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DALAnaheim Ducks Trying To Keep Their Heads Above Water
The last time we checked in on the Anaheim Ducks they were in the midst of winning 11 out of 13 games and were climbing the Pacific and Western Conference standings.
What happened?
Let’s get the cliche’s out of the way early by stating the team is going down faster than the Titanic or a lead balloon. The Ducks have definitely gone afoul in the past several weeks by dropping 12 straight games to set a new franchise record in futility.
Is there any hope of another 180 degree turnaround though? Well, there’s still a chance of the Ducks making the playoffs as a wild card team, but they’re going to have to snap out of their tailspin as soon as possible. They’re simply not able to score goals at a competitive rate at just 2.34 per outing while allowing an average of 3.00 against due to a leaky defense. The problem is obvious to see, but how do they go about fixing it?
We can let goaltender John Gibson off the hook to a degree as he’s been standing on his head for the team and faces numerous high-danger shots per game. He’s faced the most shots in the league and stopped the most rubber while trying to hold down the fort with backup Ryan Miller on the shelf. Gibson also has the second best seasonal save percentage for goalies who have appeared in 30 or more games.
As the season has progressed however, Anaheim’s once-impenetrable fortress has started to crack. Gibson’s monthly splits have transitioned from sparkling 93.8 SV% in October, to a very good 92.1 SV% in November, an average 91.3 SV% in December and to a less than dazzling 88.4 SV% across 6 games in January.
Anaheim has been creating enough scoring chances in the majority of their recent games, but the squad’s shooting percentage has been as cold as a three-dog night at about five per cent. While we’ve saw an impressive run a month ago it’s now evolved into the worst span in franchise history.
Head coach Randy Carlyle should be worried about his continued employment with the club especially since general manager Bob Murray publicly backed him recently. A vote of confidence by your GM is often a death sentence these days and Carlyle’s skating on thin ice with his last win coming back on Dec. 17th.
Murray took a different route to try to shake things up. Instead of firing his coach he decided to pull the trigger on a trade as 31-year-old Andrew Cogliano was sent to the Dallas Stars in exchange for fellow forward Devin Shore, who’s seven years younger at 24. Shore had five goals and 12 assists in 42 games with Dallas at the time of the swap while Cogliano, whose fourth-ranked NHL iron-man streak of 830 games recently ended, had three goals and eight assists in 46 outings. The deal saw Anaheim save about $1million in salary cap space as well.
Murray said he’d like to add more youth to the team and it’s been speculated that he’d like to move 34-year-old forward Ryan Kesler. The veteran is making close to $7 million a year, but has produced just four goals and two assists in 44 outings this year and is a minus-15. He’s on pace for 11 points and a minus-27 rating. Kesler has a no-movement clause though and has let the media know he isn’t interested in leaving town before his contract expires after the 2021/22 season.
The GM doesn’t believe the current flock of ducks can stay airborne in the playoffs even if they make them and has hinted at more changes. He was quoted as saying, “I’m not here to just try to make the playoffs every year. I’d like to get back to where we’re a team that, if we get into the playoffs, has a chance to win. Right now, I don’t believe this group has a chance to win. It’s time for changes.”
The Cogliano for Shore trade didn’t register very high on the Richter scale though so Murray’s either going to have to orchestrate some more deals or pull the rug from under Carlyle’s feet despite his support for the coach. If the losing continues he’ll need to do something noteworthy or the GM will also need to start looking over his shoulder.
Anaheim fans want to see something done before it’s too late and the season becomes a write off. They may simply have to ride the storm out however and hope for some better luck on the ice. They’ve lost five games by a lone goal during their 12-game skid with four of those coming in overtime and have dropped four contests by a pair of goals.
A coaching change may not hurt the Ducks, but it might not help either. We’ve seen the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers change bench bosses in 2018/19 and none of the teams has really benefited much in the standings. That being said, Carlyle shouldn’t make any long-term plans in the city as he’s likely going to be turfed out in the summer at the latest.
Carlyle has had to deal with numerous injuries this season and his top-six forwards aren’t getting any younger. Murray wants to re-sign Jakob Silfverberg before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer, but he may also be willing to trade him if the price is right.
There’s not really any point in trying to predict Anaheim’s percentage of making the playoffs since it will come down to performance and injuries. The team needs to start scoring goals, tighten up defensively, stay out of the penalty box and work on its power-play. Carlyle also needs to make sure he doesn’t burn Gibson out in net as his performance has been noticeable affected from overuse.
Cam Fowler and Rickard Rakell recently returned to the lineup while Ryan Miller, Patrick Eaves and Corey Perry are still sidelined. The Ducks need all hands on deck as soon as possible if they hope to hold off Edmonton, Dallas, the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild in the wildcard playoff race.
It’s not impossible and it certainly won’t be easy, but the Ducks may still find themselves swimming with their heads above the water at the conclusion of the 82-game schedule… but just barely
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