth and comprised largely of older UFA's. Here's a breakdown of the trades Murray has made since then:

12/14/08

The Anaheim Ducks traded forward Brian Sutherby to the Dallas Stars for the rights to collegian David McIntyre and a conditional draft pick.


01/07/09

Anaheim trades Brad May to Toronto for a conditional 2010 Sixth Round Draft Pick. May was 0-5-5 over 20 games this season.

02/03/09

The New Jersey Devils acquired the rights to centre David McIntyre from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenceman Sheldon Brookbank.

02/04/09

The Vancouver Canucks acquired defenceman Nathan McIver from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Mike Brown

02/27/09

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Ryan Whitney to the Anaheim Ducks for Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi.

03/04/09

The Ducks acquired center Petteri Nokelainen from the Boston Bruins in exchange for defenseman Steve Montador.

The Ducks acquired center Nick Bonino, goaltender Timo Pielmeier and a conditional 2009 draft pick from San Jose in exchange for defenseman Kent Huskins and left wing Travis Moen.

The Ducks acquired defenseman James Wisniewski and center Petri Kontiola from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for center Samuel Pahlsson, defenseman Logan Stephenson and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Ducks acquired center Erik Christensen from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for center Eric O’Dell.

06/08/09

The Anaheim Ducks sign a 2 year contract extension with Mike Brown. $537,000 cap hit.

06/26/09

The Ducks acquired right wing Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa (Flyers’ first-round pick in 2008), a first-round selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, a first-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional third-round selection in the 2010 or 2011 NHL Entry Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Chris Pronger and left wing Ryan Dingle.

The Ducks trade the 21st selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft for the 26th and 37th picks.


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I think this is the majority of his moves so far barring entry level deals to prospects and draft selections.


It is apparent that his moves haven't been perfect by any means. Nokelianen for Montador probably didn't pan out as we had hoped, and neither did Christenson for O'dell. However, both of those players were injured the majority of their time here so to be completely fair we'll need to see them when they are healthy to really see how the deals worked out. Christenson does have offensive talent if he can ever put it together, if he stays he'll be a cheap, offesnively talented 4th line winger, and MAYBE fill a second line role if he can produce and stay healthy when Selanne leaves moving Lupul to RW. Jury is out though.

For now I give the Christenson trade a B- and the Montador trade a C+.

The Sutherby trade eventually turned into acquiring Brookbank which definately payed off for the Ducks this season. Sutherby was a zero offense 4th line grinder which we had plenty of and Brookbank ended up really doing better than expected for us towards the end of the season. In terms of Value I think this trade deserves an A.

McIver for Brown...what can be said about this that isn't obvious? A+ trade, especially considering the super cheap extension Murray gave Brown.

Huskins and Moen for picks I give a B+. Here's why: Both were UFA's most likely looking to test the market. Huskins was also injured at the time and I don't think he actually played a game for San Jose at all. We picked up a decent goalie prospect and a talented collegiate forward that Murray is very high on. Could we have gotten more? Maybe...but we basically stole what we got for Huskins and Moen's level of play had steadily decreased since 07. All in all I was very happy with this trade.

The Ryan Whitney trade I'm giving a B for now. Whitney for Kunitz alone is a very good deal imo. Salaries aren't too far off and Whitney's upside is much higher if he gets there. Tangradi is the wild card in this one, but prospects are really hit and miss and he only got hot recently, not to mention injured soon after we traded him. Who knows though, I give it a B, but it could swing up or down a grade in the next two years.

Wisniewski for Pahlsson I give an A. I still marvel at this one, Pahlsson was an injured UFA checking forward who hasn't played quite the same since 07 and Wisniewski is well....awesome. Take into account that Wiz is RFA and our chances of hanging onto him are a lot better than Chicago's chances of keeping Pahlsson, which even the conditional 4th will most likely not make up for. We all love Pahlsson, but getting Wiz is just huge for this franchise. He was absolutely great in the playoffs and is bound to get even better under Carlyle.



Lastly, the Pronger blockbuster. A+

We essentially got back what we gave up and filled huge needs at the same time. Sbisa will join a young core of talented defensemen in Whitney, Wisniewski, (both of whom were not here when Murray started) and prospects in Mitera, Gardiner, and Salcido. We have amazing young talent on defense now, some of which can even be traded if necessary to bring in scoring help.

Lupul is lupul, he scores goals which is something we need and let's face it, it's a Penner contract but we'd all rather have him than Penner. The 1st rounder this year turned into a 1st and an early 2nd, plus we have the 1st for next year and a conditional third still. That's going to really bolster our prospect core and maybe even give us some great players in a couple of years.

All that for one year of Pronger and without adding any salary and you have to applaud Murray.






Well this post is probably long enough, but I think I'll update it more before the summer is over. So far, I think Murray has done an incredible job overall, and we are in a much MUCH better situation than when Burke walked out on us. :handclap:

oh yeah, proceed to tear apart my analysis now :D

Love:
- MacIntyre for Brookbank (don't think MacIntyre will ever pan out to be something special).
- McIver for Brown.
- re-signing Brown (bargin).
- Pronger and Dingle for Lupul, Sbisa, 1st round pick 09, 1st round pick 2010, conditional pick in 2010 or 2011.

Like:
- Montador for Nokelainen (Montador was an UFA and wouldn't have made a differance in the PO's).
- Pahlsson, Stephenson and a conditional 4th for Kontiola and Wisniewski (We couldn't afford Sammy, I will love the trade if Wis re-signs).
Christensen for O'Dell (you didn't missread, I highly doubt O'Dell will turn out to something special. The guy isn't very big nor very fast to make up for it).

Meh:
- Sutherby for MacIntyre and a conditional pick.
- May for a conditional pick.
- Kunitz and Tangradi for Whitney (I miss Kunitz, and maybe Tangradi turns out to be a good player. But the Ducks needed to younger up their D, time will tell).
- Moen and Huskins for Bonino, Pielmeier and a conditional pick (again, only time will tell).

Dislike:
none

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As I'm not really disliking one single move he made this far, I come to the conclusion that I'm really happy with his work.

I would also have to say Lupul was a lot better for the Flyers than Penner was with Edmonton, and cheaper. Still overpayed though, but with Scotty and Teemu retireing soon and Giguere's contract ending, it's not like it will affect us that much.

Well put. I'd have to say Murray has serviced us pretty well, probably an A- overall. I'm hoping Bonino turns out to be the dealbreaker in that trade. And though Lupul is not on a great contract, he did play with Selanne before, and managed some decent numbers. He could turn in 50-60 pts on the 2nd line which would not be bad at all.

Love:
- MacIntyre for Brookbank (don't think MacIntyre will ever pan out to be something special).
- McIver for Brown.
- re-signing Brown (bargin).
- Pronger and Dingle for Lupul, Sbisa, 1st round pick 09, 1st round pick 2010, conditional pick in 2010 or 2011.

Like:
- Montador for Nokelainen (Montador was an UFA and wouldn't have made a differance in the PO's).
- Pahlsson, Stephenson and a conditional 4th for Kontiola and Wisniewski (We couldn't afford Sammy, I will love the trade if Wis re-signs).
Christensen for O'Dell (you didn't missread, I highly doubt O'Dell will turn out to something special. The guy isn't very big nor very fast to make up for it).

Meh:
- Sutherby for MacIntyre and a conditional pick.
- May for a conditional pick.
- Kunitz and Tangradi for Whitney (I miss Kunitz, and maybe Tangradi turns out to be a good player. But the Ducks needed to younger up their D, time will tell).
- Moen and Huskins for Bonino, Pielmeier and a conditional pick (again, only time will tell).

Dislike:
none

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As I'm not really disliking one single move he made this far, I come to the conclusion that I'm really happy with his work.

The Moen and Huskins deal I would move up to Love for me. I have played against Bonino about 2 years ago and the guy is a stud. I think he has hte potential to become another Getzlaf. He has the best hands of any Ducks prospect and half the Ducks roster. I believe he stole him from San Jose and Bonino will be up with the big club within the next season or 2.

The Montador for Noki trade should be a little higher because it will work out for the Ducks even more this season. Noki was hurt for a majority part of last season and was kind of in Carlyle's doghouse.

AQlso the Sutherby and May trades were purely salary dumps and Murray did May a personal favor by trading him because he wasn't going to play a game more in a Ducks uniform and Murray knew how important it was to get to 1000 games before he retired.

The only trade i wasn't a fan of was the Kunitz trade. Would have loved to keep him around and signed a younger D men rather then trade for one. All the rest have been good moves speically with the cap problems we had when he first took over.

Murray has done a good job of sorting out the UFA mess and horrible talent black hole on defense that Burke left him with. He was able to do it without tanking and without getting the team into cap trouble, and he's done it with an eye to keep our top-end talent going forward. He's done a hell of a job with a really rotten mess he had to take over.

That said, while I agree with the idea of each trade done so far, I don't really like the way the team is going in terms of its identity. There's no real overarching theme in the personnel acquired. Toughness, no. Some here and there, but the big bad Ducks are a memory. Murray's done a good job bailing water and patching holes but he did it with less-than-desirable players in certain situations. It may be his hope that the core of the team, our big kids, can set the tone for everyone and create the same atmosphere, but I'm a bit skeptical.

While the team maybe isn't the most tough in the league anymore, this team still holds another identidy than the Ducks in the 90's and early 2000. This team is starting to remind me of the team in 05/06, where we still had a few non-physical players a little here and there.

I think Murray is building around a theme. The theme is young talent. More and more we are starting to look like the Penguins in the regard.

Hard to understand the Christensen trade especially after not giving him a qualifying offer today.

I don't really like the way the team is going in terms of its identity. There's no real overarching theme in the personnel acquired. Toughness, no. Some here and there, but the big bad Ducks are a memory. Murray's done a good job bailing water and patching holes but he did it with less-than-desirable players in certain situations. It may be his hope that the core of the team, our big kids, can set the tone for everyone and create the same atmosphere, but I'm a bit skeptical.

This is a concern. Sutherby, May, Moen, Montador, Kunitz, Pronger and (Beauchemin) out, Brown, Brookbank, Wisniewski in. There's been a lot of "in yer face" hockey leaving the team with not much coming back.

Get rid of Miller and Christensen, insert Bodie and Chris Neil and we're back in business.

Hard to understand the Christensen trade especially after not giving him a qualifying offer today.
Murray mentioned "a contract offer of sorts" was tendered to Christensuck. Probably they want him to take a pay cut if he wants another chance. Can't really blame them; he was terrible, and now is a question mark after surgery.

This is a concern. Sutherby, May, Moen, Montador, Kunitz, Pronger and (Beauchemin) out, Brown, Brookbank, Wisniewski in. There's been a lot of "in yer face" hockey leaving the team with not much coming back.

Get rid of Miller and Christensen, insert Bodie and Chris Neil and we're back in business.

oh god, I hate that guy's stupid face. Making him a Duck would feel very similar to what it felt like when Bertuzzi came here. i.e. the feeling of making me want to throw up.

Murray mentioned "a contract offer of sorts" was tendered to Christensuck. Probably they want him to take a pay cut if he wants another chance. Can't really blame them; he was terrible, and now is a question mark after surgery.

Where and when did Murray say that?

Edit: found it on the OCregister blog now... So how can they say he wasn't offered a contract when he was? Maybe they just want to see how his shoulder responds to the surgery before signing him?

Where and when did Murray say that?

Edit: found it on the OCregister blog now... So how can they say he wasn't offered a contract when he was? Maybe they just want to see how his shoulder responds to the surgery before signing him?

He wasn't sent a qualifying offer which automatically is a 5%(?) raise. But they hope to resign him for less money. So they probably told him all of this. And he probably wants to wait to see if any other teams are interested.

Hard to understand the Christensen trade especially after not giving him a qualifying offer today.
But he was cheap! And he only cost an expendable prospect!

My thoughts:

Sutherby for McIntyre: C. Sutherby was the excess 4th liner that I wanted to keep. I didn't think much of McIntyre, but I guess trade value was alright. Possibly a little low in trade value, but then he did decent with getting Brookbank for McIntyre.

May: C. Meh. Did him a favor. Got something. Can't help wondering, though, if we had traded him first instead of Sutherby would we still would have Suts.

McIntyre for Brookbank. I was wrong on this one. I thought Brookbank would suck and we were giving a lousy prospect for nothing. Brookbank was much better than I expected. Not good, but he did alright on the bottom pair. B+.

McIver for Brown: A+. A guy we were going to lose to Vancouver anyways through waivers returns a guy who contributed? Doesn't get much better than that.

Whitney: Incomplete, but leaning toward C- (I wanted to give it a D-/F at the time). I hated Whitney. I may still be wrong on this, as he has looked better than I expected. You still see flashes of his suckitude though. We had a gaping hole in the D, now we have a gaping hole at LW. I also thought that Tangradi was our 2nd line center of the future (would have looked good with Getzlaf if he panned out).

Nokelainen: C+. Something for nothing. Montador might have been better for us in the playoffs than whoever we had rotating on the bottom, but really the team played about as good defensively as you could expect. I'm not sure what to expect out of Nokia in the future. He had a good start then fizzled out a little, and got in the doghouse.

Huskins/Moen: Seems like a B/B+. In my mind it's something for nothing. Especially considering they were both injured, Murray killed it in terms of value. But I'm not sure how good the prospects are. Murray's real excited about Bonino, so that may be rosying my glasses.

Wisniewski: A. I loved this one at the time. It still kills me that Pahlsson is gone though. My all-time favorite Duck. But they said he wouldn't re-sign, and he wasn't really helping us much at the time. It's annoying that Kontiola left though. I think he had as good a shot as anyone else in the organization at filling the #2 C hole. I'm not sure why he didn't just wait a little. Because if he had won the spot, this trade would get an A+.

EC: I'm sure my thoughts on Christensuck are well known. He could be a useful player in certain situations, but he just doesn't fit the team. F-.

Brown contract: A. Perfect term, perfect $.

Pronger trade: A. The trade value was high, but I'm a) wary of Lupul (another RW? Defense on the 2nd line? transference of laziness a la Bertuzzi?) and b) worried a little about the magic beans nature of the trade. A lot of futures. Remember, the Anaheim-Edmonton Pronger trade was a huge price too, but Lowe was too high on magic beans and chose poorly. But I do love Sbisa.

21 for 26 + 37. C-. I like the idea of the trade. Good, but not great value for trading down. In a deep draft such as this one, 2 picks like 25 and 37 can be amazing in the right hands. On the other hand, I'm not all that confident in this team's drafting (just look at that "best draft" series of pools). And we missed out on Moore/Schroeder by moving down. It just seems like Schroeder could be the next Parise. OTH, I do like Palmieri (just not quite as much as Schroeder). I haven't heard much about Clark before, so it's tough to judge. Although the concept of a physical shut-down guy does seem like the right move in terms of need.

I think Murray is building around a theme. The theme is young talent. More and more we are starting to look like the Penguins in the regard.

Yeah but the Pens clearly have an identity that comes from having two superstar forwards. They're not a perfect team, but you know what they are and how they're going to play.

I like our players, but there definitely seems to be a loss of identity here ... without Pronger we're not going to be dominating on the blueline anymore, yet we aren't really loaded up front either. We're not exceptionally tough, nor exceptionally fast/skilled.

We'll see I suppose, but I'm worried we'll be like Calgary a few years ago, when they tried so hard to up their skill level but seemed to lose just enough of their nastiness/grit in exchange that they weren't nearly as scary to face anymore.

What, I never heard re-signing RFA's automatically means a pay raise in the new CBA :O

Looks to be the case.

" QUALIFYING OFFERS

How will qualifying offers work?

Players earning $660,000 or less will be entitled to qualifying offers (QO) at 110% of their prior year's salary; players earning more than $660,000 and up to $1 million will be entitled to QOs at 105% of prior year's salary; players earning more than $1 million will be entitled to QO at 100% of their prior year's salary."

I like our players, but there definitely seems to be a loss of identity here ... without Pronger we're not going to be dominating on the blueline anymore, yet we aren't really loaded up front either. We're not exceptionally tough, nor exceptionally fast/skilled.


It's also being noted by other teams boards as well. "Anaheim won't be so tough to play against now that Pronger is gone"

"Anaheim just got a lot softer", etc.

Brookbank is the only one with a mean streak.

Beauch would fight and do a good job at it. Moen we all know.

I guess it's up to Brown and Parros and Brown is in the light weight class of fighters.

I still say we need a take their head off D man, are there any out there besides Komasaric (sp)?

I have a bad feeling we are getting back to our "softer side" you know, in touch with our feelings.

It's also being noted by other teams boards as well. "Anaheim won't be so tough to play against now that Pronger is gone"

"Anaheim just got a lot softer", etc.


It's not even that, so much. Even before getting Pronger, in '06 our lineup was really really good on the forecheck. Fast and physical. The acquisition of Pronger was great the 1st year, but by the 2nd year we'd started to morph more into a "team defense" identity rather than one reliant on the forecheck. Now, that's going to change again.

I guess I'm saying, it's not the losing of Pronger so much that's got me a little worried, it's just that I'm not sure what we are anymore. Few teams have great success without knowing exactly how they want to play. "We're a tough forechecking team," mentality won us a Cup. Whether it was a big line or the speedy McDonald line, the mentality was consistent throughout the lineup. We didn't have the most talent in the league, but that shared mentality made us more than the sum of our parts.

I don't care what it is we become now, but it needs to be a team-wide identity that everyoone buys into. From top of the organization down to the last guy on the roster.

It's not even that, so much. Even before getting Pronger, in '06 our lineup was really really good on the forecheck. Fast and physical. The acquisition of Pronger was great the 1st year, but by the 2nd year we'd started to morph more into a "team defense" identity rather than one reliant on the forecheck. Now, that's going to change again.

I guess I'm saying, it's not the losing of Pronger so much that's got me a little worried, it's just that I'm not sure what we are anymore. Few teams have great success without knowing exactly how they want to play. "We're a tough forechecking team," mentality won us a Cup. Whether it was a big line or the speedy McDonald line, the mentality was consistent throughout the lineup. We didn't have the most talent in the league, but that shared mentality made us more than the sum of our parts.

I don't care what it is we become now, but it needs to be a team-wide identity that everyoone buys into. From top of the organization down to the last guy on the roster.
I'm hoping that Carlyle takes the opportunity to really evaluate the roster over the summer and come up with a theme that everyone can excel at. It's there. The team really needs to be disciplined at whatever it is, and that's on him.

He wasn't sent a qualifying offer which automatically is a 5%(?) raise. But they hope to resign him for less money. So they probably told him all of this. And he probably wants to wait to see if any other teams are interested.
Since Murray did not give him a qualifying offer I believe Christensen will now be a UFA (not an RFA). Is that correct? If thats the case then he will be gone. He will easily get $750K +5% on other teams.

Obviously the shoulder injury is a lot more serious than has been stated by either Atlanta or the Ducks. My sense from the reports is that he will be lucky to be back by November, let alone September.

Since Murray did not give him a qualifying offer I believe Christensen will now be a UFA (not an RFA). Is that correct? If thats the case then he will be gone. He will easily get $750K +5% on other teams.

Obviously the shoulder injury is a lot more serious than has been stated by either Atlanta or the Ducks. My sense from the reports is that he will be lucky to be back by November, let alone September.

Yes he is an UFA.. But an UFA which the Ducks intend to offer a contract it seems. So I wouldn't say he's gone for sure.

Yes he is an UFA.. But an UFA which the Ducks intend to offer a contract it seems. So I wouldn't say he's gone for sure.
OK. Given the injury (and they way he played, albeit injured) I suspect Murray has likely offered him a contract that pays him for games played rather than $750K +5%, or possibly a contract for $750K or less knowing that he will be gone for a good part of the season.

My sense is Murray sees the potential, however I also sense from Carlyles comments that he is not going to cut him any slack (the comment about EC putting the puck in Osgoods glove blew me away).

According to OCRegister Blog, Troy Bodie was re-signed to a two year deal.

Also, EC was signed more or less according to Adam Brady. http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=12887


It hasn't been announced officially yet, they are also in the process of signing Erik Christensen to a one-year deal.

I like the idea of signing Christenson.

A 4th line with Ebbett and Christenson on it has definite offensive upside, plus he can fill in a 2nd line role in the case of an injury.

A 4th line of Ebbett and Christensen strikes me as the weakest 4th line ever assembled. Bob Probert couldn't save that line from winding up in leather jumpsuits with ball gags every ******* shift.

I like the idea of signing Christenson.

A 4th line with Ebbett and Christenson on it has definite offensive upside, plus he can fill in a 2nd line role in the case of an injury.


ummm wait is this :sarcasm: ?
Did someone just watch slapshot 2?

ummm wait is this :sarcasm: ?
Did someone just watch slapshot 2?

In terms of your average 4th liners, Ebbett and Christenson both have more offensive upside than most. I'm not sure how you could even begin to dispute that.

Nokelainen>Moen

srsly...

In terms of your average 4th liners, Ebbett and Christenson both have more offensive upside than most. I'm not sure how you could even begin to dispute that.

They have an offensive upside but they are all very soft players and would just get run over by other teams.

I don't mean to be annoying, but it's Christensen, not Christenson. I have seen many people spell it like that, I have no idea where they get it from.

In terms of your average 4th liners, Ebbett and Christenson both have more offensive upside than most. I'm not sure how you could even begin to dispute that.

"Upside" is often code for "not very productive." And when it's used to describe guys in their mid-20's, 99% of the time that "upside" will never be realized.

Worse yet, not only are they not productive enough for scoring lines, they're not even hard enough to play against to be on a 3rd or 4th line. Worst of both worlds.

Back on topic - Murray has done an outstanding job - getting Beauchemin would be icing on the cake

They have an offensive upside but they are all very soft players and would just get run over by other teams.

I don't mean to be annoying, but it's Christensen, not Christenson. I have seen many people spell it like that, I have no idea where they get it from.

Maybe because it's commonly spelled both ways? Maybe even more commonly with son at the end in America. I love how people pick apart the smallest things on message boards sometimes for no apparent reason.

Well, his name is Christensen. To be honest i think one has to be ****ing retarded to argue that it could be spelled some other way.

Well, his name is Christensen. To be honest i think one has to be ****ing retarded to argue that it could be spelled some other way.

Reading comprehension ftw. No one is arguing that Erik Christensen should spell his name differently, iLau made the comment "I have seen many people spell it like that, I have no idea where they get it from." I was just pointing out that Christenson is a very common last name so it's a simple mistake.

I think it's funny that you guys get all bent out of shape over an e, when people get Beauchemin and Nokelainen wrong on this forum every day. How about instead of being grammar nazis we actually get back on track here?

So some of you don't like the idea of having a 4th line of Ebbett and Christensen because you think it will be too soft? How is Ebbett/Selanne any stronger than Ebbett/Christensen? Personally I'd rather have a 4th line that can create scoring opportunities than one that you know is just going to eat up time on the ice. Not that eating up time is necessarily a bad thing, but I'd prefer them to get chances.

So some of you don't like the idea of having a 4th line of Ebbett and Christensen because you think it will be too soft? How is Ebbett/Selanne any stronger than Ebbett/Christensen? Personally I'd rather have a 4th line that can create scoring opportunities than one that you know is just going to eat up time on the ice. Not that eating up time is necessarily a bad thing, but I'd prefer them to get chances.

Selanne and Ebett are not there to provide energy and hit people, they are supposed to be there to score.

I see your point, but we also need guys to wear down the opposition (Brown, Parros and the like) to make it (theoretically) easier for the top lines.

If we had our top two lines, semi shut down and a weak ass 4th line, we would be man handled like Rihanna.

Reading comprehension ftw. No one is arguing that Erik Christensen should spell his name differently, iLau made the comment "I have seen many people spell it like that, I have no idea where they get it from." I was just pointing out that Christenson is a very common last name so it's a simple mistake.Fair enough, i did get you wrong there. Sorry about that.


So some of you don't like the idea of having a 4th line of Ebbett and Christensen because you think it will be too soft? How is Ebbett/Selanne any stronger than Ebbett/Christensen?
Most of the time when Teemu/Ebbett were out there there was Pronger too. Pronger's defensive ability and breakout pass combined with Teemu's speed forces opposing defenders to play quite a bit more conservative than, say Wisniewskis ability and Christensen's speed. Almost every time the 2nd line was stuck out there with Brookbank/Mikkelson they we're hemmed in pretty bad for a long shift with many scoring opportunities against.

Christensen-Ebbett-Parros combined with our weaker D is going to be dreadful in their own zone and whatever marginal offense they might produce would be way less than what they would give up. There's no forecheck, no backcheck, no hitting, no intensity and no defensive ability on that line at all.

I can't help but feel like Bob Murray is handicapped by a 6 million dollar benchwarmer refusing to accept the fact that he has been supplanted as a number one goaltender. I don't understand why we are not actively trading Giggy. That money could buy us a real good second line center and Bob won't have to shop at the blue light special. That's like the people hanging around the clearance aisle at the Norstrom Rack.

I can't help but feel like Bob Murray is handicapped by a 6 million dollar benchwarmer refusing to accept the fact that he has been supplanted as a number one goaltender. I don't understand why we are not actively trading Giggy. That money could buy us a real good second line center and Bob won't have to shop at the blue light special. That's like the people hanging around the clearance aisle at the Norstrom Rack.

I think the only place Giggy would accept a trade to would be Toronto. And even then...who do we get back? Blake/Grabovski++?

Hiller is the goalie of the future don't get me wrong. But, Giggy's NTC would have to be waived for him to get moved, and even then it doesn't seem realistic with his kid's condition.

his kid's condition.

What is it about his kid that he Needs to be in SoCal?

Is SoCal the only place that has the type of Dr. he needs?

i really "like" your attitude...
last year you would laught at everybodys face if someone would propose a trade for jiggy arguing that he is top5 in league and he is going nowhere.

suddenly all of you after 1 good year of hiller and 1 bad year by jiggy you KNOW hiller is proven #1, he can play 60games and we dont need jiggy, if he will refuse trade i know most of you will call him assh...and such.
no offense but some of you are the same fans as you are critizing on main board..
just shouting and changing your mind every now and then..

just remember how in detroid series players knew where to shoot (5hole)
im not telling hiller didnt play well, but he couldnt change his style a bit - like jiggy use to come out from net more etc..so I expect every team now play on 5hole

what if we will trade jiggy - use that money on 2nd line center and some upgrade and suddenly we will see that hiller can play well in 30games? what then?

how do you know jiggy will not play his best - just to not lose #1 spot on this team and be best goalie in league?

for god sake he lost his father...think before you tell something about that just think..
u dont know nothing about their realationship, everybody is different - maybe he couldnt focus well on games last season,because he needed time..
i know if i would lost someone from my close family I would be bag of pucks for 3-4months...Just dont tell me that is professional and he takes 6M, first of all he is just human not robot...

if we can give him chance we dont have nothing to lose...
and he need chance and support from fans as well

What is it about his kid that he Needs to be in SoCal?

Is SoCal the only place that has the type of Dr. he needs?

Yep. The eye doctor is in the greater OC area. I forgot where though, but hes supposedly the go-to guy for what his kid has.

Yep. The eye doctor is in the greater OC area. I forgot where though, but hes supposedly the go-to guy for what his kid has.

Makes sense, I wouldn't waive it if I were him, unless he only needs some form of treatment every so often, like every 6 months or so.

i really "like" your attitude...
last year you would laught at everybodys face if someone would propose a trade for jiggy arguing that he is top5 in league and he is going nowhere.

suddenly all of you after 1 good year of hiller and 1 bad year by jiggy you KNOW hiller is proven #1, he can play 60games and we dont need jiggy, if he will refuse trade i know most of you will call him assh...and such.
no offense but some of you are the same fans as you are critizing on main board..
just shouting and changing your mind every now and then..

just remember how in detroid series players knew where to shoot (5hole)
im not telling hiller didnt play well, but he couldnt change his style a bit - like jiggy use to come out from net more etc..so I expect every team now play on 5hole

what if we will trade jiggy - use that money on 2nd line center and some upgrade and suddenly we will see that hiller can play well in 30games? what then?

how do you know jiggy will not play his best - just to not lose #1 spot on this team and be best goalie in league?

for god sake he lost his father...think before you tell something about that just think..
u dont know nothing about their realationship, everybody is different - maybe he couldnt focus well on games last season,because he needed time..
i know if i would lost someone from my close family I would be bag of pucks for 3-4months...Just dont tell me that is professional and he takes 6M, first of all he is just human not robot...

if we can give him chance we dont have nothing to lose...
and he need chance and support from fans as well

Was this just a general message to everyone or someone in particular?

I think everybody is just throwing out different scenarios and bouncing stuff off of everybody else to see what the reaction is and to see the feasibility of that move.

Sure, some want him moved and some don't. If he's moved and Hiller falls, well we're screwed.

If he's moved and Hiller rises to the occasion and we obtained a quality second line center, the move will have worked and everybody would be happy we're winning.

oh god, I hate that guy's stupid face. Making him a Duck would feel very similar to what it felt like when Bertuzzi came here. i.e. the feeling of making me want to throw up.

Ha ha, I know what you mean. He has a permanent grimace on his face and looks and acts like a schoolboy bully. He isnt that great a fighter either. I cant believe Ottawa threw 2 million a year at him. Suckers.

Makes sense, I wouldn't waive it if I were him, unless he only needs some form of treatment every so often, like every 6 months or so.

Jules Stein Eye Institute is at UCLA.

Its a great place, but there is no reason why he has to be in so cal to go there. At most, they visit once every few months

Bottom line his family is comfortable here, so there is little reason for him to go.

If the ducks really pushed him to get traded, I'm sure he'd be willing to if it was a destination his family would be comfortable with (like Toronto or Montreal, etc.).

His work was good up till this recent spell of cheapness...
3.8 for beauch i feel is quite reasonable

His work was good up till this recent spell of cheapness...
3.8 for beauch i feel is quite reasonable

From the Toronto Star:

Beauchemin had hoped to re-sign with Anaheim but said when he didn't hear a word from the Ducks, he turned his focus elsewhere.

"My No. 1 choice was to stay in Anaheim," he said. "They told me back in November they were going to offer me something and the day I got hurt everything kind of changed.

"They didn't make an offer, they didn't talk to me all year long and I waited all summer long until Saturday."



OUCH

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/beauchemin-ducks-million-2485431-murray-year

Murray basically admits that Beauchemin was out of his price range and he was waiting until he was asking for under $3M. It's pretty hard to blame Murray for "being too cheap", it's not his fault the Ducks have a $50M budget this year.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/beauchemin-ducks-million-2485431-murray-year

Murray basically admits that Beauchemin was out of his price range and he was waiting until he was asking for under $3M. It's pretty hard to blame Murray for "being too cheap", it's not his fault the Ducks have a $50M budget this year.
As a player, would you feel more insulted that the team came at you with a low offer (3 million when you're seeking ~4)? Or that there's no offer at all? Or is that maybe some kind of communication breakdown with the team-agent-player indirectness?

Because I think no offer would be worse to me.

As a player, would you feel more insulted that the team came at you with a low offer (3 million when you're seeking ~4)? Or that there's no offer at all? Or is that maybe some kind of communication breakdown with the team-agent-player indirectness?

Because I think no offer would be worse to me.

Probably no offer although I doubt there was such a lack of communication that Beauchemin didn't know where Murray was at, I'm sure he knew Murray was interested and had an idea of how much the Ducks were willing to pay.

Beauch in the aggregate has made sort of petulant comments about the process. I think he might have been inclined to view whatever the Ducks did in a negative light.

Basically Burke >>>> Murray in every aspect of being GM

Can we trade next years 1 rder to get him back? :cry:

Basically Burke >>>> Murray in every aspect of being GM

Can we trade next years 1 rder to get him back? :cry:

I think I'll respond to this comment with language you can understand:


:shakehead

I think I'll respond to this comment with language you can understand:


:shakehead

wow how creative

So does this mean you think Murray is > Burke? :laugh:
Cool idea about putting Miller/EC/Ebbet as our tough 4th line btw! What Disney movie should i watch tonight?

wow how creative

So does this mean you think Murray is > Burke? :laugh:
Cool idea about putting Miller/EC/Ebbet as our tough 4th line btw! What Disney movie should i watch tonight?

Weren't you the one who was saying how losing Moen and Montador was a sign that the team was going into rebuild mode, and that they weren't going to be tough enough to compete, funny how that assesment worked out.

Weren't you the one who was saying how losing Moen and Montador was a sign that the team was going into rebuild mode, and that they weren't going to be tough enough to compete, funny how that assesment worked out.

You could argue that losing Moen was the reason we lost to the Wings (3rd line couldnt handle the Detroit Euros size) specifically Miller. Pretty funny that you helped me prove my point. Also btw the team was actually on a roll when the trade deadline approached. The pieces we got for Moen and Montador sure helped us last year as well

Now that is ridiculous.. Why would you not even try and make an offer.. At least offer him something so he knows that we want him to stay.. he knows that we're in trouble money wise but not offering just seems like we didn't really want him to stay at all..
btw 3.8 is reasonable... VERY reasonable...

Really, why would they offer him a contract? I'm sure they have actually spoke to Beauch and his agent, which is what's most important. They knew he had recieved offers around $4mil, and they also knew he wouldn't take a paycut to play on the West coast. So what's the point offering him a contract that doesn't match the offers other teams made on him, when they knew he wouldn't sign in Anaheim for less.

Being in discussions and making an actual contract offer is two different things. I'm sure they've been talking to eachother, getting to know what Beauch intended to do. Murray did what he could, which is nothing with this low budget.

You could argue that losing Moen was the reason we lost to the Wings (3rd line couldnt handle the Detroit Euros size) specifically Miller. Pretty funny that you helped me prove my point. Also btw the team was actually on a roll when the trade deadline approached. The pieces we got for Moen and Montador sure helped us last year as well

Yeah, Moen did soooo well for San Jose and was playing so well for us up to that point. I'm sure you're right, Travis Moen would have pushed us past Detroit.

Yeah, Moen did soooo well for San Jose and was playing so well for us up to that point. I'm sure you're right, Travis Moen would have pushed us past Detroit.

I agree. I think the Ducks would have got past Detroit if they hadnt dumped players for draft picks - Moen, Pahlsson, etc. But, they did eat up the old men and that was a major factor to them losing to Pittsburgh as they ran out of gas. That's a good thing!!:nod:

I agree. I think the Ducks would have got past Detroit if they hadnt dumped players for draft picks - Moen, Pahlsson, etc. But, they did eat up the old men and that was a major factor to them losing to Pittsburgh as they ran out of gas. That's a good thing!!:nod:

:sarcasm:

:sarcasm:

can you get any stupider??? Did you you even watch the playoffs?

http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=436577


I’d like to get another defenseman. I’ve got a couple things in mind to do that. I’d like to get a veteran type of guy. I’m not going to say anymore on that.Like this

With Wiz, I’m not going to jump and give him a lot of money and a lot of terms until I am damn sure he can prove what he can be.Love this!

We’re probably going to end up at arbitration and arbitrations are ugly, but that’s where we are headed right now.Not too fond of this.

can you get any stupider??? Did you you even watch the playoffs?

Yeah, we manhandled San Jose. We were one goal away from probably our 3rd SCF appearance. The one thing that held us back was secondary scoring, not physicality.

Yeah, Moen did soooo well for San Jose and was playing so well for us up to that point. I'm sure you're right, Travis Moen would have pushed us past Detroit.

Just b/c a player doesn't mesh with one team doesn't mean he won't mesh with yours.

Moen, Selanne, and Guerin all came to SJ via trade at one time or another. Neither panned out.

Of course Moen and Selanne won a Cup with Anh a few years ago and Guerin won it with Pitt.

So many factors play into chemistry.

Just b/c a player doesn't mesh with one team doesn't mean he won't mesh with yours.

Moen, Selanne, and Guerin all came to SJ via trade at one time or another. Neither panned out.

Of course Moen and Selanne won a Cup with Anh a few years ago and Guerin won it with Pitt.

So many factors play into chemistry.

It's not just that, he wasn't playing well with Anaheim either, him and Sami were both having abysmal years.

Yeah, Moen did soooo well for San Jose and was playing so well for us up to that point. I'm sure you're right, Travis Moen would have pushed us past Detroit.

Ummm... actually, losing Brown seconds into the game hurt the Ducks' chances more b/c he plays on the PK besides the usual 4th line minutes. Brown playing on the PK relieves expended energy of some of the players on the team for the duration of the game.

Not a Ducks fan, but I gotta say, Murray has been fantastic for your club. Color me impressed, particularly given I thought Burke left the prospects base in shambles (much like he did in Vancouver).

Ummm... actually, losing Brown seconds into the game hurt the Ducks' chances more b/c he plays on the PK besides the usual 4th line minutes. Brown playing on the PK relieves expended energy of some of the players on the team for the duration of the game.

I was being sarcastic. Shees I'm going to have to remember to always use the sarcasm smilie

Not necessarily Murray's work, but we're starting to have a bit of a problem looming in 2013-2014.

Perry, Getzlaf, Lupul, Whitney, and probably even one more core guy will be UFA that season.

Not necessarily Murray's work, but we're starting to have a bit of a problem looming in 2013-2014.

Perry, Getzlaf, Lupul, Whitney, and probably even one more core guy will be UFA that season.

by then there will be enough options where it wont matter for these replaceable players, the Twins i hope sign another long term Sedin like contracts in 2014

It's too early to worry about stuff like that. If we lose those guys to free agency we'll just retool around Scotty and Teemu.

It's too early to worry about stuff like that. If we lose those guys to free agency we'll just retool around Scotty and Teemu.

id like to build around Miller and Ebbett instead

by then there will be enough options where it wont matter for these replaceable players, the Twins i hope sign another long term Sedin like contracts in 2014

With mediocore man Rick Nash making almost 8 million a season, I don't see how we are going to sign Getzlaf for anything under 8.5 the way he's going. That'd probably be a discount too.

It's too early to worry about stuff like that. If we lose those guys to free agency we'll just retool around Scotty and Teemu.

Hey, while were on the subject, what's going to happen in 2025, do we have any women out there with potential superstar hockey genes planning on getting pregnant within the next 5 years?

We can really use a stay at home d man in 2027 I'm sure of that.

in 2025, do we have any women within the next 5 years?
That would be a... ...no.