Ben Shelley: Ducks will have decisions to make with crowded forward group

Gibson and Drysdale to Leafs 👍

Gotta spend 18 just to get to the floor... Drysdale ISN'T going anywhere friend...

The FA market has some intriguing options also the trade market is going to be active.. Just saw we have 10th and 22nd pick now that the Rags dumped the Canes...

With this being not a great draft plenty of options for additions on the wings which we need. Plus Verbeek has said we need more speed...

Nylander (Willy) / Kerfoot / Mrazek/ Holl for Gibson / Comtois / 10th / 2nd & 3rd this yr

Overpay for Klingberg & Palat in FA

Trade for Fiala -

Gotta spend 18 just to get to the floor... Drysdale ISN'T going anywhere friend...

The FA market has some intriguing options also the trade market is going to be active.. Just saw we have 10th and 22nd pick now that the Rags dumped the Canes...

With this being not a great draft plenty of options for additions on the wings which we need. Plus Verbeek has said we need more speed...

Nylander (Willy) / Kerfoot / Mrazek/ Holl for Gibson / Comtois / 10th / 2nd & 3rd this yr

Overpay for Klingberg & Palat in FA

Trade for Fiala -
- dozerD10

Throw in Lundestrom 😃
Deal

Well. Doesn't seem there are any plans Verbeek has let slip. So just speculation. He adds a defensman. Maybe Manson resigns. Letang would be interesting on a 2 or 3 year contract. Klingberg is probably to much.

Then a veteran foward. Flip forsberg would be nice. Maybe trade for Fiala???. Rackell probably wouldn't resign. He could get more elsewhere. Deslauries would be nice for a bottom 6 role. But he might get more elsewhere too. Probably gonna take a cap dump from some other team. Get another 2nd round pick.
Then resign either zegras or Drysdale to 8 year extension. This is the problem. Do we pay now and get some cap relief 5 or 6 years from now. Or do we load up with veterans. Take advantage of the low cap hits of the younger players. 38 million can get you some good players. But who. There aren't many Jack Eichel quality players around. Nylander is talented. But he doesn't drive the bus in Toronto. FIala. Good player. Be good next to zegras. Again are you willing to pay him 8x8. Can't that money be spent better? Really what we want is a Boniface top line foward or top pairing dman if we wana move foward.
But on the flip side. We wait. 2 or 3 years from now. We could be a perennial playoff team. Still, time is money. And this team is too good to get top 5 picks anymore. Do we Wait while we try to teach defense and get more players. But it's not like we need more depth. We got plenty of middle 6 fowards and bottom 4 defenseman. And we can't keep them all.
This is the conundrum Verbeek has put himself in. There isn't a good Dman like Hampus Lindholm that any other team would give up cheaply. And Bob Murry missed out on Jack Eichel last year.
So This all leaves the Anaheim Ducks in a pickle. Not many good options in free agency and trade. And alot of cap space and time that's gonna probably be left unfulfilled. Still it could be worse. We could be in cap hell. Having to trade good players to get cap space. But my prediction is Verbeek takes kind of a middle road approach. Maybe he makes one big move. To stir the fan base up. Trades for a bad contract. And maybe extends Zegras or Terry. This would be the Luke warm approach. Still. Better than nothing. 🤔

Throw in Lundestrom 😃
Deal
- mr.sir

Steel... ?? perhaps.. or another 2nd in 24 ???

[quote=Eman87654]
Save your 💴 for Matthews UFA😔

[quote=mr.sir]


No way no how.. does whoever is in charge let AM34 slip away...

Willie, Holl, Mrazek for Gibby, Grant, Leaf's 5th, Wild 2023 3rd
Grant can be Leaf's 4th line C, gives Leaf's some cap relief to get a #3-4 D

Willie, Holl, Mrazek for Gibby, Grant, Leaf's 5th, Wild 2023 3rd
Grant can be Leaf's 4th line C, gives Leaf's some cap relief to get a #3-4 D
- HenryHockey

Doubt the Leafers do this without Ducks upping the Ante .. probably have to add better picks.

Doubt the Leafers do this without Ducks upping the Ante .. probably have to add better picks.
- dozerD10

You know. Every year we talk about a Leafs trade. But it never gets done. Ever since Dubas took over we haven't been able to. Now the Ducks tend to trade with Pittsburg and Boston. Maybe Verbeek has some connections back east that Bob Murry didn't.

You know. Every year we talk about a Leafs
trade. But it never gets done. Ever since Dubas took over we haven't been able to. Now the Ducks tend to trade with Pittsburg and Boston. Maybe Verbeek has some connections back east that Bob Murry didn't.
- Eman87654

Verbeek is just more realistic on guys…. Murray no way makes the Manson or Hampus trades…. Just the usual BS… not enough coming back blah blah blah… so yeah I think Verbeek is open to trade with all comers …

Verbeek is just more realistic on guys…. Murray no way makes the Manson or Hampus trades…. Just the usual BS… not enough coming back blah blah blah… so yeah I think Verbeek is open to trade with all comers …
- dozerD10

Yeah. But the Ducks aren't holding a yard sale where everything must be sold by the end of the day. But You have to know the value of your own players. Especially if your a bad team tring to trade a good player. A Good example is Jakob Chychun. Arizona knows his value. They set the price they believe is right. And if they don't get what they want, Then they don't trade him.

Like Hampus Lindholm. We were never going to win that trade. Hockey is a very codependant game that stresses teamwork. But if your team is bad, or you get stuck on a bad line, your stats will decrease. In Lindholm and Gibson case. Most fans assume that since the Ducks have been giving up alot of goals that it only goaltending or defense to blame. But the truth is defense has to be played by every player on the ice to be successful. And over the last 4 years this team foward lines have been chaotic. Leading to breakaways, easy cross ice passes, poor spacing, lack of neutral zone pressure and just general unawareness. The biggest flaws I seen in the defense the last 4 years are bad passing, and not defending the front of the net.

Still over time these things are getting better. But trading at a low point, like in a rebuild isn't good. You put yourself In A bad position. One where you'll probably lose every trade you make

Would love to see something like…
C Lundestrom
D Vaakanainen
D Larsson
LW Tracey
G Stolarz
2022 1st/BOS
2024 2nd/BOS
2023 3rd/MIN
to Arizona
for

D Chychrun
D Soderstrom
LW Crouse
2024 4th/SJS
2023 7th/VAN
to Anaheim

Would love to see something like…
C Lundestrom
D Vaakanainen
D Larsson
LW Tracey
G Stolarz
2022 1st/BOS
2024 2nd/BOS
2023 3rd/MIN
to Arizona
for

D Chychrun
D Soderstrom
LW Crouse
2024 4th/SJS
2023 7th/VAN
to Anaheim
- 13of39

Now ….

That’s a trade