Speculation: 2023-24 Free Agency/Trade Thread II

[Zegs2sendhelp]

This is spot on. He's a top 4 guy on a lot of teams, but maddening to watch on this ducks team. The lack of physicality and the lack of battling drives me crazy.

In his defense, he looks a bit worn down. Too many hard minutes this year. He looks even more gassed than usual.



I would probably say "bad" shots more than selfish shots. He takes way too many muffin shots with no traffic in front of the net and virtually no chance of scoring. It is basically a turnover.

All these points kinda go to the point of he’s not exactly a great fit for what we need.

Maybe if he showed more leadership qualities or something…. But man he’s just there collecting a pay check, shows little to no emotion about being this bad.

Very frustrating.

Terry is on a similar boat right now

 

[WhatTheDuck]

All these points kinda go to the point of he’s not exactly a great fit for what we need.

Maybe if he showed more leadership qualities or something…. But man he’s just there collecting a pay check, shows little to no emotion about being this bad.

Very frustrating.

Terry is on a similar boat right now

Yep I think both points can be true. Fowler is still a top 4 caliber defenseman, even on a good team. But you want him playing with a shutdown guy, not expected to take on the role himself. His primary strengths are too similar to the young D we are trying to develop. We need more guys like Gudas who have opposite and therefore complimentary games.

Best shutdown D you can find - Zellweger
Mintyukov - Gudas
Vaak or a tougher shut down guy- Luneau

And play them all roughly 15+ minutes at even strength, depending on special teams.

 

[gilfaizon]

I think the case against Fowler is that hes pretty much the opposite of what you want in a leader.

Incredibly soft, selfish shots that kill any chance of getting a goal, never sticks up for anyone and ultimately isn't showing a ton of passion. Hes talented and I think he'd work on a team like the panthers or someone that has leadership in spades but Anaheim really doesn't have that.

Sounds a bit like Zegras...

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Sounds a bit like Zegras...

Which part?

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Sounds a bit like Zegras...

How did you get zegras from that …. Zegras is 1 of the few players that the losing actually seems to bother…. And 1 of the few players that shows leadership qualities/passion.

Zegras is often criticized for passing up shots/over passing. But he’s the only person on the team that seems to know how to complete a tape to tape pass

He may go rogue and take a selfish penalty at times but that’s due to frustration and passion…. And I’d love to see a little of that from fowler

Must be something about Rec hockey

 

[LuGBuG]

Sounds a bit like Zegras...

Maybe to someone who has LITERALLY NO IDEA what they are talking about or watching if they took the time to do it.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Sounds a bit like Zegras...

It really doesn't. Zegras shows way more fire, their personalities couldn't be more opposite.

 

[gilfaizon]

There's the Zegras defenders. We can call Fowler soft/not willing to stand up for teammates/not a leader, but when we point that out regarding Zegras people rage.

People are going to explode on here when Zegras is traded and the team is better off for it.

 

[GermanRocket7]

I have no idea how we now got to the point of criticizing Zegras' compete and passion, and by now, I am too afraid to ask.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

There's the Zegras defenders. We can call Fowler soft/not willing to stand up for teammates/not a leader, but when we point that out regarding Zegras people rage.

People are going to explode on here when Zegras is traded and the team is better off for it.

Lol I think we found that Montreal posters other account

Have to call us ZDF tho…. But your post was dumb, and makes me question if you’ve even watched the team this year.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

There's the Zegras defenders. We can call Fowler soft/not willing to stand up for teammates/not a leader, but when we point that out regarding Zegras people rage.

People are going to explode on here when Zegras is traded and the team is better off for it.

Can you defend anything you've said about Zegras? Or are you just going to climb on a cross because people wondered what you were talking about?

 

[StreetHawk]

I think that's a bit subjective. I don't particularly think any of the signings have been bad outside of Klingberg. I do believe our kids to be stars need help and that's not going to come from mid tier ufas. Target the right players to shore up deficiencies at least helps. I sure won't be happy sitting on this roster going into next season.

Verbeek and ownership need to step up in the off-season to acquire those veterans. They are in SoCal, so they have an advantage over other rebuilding clubs to acquire those players because of their location. Higher taxes, but most of the other warm weather cities are good teams in FLA, TB, Nas, LV, Dal, Car.

Going to have to overpay 1 or 2 guys to convince them to come. May need to make a trade to acquire someone.

 

[tomd]

Verbeek and ownership need to step up in the off-season to acquire those veterans. They are in SoCal, so they have an advantage over other rebuilding clubs to acquire those players because of their location. Higher taxes, but most of the other warm weather cities are good teams in FLA, TB, Nas, LV, Dal, Car.

Going to have to overpay 1 or 2 guys to convince them to come. May need to make a trade to acquire someone.

All the warm weather cities you mentioned have one thing in common besides warm weather. No state income tax.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

All the warm weather cities you mentioned have one thing in common besides warm weather. No state income tax.

Def a big factor for free agents

 

[Gliff]

All the warm weather cities you mentioned have one thing in common besides warm weather. No state income tax.

Its pretty great

 

[StreetHawk]

All the warm weather cities you mentioned have one thing in common besides warm weather. No state income tax.

Every team has their pros and cons. Is Ana in a better situation than Columbus, Buffalo, And others? Yes. Vs LV, Dal, Fla? No…. Plus those other ones with no or low taxes are doing better on the ice and are currently in no position to overpay the kind of vets Ana needs right now.

 

[Boo Boo]

There's the Zegras defenders. We can call Fowler soft/not willing to stand up for teammates/not a leader, but when we point that out regarding Zegras people rage.

People are going to explode on here when Zegras is traded and the team is better off for it.

Yes because we were sooo much better without zegras for the last few months

 

[Leonardo87]

The only way I see the Ducks even considering moving Zegras is if we land Celebrini.

If Z is traded and the return is rather lack luster will probably put the Ducks on the back burner till Verbeek is gone. But won’t have to wait long because that is a trade you would get fired over if it doesn’t go right.

In Z’s defense , all the kids have regressed or for the rookies, not where they should be, imo. It points more to Cronin and his assistants and to Verbeek as well. Sure the players have some fault but not all of it.

 

[tomd]

Every team has their pros and cons. Is Ana in a better situation than Columbus, Buffalo, And others? Yes. Vs LV, Dal, Fla? No…. Plus those other ones with no or low taxes are doing better on the ice and are currently in no position to overpay the kind of vets Ana needs right now.

It seems that most top tier players dot want to come here unless they are overpaid by 10-15%.

Besides taxes, consider lack of endorsement opportunities, much more travel, and sky high cost of living.

 

[LuGBuG]

There's the Zegras defenders. We can call Fowler soft/not willing to stand up for teammates/not a leader, but when we point that out regarding Zegras people rage.

People are going to explode on here when Zegras is traded and the team is better off for it.

You are confusing us raging with us just knowing you have no idea what you are talking about and don’t care about your terrible opinion.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Verbeek and ownership need to step up in the off-season to acquire those veterans. They are in SoCal, so they have an advantage over other rebuilding clubs to acquire those players because of their location. Higher taxes, but most of the other warm weather cities are good teams in FLA, TB, Nas, LV, Dal, Car.

Going to have to overpay 1 or 2 guys to convince them to come. May need to make a trade to acquire someone.

Verbeek blew up the team at the 2021-22 TDL. Rebuilds usually take five or more years until the playoffs are in sight. We are in year 2 of the rebuild. Anaheim played seven rookies this season, five of them with the first year in the pros in C Carlsson, LD Mintyukov, LD/RD LaCombe, RD Luneau (7 games), and LD/RD Zellweger (currently at 19 games); G Dostal and C Groulx are the other two labeled rookies who have played at the NHL level before. We are going to add LW Cutter to the team full-time next season. There are far too many unknowns with the youths we have and are going to have next season to want to want high-end FA's this summer, IMO.

We need another development season to better gauge our talent and then in the summer of 2025, re-evaluate our talent to see what FA's or trade(s) are needed to take that next step to become contenders.

 

[gilfaizon]

Can you defend anything you've said about Zegras? Or are you just going to climb on a cross because people wondered what you were talking about?

That he's soft? I certainly don't see him go into battles (on either end of the ice) consistently enough. He stick checks, doesn't use his body to gain positioning, stays perimeter in the offensive zone.

Not willing to stand up for teammates? I've never seen him enter a scrum to shake things up. Not that he necessarily needs to be the one doing that, but it doesn't happen. In fact it was Terry stepping in for him and taking the brunt of it from Jay Beagle.

Not a leader? He's never worn a letter since he's been here. McTavish is younger and has worn a letter. Zegras just recently threw a hissy fight in the penalty box, breaking cameras and earned a benching from Cronin.

Of course this is my opinion on him, and apparently i don't know what i'm talking about/don't watch the games, but I expect so much more from this talented kid, and I hope he proves me wrong, i'm just not there with it yet. Cronin came in to teach this team how to compete, Zegras has been unfortunately injured, but I am not liking what I see from him. Why aren't other young players like McTavish and Carlsson being benched? Maybe a healthy year and a clean slate will be beneficial to Z.

 

[LuGBuG]

That he's soft? I certainly don't see him go into battles (on either end of the ice) consistently enough. He stick checks, doesn't use his body to gain positioning, stays perimeter in the offensive zone.

Not willing to stand up for teammates? I've never seen him enter a scrum to shake things up. Not that he necessarily needs to be the one doing that, but it doesn't happen. In fact it was Terry stepping in for him and taking the brunt of it from Jay Beagle.

Not a leader? He's never worn a letter since he's been here. McTavish is younger and has worn a letter. Zegras just recently threw a hissy fight in the penalty box, breaking cameras and earned a benching from Cronin.

Of course this is my opinion on him, and apparently i don't know what i'm talking about/don't watch the games, but I expect so much more from this talented kid, and I hope he proves me wrong, i'm just not there with it yet. Cronin came in to teach this team how to compete, Zegras has been unfortunately injured, but I am not liking what I see from him. Why aren't other young players like McTavish and Carlsson being benched? Maybe a healthy year and a clean slate will be beneficial to Z.

I mean. Everything you say just makes it more obvious you don’t watch. You get offended that people are saying that, then you spew all this crap that makes you either a clear hater that can’t see anything except every negative you can think of or you actually just don’t watch.

Is his game perfect? No definitely not.

He consistently uses his body to shield the puck and gain positioning. He is always involved in scrums, net front battles and corners and there is no questioning his competitiveness. Is he dropping the gloves? No but why would we want him doing that. He’s not gunning guys down on the forecheck but that’s not his game.

As for not wearing an A, it’s his 3rd year and he missed 51 games. Yes McTavish has worn an A but that doesn’t say negatives about Zegras. He was a leader coming up in his career. There’s only so many letters and you could make an argument McTavish shouldn’t of had an A and shouldve been benched long ago for all the minors he’s taken. He broke a camera who cares. So did Petro he seems like an ok leader.

Cronin isn’t teaching him how to compete. Anyone who has followed Z knows he has ZERO compete issues. Cronin is trying to make him more responsible in his own zone, which is certainly not the same as compete.

You are just a Zegras hater and aren’t going to see anything else. Or you don’t see anything becuase you don’t watch. It’s painfully obvious to everyone else in here it’s one of those 2 things, except you…. Wonder why that is.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

That he's soft? I certainly don't see him go into battles (on either end of the ice) consistently enough. He stick checks, doesn't use his body to gain positioning, stays perimeter in the offensive zone.

Not willing to stand up for teammates? I've never seen him enter a scrum to shake things up. Not that he necessarily needs to be the one doing that, but it doesn't happen. In fact it was Terry stepping in for him and taking the brunt of it from Jay Beagle.

Not a leader? He's never worn a letter since he's been here. McTavish is younger and has worn a letter. Zegras just recently threw a hissy fight in the penalty box, breaking cameras and earned a benching from Cronin.

Of course this is my opinion on him, and apparently i don't know what i'm talking about/don't watch the games, but I expect so much more from this talented kid, and I hope he proves me wrong, i'm just not there with it yet. Cronin came in to teach this team how to compete, Zegras has been unfortunately injured, but I am not liking what I see from him. Why aren't other young players like McTavish and Carlsson being benched? Maybe a healthy year and a clean slate will be beneficial to Z.

He definitely fights for position and he's in scrums all the time, so.... I think you're maybe listening more to your feelings than watching him play. He's certainly not favored by the coaching staff over other players, that's true.

 

[StreetHawk]

Verbeek blew up the team at the 2021-22 TDL. Rebuilds usually take five or more years until the playoffs are in sight. We are in year 2 of the rebuild. Anaheim played seven rookies this season, five of them with the first year in the pros in C Carlsson, LD Mintyukov, LD/RD LaCombe, RD Luneau (7 games), and LD/RD Zellweger (currently at 19 games); G Dostal and C Groulx are the other two labeled rookies who have played at the NHL level before. We are going to add LW Cutter to the team full-time next season. There are far too many unknowns with the youths we have and are going to have next season to want to want high-end FA's this summer, IMO.

We need another development season to better gauge our talent and then in the summer of 2025, re-evaluate our talent to see what FA's or trade(s) are needed to take that next step to become contenders.

Verbeek did what he needed to do. Either he moved out his UFAs to be at the 2022 TDL or he would have had to extend them. Given the state of the team, it should have been an easy decision to make to send Lindholm, Manson, Rackell out, just like sending Henrique out. No one wanted Silf so he ends up playing out his contract. Only Fowler and Gibson remain from their 2015 & 2017 WCF runs.

Anaheim will have had 4 extra first and 4 extra 2nds between the 2019 to 2024 draft in addition to their own 12 picks in rounds 1 and 2 for 20 picks in top 60 in this 6 year non PO span.

There's 6 skaters that are for sure to be in their lineup (barring a trade out) for 24/25 that were drafted from 2019 onwards in Zegras, McTavish, Carlsson, Zellweger, Mintyukov, and LaCombe.
Dostal from 2018 in net.

Luneau probably best to be in the A in 24/25 as he's only played 13 games total this season plus lost games/practice as a teen during Covid.

I didn't mean that they needed to make moves to make the PO in 2025 as they would need to make up 35 points to catch how far LA is ahead of them. But, to even get to Seattle who is 10th worst, is 20 points. They do need to add something to not be this bad (60 point pace) again next season. One thing to be tanking bad when you don't have any of your future on the roster, but they will have 7 guys that they are hoping will be key pieces moving forward in those 6 Skaters and 1 G. Need to add a couple of players to help in their development.