Howdy y'all, been a hot minute since I've posted here..
Verbeek has done an adequate job. He assumed a bad hand when joined the organization last season and acted purposefully. I have no issue with last season's trade deadline nor the offseason. Though I say it's still far too early to judge him as a manager, we can judge the individual moves he's made.
Last Season's Trade Deadline - Verbeek was up against the wall with Rakell, Lindholm, and Manson. Management clearly targeted Clang, Vaakanainen, and Helleson (respectfully) and did well to acquire additional picks. We could argue Manson should've returned a 1st but then we likely wouldn't have received Helleson. Trading Deslauriers for a 3rd seemed unnecessary, though it's likely we knew Deslauriers' agent was seeking a payday for him in free agency. Had the voided Dadonov trade been legitimate, Verbeek's trade deadline would have been that much more of a success. It was refreshing to see our manager look to weaponize his cap space and do so with a capable forward.
Coach - Verbeek's offseason was highlighted by patience, in my opinion. He was hired February 3rd, giving him only two and a half months to assess his team and coaching staff. Picking up the contract option for Eakins this season was a prudent move. The choice of head coach is arguably the most important decision for a GM to make. Eakins wasn't Verbeek's guy, and likely won't be going forward, but it buys Verbeek a full season to determine what type of coach this dressing room needs. He's also been notably quiet regarding the status of Eakins, who would be easy to scapegoat and throw under the bus (looking at you, Vancouver). I will be most curious to see who Verbeek hires as HC in the offseason (fingers crossed for Andrew Brunette, who did a stand up job in Florida as interim HC and has since done a really good job managing the special teams as associate coach in New Jersey).
Offseason Signings/Trades - Klingberg, Strome, Vatrano, Kulikov. The list is short but these are Verbeek's guys. The elephant in the room, Klingberg, has not worked out as we--and the hockey world at large--had hoped. His idea of signing Klingberg as a 3/4-season stop gap and trade deadline rental was largely lauded, and for good reason (once again weaponizing Anaheim's cap space). Kulikov's future remains to be seen, though few will make too much or too little of his tenure with the Ducks. Strome and Vatrano have been serviceable; I suspect their contributions will improve as the lineup as a whole improves. I'd be remiss not to mention Verbeek's pursuit of Nino Niederreiter, who was all but a Duck until his best friend swayed him elsewhere. Again, we see Verbeek's "type of player" take shape--hard working with high character.
Trade Deadline - The NHL trade deadline this season is March 3rd. Much will be made of how much (hopefully not how little) Verbeek gets in return for Klingberg. Easy for us keyboard warriors to say Klingberg should get at least a first and then some, but as long as the net return is about a first (maybe a first, maybe two seconds, maybe a second and a prospect) I will be more curious to see what other moves Verbeek makes. Shattenkirk and Moore should be fired into the Sun, assuming the Sun agrees to take them. Kulikov and Stolarz should net something positive. Comtois could be an interesting target, though that speaks to a larger philosophical question of whether Verbeek wants to move on from a once promising forward this early into his career. Again, I'm cautiously optimistic Verbeek puts Anaheim's cap space to use in exchange for assets.
Going Forward - Verbeek has his work cut out for him this offseason. First and foremost, he needs to hire HIS head coach. Secondly, he needs to sort out contracts for Terry, Zegras, and Drysdale. Longterm extensions for all three are unlikely but getting two of the three signed longterm will also provide clarity on how much "play" money we have in seasons to come. Thirdly, he and Madden need to maximize what should be a bevy of draft picks. Hopefully the hockey gods do some of the work for Verbeek and bless the organization with good lottery fortune. Fourthly, he needs to completely rebuild the defense. Fowler and Drysdale are fine mainstays but in desperate need of support. The inevitable additions of Zellweger, Mintyukov, and Helleson will help but even prime Patrick Roy would demand a trade out of Anaheim much like he did in Montreal. Fifthly, Verbeek needs to make room for Dostal in Anaheim. This will likely be done organically by way of Stolarz leaving either via trade deadline or free agency. Gibson's days as Anaheim's #1 goaltender are probably numbered but I like the merits of a 1A/1B tandem with him and Dostal. Sixthly, Verbeek needs to dip his toes into free agency again and get the team a scoring forward. Having another offensive threat will ease the burden on our other forwards and go a long way towards unlocking more of the untapped potential of Terry, Zegras, and McTavish.
Perhaps my assessment is way off base. Perhaps I'm a Verbeek apologist in the making. I'm guilty of having been that way with Murray, oops. Though the season has been long, rest assured the best is yet to come. Go Ducks!
