With nearly six weeks remaining before the opening of training camp, the Ducks face a multitude of questions.
At least a couple of them figure to be answered before players report to Anaheim Ice next month. Camp developments will determine other matters, and some will have to wait until the NHL regular season is at least well under way. Still others will likely remain uncertain until after the 2008-09 campaign concludes.
Here, then, is a sort of top-10 list, with more questions than answers.
10) What does the hockey future hold for Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli?
Since NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed him an indefinite suspension June 24 in the wake of a guilty plea to one count of lying to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about his role in the backdating of employee stock-option grants at Broadcom Corp., Henry Samueli, left, has been prohibited from any dealings with the team. Susan Samueli opted to abide by terms of the suspension in support of her husband and to avoid any improper appearance. If Henry Samueli’s Aug. 18 sentencing goes as expected, with five years probation, a $12 million payment to the U.S. Treasury and a $250,000 fine, Bettman would appear unlikely to impose any further discipline. As for the length of the suspension, one year is probably a logical guess.
9) Is general manager Brian Burke merely playing out the string, or will he be around for the long haul?
The non-stop chatter emanating from Canada that Burke was all but signed, sealed and delivered to become general manager of the woebegone Toronto Maple Leafs has died down, for now, but it will almost certainly start up again unless Burke agrees to a contract extension with the Ducks. That prospect does not appear imminent. Burke continues to weigh family considerations that might make it more attractive for him to work in the East. Still, there is no guarantee that Toronto will wait for Burke, under its current arrangement with Cliff Fletcher as a caretaker general manager. At some point, probably toward the end of the season, Ducks chief executive Michael Schulman will insist on an answer from Burke. Certainly, this scenario could play out either way, but by no means is it a done deal that Burke will be gone.
8) Who will be the captain of this ship?
Coach Randy Carlyle faces an interesting decision with whether to keep the “C” on the chest of Chris Pronger, who wore it last year, or return the revered letter to fellow former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Scott Niedermayer, right, who served as captain the previous two seasons. Pronger succeeded Niedermayer as captain last season, when Niedermayer sat out the opening 28 games while contemplating retirement in the wake of the club’s 2007 Stanley Cup championship. The understated Niedermayer, who has committed to a full season this year, and the vocal but sometimes-emotional Pronger are as different as night and day. Never one to worry about potential hurt feelings, Carlyle just might go back to the Niedermayer well.
7) Exactly what will the blue-line corps look like?
With Pronger and Niedermayer leading the way, the defense has a chance to be outstanding, though neither was as dominant last season as in years past. The Ducks have to hope that with the benefit of a long summer that came after last season’s first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Stars, both will return to true superstar form. The club is also hopeful for a strong bounce-back from Francois Beauchemin, who was not nearly as good last season as in 2006-07, and for Kent Huskins to continue making strides. Sean O’Donnell will again provide a veteran, physical presence, but Mathieu Schneider, signed last summer ostensibly as a replacement for Niedermayer, will probably be traded (more on that later). Newcomer Steve Montador figures to move into the top six, though rookies Brendan Mikkelson, Brian Salcido and Brett Festerling could have something to say about that in training camp.
6) Will fortune shine on the injury front?
Save for a rash of mid-season injuries that never seriously threatened a club that opened the season 12-0-4, the 2006-07 Ducks were blessed with very good health en route to winning the Stanley Cup championship. They weren’t so lucky last season, when goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and checking-line center Samuel Pahlsson missed the start of the season after undergoing sports-hernia surgeries, and Schneider suffered a broken ankle in his first exhibition game. At this point, there don’t appear to be any areas of concern, but that could change in a heartbeat. Right wing Rob Niedermayer is apparently recovered from a concussion that kept him out of last season’s final four playoff games, Burke said.
5) Could big money create problems for the club’s young guns?
The team’s top two scorers last season, center Ryan Getzlaf with 24 goals and 82 points and right wing Corey Perry with 29 goals and 54 points, will each be in the first season of a five-year, $26.625 million contract. They wouldn’t be the first to struggle with the expectations that accompany such deals, and the Ducks could ill afford for either, let alone both, to do so. 
Perry, below, also must overcome the effects of surgery to repair a partially severed right quadriceps tendon that shelved him for more than a month late last season. Given their competitiveness and track records, which include strong follow-up campaigns on the heels of the Ducks winning the 2007 Stanley Cup crown, Getzlaf and Perry figure to do just fine.
4) Can the Ducks piece together a productive second line?
The club’s failure to do exactly that last season wound up being a killer. Key men here will be veteran center Brendan Morrison, a free-agent addition from the Vancouver Canucks, and rookie winger Bobby Ryan. Morrison, set to turn 33 on Friday, figures to be a very nice fit, as long as he can shake the effects of four surgeries in just more than two years, the latest an April 7 procedure to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Ducks doctors have examined Morrison and liked what they saw, Burke said. Ryan, the second overall selection in the 2005 entry draft, had five goals and 10 points in 23 NHL games last season. The Ducks say he’s ready for prime time, and they desperately need him to be. The only other even remotely legitimate options at this point are versatile veteran Todd Marchant, unproven Swedish left wing Joakim Lindstrom, who arrived in a July trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and NHL journeyman Eric Boguniecki, a free-agent addition.
3) How, and when, will the Ducks get beneath the salary cap?
More than $2 million above the NHL’s $56.7 million ceiling, the Ducks will have to sacrifice somewhere. The consensus candidate to go, through absolutely no fault of his own, is Schneider, who carries a $5.625 million cap hit. While none are willing to give up more than a low-round draft choice to get him, multiple teams are interested in Schneider, but for the most part, they are clubs that are also chasing center Mats Sundin. The soap-opera-like saga of the erstwhile Maple Leafs captain, who can’t seem to decide if or where he wants to play, will probably have to be resolved before the Ducks can make a move. Even with the potential subtraction of Schneider, the Ducks would still be slightly above the $53 million mark, which is probably higher than they would prefer, but likely the best they will be able to do.
2) Drum roll, please – Have we seen the last of No. 8?
While popular and prolific right wing Teemu Selanne, right, has been silent all summer, contradicting his statement at the end of last season that he expected to decide on his hockey future by July 1, there is good reason. With their salary-cap issues, the Ducks simply can’t sign Selanne right now. Handcuffing the Ducks further is a bizarre wrinkle in the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its players union. In the past, teams have been able to sign players 35 and older to bonus-laden contracts, with any bonus money that pushed a club above the salary cap carrying over to the following season. The Players Association, however, has the right to reopen the CBA after this season, so unless the union commits to not doing so, which remains a strong possibility, any bonuses paid this season would count against this season’s cap. The idea that Selanne is somehow being selfish or irresponsible in this scenario is preposterous. On the contrary, the Finnish Flash has done the Ducks the latest in a long line of favors with his patience. Had he demanded a contract earlier, or for big money, he could have had one long ago with any number of NHL teams. Selanne knows the Ducks’ situation, and they know his. Burke received word last week from Selanne’s agent, Don Baizley, that Selanne has begun a skating program in Finland. Once the Ducks are able to get far enough beneath the salary cap, we’ll get an answer on Selanne. The smart money is that he’ll be in the opening-night lineup.
1) Does this season mark the last best shot at another serious Stanley Cup run?
Neither Selanne nor Scott Niedermayer is getting any younger, and there is obviously no guarantee that either will be around after the coming season. Of veterans on the current roster, only Giguere, Pronger, Getzlaf, Perry, backup goalie Jonas Hiller, left wing Chris Kunitz and center Ryan Carter are signed beyond 2008-09. With that salary-cap commitment of less than $30 million, including the last of the buyout money due winger Todd Bertuzzi, the Ducks will have plenty of flexibility to re-make the team for 2009-10. That could mean new contracts for players such as Beauchemin, Huskins, Pahlsson, left wing Travis Moen and perhaps Morrison, or it could portend a significant re-tooling of the roster. Whether it is Burke or someone else calling those shots, the uncertainty going forward makes it incumbent upon the Ducks, and their fans, to cherish this season for the tremendous opportunity it offers.
After next season Ducks should go after LA Kings restricted free agent Andy Kopitar.
Since Kings GM Dean Lombardi refuses to pay competitive salaries to his players and the Ducks will be significantly under the salary cup, let’s try to bring this young talented forward to out team !
And Marty Turco is an angel and never flops? Right…
It will definitely be a big season coming up, probably their best chance to do something for a while. The longer Burke waits to resign, the more it looks like he is gone next year.
Tom, Are you dillusional? Or are you proving the saying about a fool speaking removes all doubt? Nobody in this game is not above taking a liberty; take off the blinders and notice all players on all teams stretching the envelope. I replayed a few Duck/Star games recently and am pretty sure that play was Turdo backing up and embellishing (as Chris alludes). As many will recall, Turdo was quite “active” last year!!! As far as picking on Heyward, Dude, what is tugging on your skirt? There are a lot of ex-Pro announcers from “Canuckistan” that are doing far worse. Now go away, until you lose your hate.
I never said the Ducks were innocent angels who get overly punished by the refs. They play physical hockey on the edge, the byproduct of which tends to be penalties and rough play, which is what makes them successful.
As for the picture, there is no way by looking at it that you know the angle or speed Perry hit Turco, or if he was pushed into Turco by someone else, unless you know the source of the picture and can back it up with video evidence. Both Perry and Turco have reputations for antagonizing other teams in the own way, via being a pest or flopping unneccessarily, so I’m not sure how you can use one picture to prove your argument.
Do the Ducks tend to instigate physical hockey that results in confrontations like this? Of course, all the time. But don’t think every other team is the victim of it and plays by the rules, everyone plays as close to the edge as possible.
Just one biased and idiotic Ducks fans opinion…
[...] OC Register reports that Teemu Selanne’s run with the Anaheim Ducks is likely [...]
Tom thanks for adding some humor. Now you can go back to flipping burgers in Ottawa. You certainly told Brian Hayward and our cheating Ducks a thing or two :) We’ll stick with our team though.
Nice blog. Good summary of the Ducks status.
Tom, I see no hate, just a guy who doesn’t know hockey. Hockey is about intimidation. Whether by skill, speed and/or toughness. That’s the game. If you don’t like it, don’t watch. Also, Ducks took more penalties per game in ‘07 playoffs than in ‘08 playoffs, but their PK, offense and team speed were MUCH better in ‘07 than ‘08 so the initimidation factor from their toughness and team speed overwhelmed teams that couldn’t match up in ‘07. Not so in ‘08, when DAL’s, SJ’s and DET’s speed and toughness were equal to Ducks and their PP and PK were ALL better. The key to ‘09 will be whether Ducks can unleash some of their speed guys (Ryan, Carter, Scotty, Marchant, Kunitz, Morrison, Selanne, etc.), improve their PP and PK, and cut down on stupid penalties w/o reducing their tough physical play. If so, it could be fun. If not, it will be another short playoff run missing McDonald and Penner.
So it’s not ok for someone to come up with statistics that prove a point while you can make a general statement like ” the refs let the Ducks get away with serious cheapshots and high hits” and not have stats to back it up? The Ducks are a physical team and don’t apologize for it. If whatever team you are a fan of Tom started winning because they played a physical style like the Ducks and started winning because of it, would you be repulsed and not root for them anymore?
Trying to get back on topic, it will be interesting to see how Bobby Ryan performs this year. I think it would take him at least a year or more for him to fully adjust and become the player he’s projected to be. As Dan pointed out, all signs are pointing to this year possibly being the last hurrah for this Ducks team as we know it, so there would be a lot of pressure on Bobby to play well. There has been Calder Trophy talk about him which is probably too much, but if he can have the type of year Getzlaf and Perry had in ‘07 and get in that 50-60 point range, he could help take some pressure off the top line and solve the secondary scoring problem from last year. Playoffs would be a different animal, but it would be a good start for him. This is not a do or die year for Bobby, but hopefully it can spring him into a solid player for years to come.
Dear Tom,
if you don’t know anything about the sport, please shut the f up or go play on a highway.
Sincerely,
a 10-year veteran.
Great, intresting blog!
Tom: I find it quite funny that you call Hayward unproffessional and that he can´t pronounce when I have yet to hear any play-by-play guy being able to pronounce all the names of the players on their home teams roster correctly. Yes, including Dallas.
Nourstrom? Haha
Chris really needs to shut up. If he doesn’t know the difference between physical hockey and cheap shot/high hits, he MUST be a Ducks fan. And I agree with Tom about the Ducks announcers being bad and total “homers”. Thank God for the mute button, otherwise their games would be completely unwatchable.
Some good points, but if you really watch the other teams in all of the NHL last season, they followed the “tough guy” approach the Ducks had in 06-07. I watched alot of games other than my Ducks and I saw alot of “cheap shots, penalties, and other questionable events” during the games. And those teams went far in the playoffs and did good. The Red Wings won, because they are just a very good overall team and everything went their way.
This year you never know what is going to happen. As for the Ducks, if and when they played too rough, they got the penalties. The refs did not let us get away with anything.
Love My Ducks forever
First of all Tom, I was not “whiney”..not sure if that is a word. I was just posting my opinion. It is clear to us all, that you are not a Ducks fan, so Please take your comments elsewhere.
As for our announcers, I think they are pretty good. If you listen to any of the other announcers doing a Ducks game, it is like the Ducks are not even playing. They are ALWAYS one sided for the other team. It happens with the other team in Anaheim as well. We get zero respect and that is wrong. Our announcers do a great job of calling the games. They say with the Ducks are messing up and when they are doing great. They do that for the other team as well. I have had long conversations with Brian H and even our radio guys. They know their stuff.
The Ducks won the Stanley Cup and deserve a great amount of credit and respect for achieving this goal. They worked hard and nobody, not even you “Tom” is going to take that away from the Ducks and their loyal FANS.
Watch our for our Ducks in 2008-09, they will be ready to go for the ultimate goal again of winning the Stanley Cup, again.
Ahh, I love the internet… give an opinion someone disagrees with and you blindly get labeled as biased or unintelligent… good times. I remember why I stopped posting in places like this. And for the record, I’m not a huge fan of Hayward, I would love to have some broadcasters who aren’t as big of homers like ours.
I’ll try one more Ducks related topic. The new schedule format means fewer divisional games and more against Eastern teams, who the Ducks and the rest of the Western conference did well against. Aside from the fact it will be nice to see more teams come to the Pond, hopefully the Ducks can pick up a few more points in the standings as well. They also don’t have a tough start to the season like they did last year in London and the following east coast road trip, and also don’t have the lenghty road trip they had last February. Hopefully that gives them a chance to get a few more points here or there.
Tom, you sure know a lot about watching Ducks hockey. For such openly displayed dislike for the organization, you sure use a lot of your time posting comments. But please, don’t stop, I like reading the funnies.
As for the sell outs…Again Tom you are WRONG. Try 77 in a row. I know, I am at every game and a very loyal season seat holder.
I have been a fan since 93 and though the winning years and losing years I will be there.
BTW. you used the word “whiney” I didn’t, just repeated what you said.
Back to the subject at hand, my Ducks and all associated with them will be just fine. Back to playing Ducks hockey starting with pre-season on Sept 24 though next year…and if everything goes good, which I believe it will, until June 2009.
Stop wasting your time with Tom people, the more he talks the less I care. See ya.
Tom is a internet troll…. He lives for this.
Via wikipedia - An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.
I wish the Ducks all the best this season. Good luck and kick some butt, it doesnt matter how you win as long as you win! This is hockey not golf, where physical play is apart of the game. GO DUCKS!!
You know, to pick on Brian H for his accent is pretty cheap and low. That said, you probably hate all east coasters, anyone from ANYWHERE else, and clearly 2/3’s of the NHL.
Seriously, Tom, why are you so angry? If you genuinely have this much distaste for all things Ducks, why become the champion of their “evil”? Go watch a Kings game, a Wings Game, any of them.
Launching vitriolic comments like these just make you look like the troll you’re accused of being, and sadly, seem to truly be.
So you’re a great hockey fan who knows the game. Why don’t you do something productive, hell, dare I suggest, even positive?
To blatantly paint with broad brushstrokes all Ducks fans into “lame” and the like…Why do you care so much? Did you get cut from the team? Do they do you a personal injustice? I was here every year in the beginning where every missed body check that resulted in a board shake was celebrated because it made a noise. Ducks fans have come a long way.
Apparently, you just can’t follow.
You know, to pick on Brian H for his accent is pretty cheap and low. That said, you probably hate all east coasters, anyone from ANYWHERE else, and clearly 2/3’s of the NHL.
Seriously, Tom, why are you so angry? If you genuinely have this much distaste for all things Ducks, why become the champion of their “evil”? Go watch a Kings game, a Wings Game, any of them.
Launching vitriolic comments like these just make you look like the troll you’re accused of being, and sadly, seem to truly be.
So you’re a great hockey fan who knows the game. Why don’t you do something productive, dare I suggest, even positive?
To blatantly paint with broad brushstrokes all Ducks fans into “lame” and the like…Why do you care so much? Did you get cut from the team? Do they do you a personal injustice? I was here every year in the beginning where every missed body check that resulted in a board shake was celebrated because it made a noise. Ducks fans have come a long way.
Apparently, you just can’t follow.
Who cares about the commentators? Canadians speak much better English than Americans do, that’s why there are so many of them in broadcast journalism in the US. So the guy pronounces “against” differently than you do, most hockey commentators and players do so as well and I’m fine with it.
Just because some seats are empty, that doesn’t mean that the game isn’t sold out. This can be said about each and every professional sports venue there is. Put your seat counter away.
I’ve played and watched hockey my entire life and enjoy the style of play that the Ducks play. Their style pushes the limits as they are trying to gain a competitive advantage, something that exists in every level of sport. Sometimes it pays off (2007), sometimes it doesn’t (2008). It’s not rocket science.
Who cares about the owner, he isn’t on the roster.
One more thing regarding the photo above, there is a Dallas player’s skate in the photo that is facing the same direction as Perry’s. In the matchups this season against Dallas, they often pushed the Duck’s players into Turco and Turco would flop around like a fish. This is Dallas’ strategy. I would much rather a team play too physical than to see one flop like fishes. There is a lot of gamesmanship that goes on, but a goaltender that over-exaggerates opposing contact (and is rewarded to the extent that Turco is) is embarrassing for the sport.
tom must be a kings fan and the fat ass that sits in the nose bleeds that knows nothing bout hockey. have fun tom with your kings in last place… again. tom you might want to be a fan of a team that can actually make the playoffs. you might want to suggest to your kings to try and not lose more than 40 games in a season. have fun in last place again
Hi there Dan,
Is a trade imminent for vet defenseman Mathieu Schnieder, and if so, what teams are looking to acquire him? What kind of player may the Ducks get in exhange for Schnieder?
Any other Ducks rumors/news that I may need to know?
Thanks for your time.
Greg
Zack must be yet another crybaby prodigy of Ducks announcer Brian Heytard. And before you boast about your Ducks, Zack, why don’t you pick a team that doesn’t get absolutely HUMILIATED in the first round of the playoffs. If my two choices are a team that doesn’t make the playoffs, or one that is full of self-centered jerks who take the first half of the season off and then humiliate the team and the city with a no-show performance in the playoffs, I’ll take the first choice. Anaheim fans are the joke of the NHL for a reason, because they only came around once their team started winning. True fans are there during the good years AND the bad years, and to date, Ducks fans have never shown they support the team in full force during the losing years. Hell, even when the Ducks won the Cup, the turnout for their victory rally was NOTHING compared to what a real NHL franchise draws. I guess if I were a Ducks fan, I’d become a whiny homer too, because the team has nothing going for it now that the NHL quit letting punks like Pronger be cheap shot artists in the playoffs. And finally, to Mojo, nice try explaining the photo above…you may have a future as a in-denial Ducks announcer…but the problem is, your theory does not explain why the Duck is lifting his elbow in the goalie’s throat. I guess you conveniently skipped over that part, because it exposes the Ducks for the high-hitting cheap shot artists that they are?
Is Andy Kopitar, Anze Kopitar’s brother? Another knowledgeable Duck fan