|
Now Playing in Edmonton: Dustin Penner |
|
|
|
|
|
The Anaheim Ducks have decided not to match the offer sheet given to second year winger Dustin Penner; as a result he is the Oilers’ problem now. They are the ones that made him their highest paid forward and second highest paid player on their roster at $4.3 million a year for the next five years. They are the ones that decided it was worth it to not only grossly overpay Penner but to also give up their first three draft picks for the right to do so. Fine. More power to them. How Penner will react to the pressure of Edmonton will be very interesting to watch. How Oilers fans will react to his performance if/when he struggles will also be fascinating. How he responds to additional ice time and facing opposing teams’ top defensive pairing and defensive forwards for the first time will be worth watching as well.
Did you know • Dustin Penner will make more in nine games than he made all last season! He made $450,000 last year and is now making $52,439 per game, as opposed to the $28,838 that the average Edmonton resident earns per year, and as such will be expected to produce every night, not just on occasion. Can he do it? That’s for the Oilers and their fans to worry about.
Penner is the first significant member of the Ducks’ Stanley Cup Championship team to leave for another team via free agency and he will be missed. The Large Human, as he was called in Anaheim, will always have a special place in the hearts of Ducks fans and will always be a part of their history. I’m sure most Ducks fans join me in wishing him all the best in the future.
As compensation for losing a restricted free agent the Ducks now have the Oilers’ first, second and third round draft picks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. As such I’m sure all Ducks fans will be hoping that Edmonton loses 78 games next year (assuming they beat the Kings all four times they play them). The worse the Oilers do the better the draft picks will be for the Ducks.
The task for Ducks General Manager Brian Burke is to find someone to replace Penner on the roster. It will not be easy as Penner and Teemu Selanne were the top two goal scorers for Anaheim last season. If Selanne does not return, the Ducks will have lost 76 goals from last year and will have only added Todd Bertuzzi. While Bertuzzi is a physical match for Penner, he is seven years older and is coming off an injury-plagued season. If he can stay healthy I like his chances to produce much more than Penner will or would have. However, if he is to suffer any injuries the Ducks will find themselves quite shorthanded on offense.
There is a chance, of course, that Selanne could return to the Ducks and Penner’s departure actually creates more room for the Ducks to sign him. As it stands now the Ducks are at about $48 million but could be closer to $41 million if Scott Niedermayer is to retire. That would give the Ducks plenty of money to spend on Selanne and still remain well under the salary cap. The Ducks would also have plenty of room under the cap to make moves during the season or at the trading deadline if they chose to.
If, however, Scott Niedermayer returns, the Ducks could simply move Shane Hnidy from defense to the fourth line and then in turn move Brad May or Todd Marchant to the second line and move Todd Bertuzzi to the top line. Both May and Marchant had success with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf on the second line last season.
If, however, both Niedermayer and Selanne are to retire the Ducks would still have options in house as they could bring in Bobby Ryan, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft. Ryan is listed at 6’2” and 215 pounds so he’s a physical force on par with Penner and he could watch Bertuzzi in order to learn how to be an effective power forward in the NHL.
If they are to lose both Niedermayer and Selanne, the Ducks could also make a trade to bring in another forward. They have the cap room to absorb an impact player as well as desirable draft picks and Ilya Bryzgalov to offer in exchange.
Whatever the Ducks decide to do, and clearly they have plenty of options, the opinion that they did the right thing in calling the Oilers’ bluff and letting them be the ones to overpay Penner in exchange for three potentially great draft picks is pretty universal. We certainly haven’t written the last words on this topic and it will be a story line for years to come.
For more coverage of the NHL please check out the Puck Podcast on iTunes and FOXSports.com.
Join the Discussion:
»