Speculation: 2024-25 - Free Agency/Trade Thread

[Dr Johnny Fever]

I think there are players that don’t want to play for us based on where our team is in the rebuild.

It is possible we bid more and it was turned down. Rico turned down more dollars from other teams to winter in Edmonton.

Unfortunately no one wants to play for a losing team. Gibson is overpaid and he doesn’t. Money doesn’t offset nightly frustration.

John

Too many people don't want to face this reality. The better players are going to get paid and they want a shot at winning too. They will always be highly pursued and aren't going to a bottom feeder for a few million more. Verbeek was never going to offer Stamkos enough money and term to come here while we all follow tankathon odds each year. Anybody who thought that wasn't dealing in reality.

And all that talk about taxes goes right out the window too when you're a winner. If this were the 07 Ducks some guys would have been willing to take a reasonable deal just to play here. But we're not so they're not.

 

[nbducksfan19]

Too many people don't want to face this reality. The better players are going to get paid and they want a shot at winning too. They will always be highly pursued and aren't going to a bottom feeder for a few million more. Verbeek was never going to offer Stamkos enough money and term to come here while we all follow tankathon odds each year. Anybody who thought that wasn't dealing in reality.

And all that talk about taxes goes right out the window too when you're a winner. If this were the 07 Ducks some guys would have been willing to take a reasonable deal just to play here. But we're not so they're not.

I’m sorry I just don’t really buy it. The Predators are not real contenders. Washington? Utah? plenty of guys signed in places with little shot.

 

[Reveille1984]

No matter how you try to spin it, this was a discouraging day for Duck fans. It sure looks like any improvements over last year are only going to be from the young players playing better after a season's experience, the addition of Gauthier and Colangelo, and some magic beans.

I suppose that the magic beans will turn into an expensive player or players in the form of a cap dump or dumps from some other team or teams, since according to Cap Friendly (may it soon rest in peace) the Ducks salary total is just under $58.4 million, which is still $6.6 and million and change under the floor. That $58.4 million includes McGinn, but does not include LaCombe or anything for a seventh defenseman.

It is impossible for me to know at this point in time which teams will have to dump salary. Cap Friendly is not a good guide at this point, because many teams still have players to sign, and some teams have players listed on LTIR who will be back on the active roster a the start of the season. But even at this point in time Cap Friendly shows five teams over the cap. So cap dumps will be available, although how useful those dumps will be to the Ducks is unknown.

I guess that I should not be surprised or disappointed, since I never really expected this team to compete for a playoff spot next year. However, I was hoping for more progress toward competency and the development of a positive culture. I don't see that happening at this point in time, and that is disappointing. I don't want another bottom, or even bottom five finish.

Instead of watching a competitive team I expect by December to again be reading the reviews of the leading prospects subject to the draft and wondering which one the Ducks will get. I am tired of doing this and wish that the Ducks would give me something to cheer about, and some hope for the future. Instead I fear that the Ducks are copying the Angels, and selling minor league performance in which is supposed to be a major league league.

But who knows, maybe tomorrow will bring good news. To quote from Alexander Pope, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast..."

​

As an Angels fan trust me, the Ducks have it way better than the Angels. At least the Ducks probably have the best U23 prospect pipeline in the NHL, so a little hope is in order. The Angels have incompetent ownership, the worst farm system in baseball, as well as one of the worst MLB rosters in the league outside of a handful of "nice but not elite" young players.

 

[Unholy]

I’m sorry I just don’t really buy it. The Predators are not real contenders. Washington? Utah? plenty of guys signed in places with little shot.

Two of those teams were literally in the playoffs. The other is a new franchise wanting to make a splash of moves and I don’t think they even really did much of anything anyways

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

I’m sorry I just don’t really buy it. The Predators are not real contenders. Washington? Utah? plenty of guys signed in places with little shot.

I think more often than not this is right. It’s very easy to prioritize winning when it’s a hypothetical and the money isn’t real. I imagine if all else is equal or close to it you’d obviously rather go to a better team but even that’s not always going to be the case.

With Stamkos I’ll guess that Nashville had the best deal on the table or close to it. I was optimistic about the possibility because I thought teams would kind of lowball him and we might be able to offer the best deal, obviously that probably didn’t happen. Oh well, at this point it’s probably for the best.

 

[Rasp]

Im glad HF doesnt control our free agent signings or we would be in cap hell

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Two of those teams were literally in the playoffs. The other is a new franchise wanting to make a splash of moves and I don’t think they even really did much of anything anyways

Washington was the biggest fraud of a playoff team in years and I don’t even think their goal is to actually compete, they just don’t have a choice while Ovi is chasing history. No one went there thinking they were winning a cup over the life of that deal.

 

[190Octane]

I have off the charts adhd and I’m somehow more patient than most of the people on here.

 

[Unholy]

Washington was the biggest fraud of a playoff team in years and I don’t even think their goal is to actually compete, they just don’t have a choice while Ovi is chasing history. No one went there thinking they were winning a cup over the life of that deal.

They are more of a playoff team than here. It’s why they are willing to spend that money and term to win now. And they will probably regret it in 2 years.

 

[SoCal Dreaming]

I feel like we’re that kid that get picked last in dodge ball because nobody wants us in their team.

It be sweet if we end up in playoffs and SMASH Nashville. /end fantasy

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Hopefully Nashville will hit rock bottom by the time the Ducks are contenders again so don't have to play each other in the playoffs.

 

[Ducks DVM]

Too many people don't want to face this reality. The better players are going to get paid and they want a shot at winning too. They will always be highly pursued and aren't going to a bottom feeder for a few million more. Verbeek was never going to offer Stamkos enough money and term to come here while we all follow tankathon odds each year. Anybody who thought that wasn't dealing in reality.

And all that talk about taxes goes right out the window too when you're a winner. If this were the 07 Ducks some guys would have been willing to take a reasonable deal just to play here. But we're not so they're not.

We had to overpay to get Bertuzzi and Schneider for ‘07-08, so I don’t think that’s accurate.

 

[190Octane]

I love how I’m typing out a response and the board just refreshes for some unknown reason and wipes out my post.

This place is frustration on top of frustration.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

They are more of a playoff team than here. It’s why they are willing to spend that money and term to win now. And they will probably regret it in 2 years.

Never said they weren’t, just that no one is signing there with the intention of winning a cup. And yes, in a sense they’ll probably regret it, but again, they don’t have much of a choice. They’re in a very different situation than the other 31 teams.

 

[ducknuts]

Pat Verbeek had a plan and he botched it.

“For instance, The Athletic learned from league sources that the Ducks made big offers to Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, both of whom ultimately signed in Nashville. The Ducks took their swings. They just didn’t connect.”

Now he’ll trade for a few cap dumps to fill out the roster, and we’ll likely be a bottom feeder again.

I think ownership will accept a top 5 pick once more, but Pat better turn it around in 2025-26 or he’ll be looking for a new job.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

I’m sorry I just don’t really buy it. The Predators are not real contenders. Washington? Utah? plenty of guys signed in places with little shot.

Well, regardless of our difference of opinion, they all chose to sign elsewhere. So you’re saying we should have just outbid everybody?

 

[SoCal Dreaming]

I read somewhere Marchessault saying after his signing… “I don’t want to just play hockey, I want to win.”.

That’s just reality, not everyone wants to babysit.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

We had to overpay to get Bertuzzi and Schneider for ‘07-08, so I don’t think that’s accurate.

Well that’s not accurate.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

We had to overpay to get Bertuzzi and Schneider for ‘07-08, so I don’t think that’s accurate.

Well, that fiasco was driven by Teemu and Scotty deciding to take half a season off. Not quite the normal offseason the team was expecting.

 

[Ducks DVM]

Well that’s not accurate.

Well, yes it is.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Pat Verbeek had a plan and he botched it.

“For instance, The Athletic learned from league sources that the Ducks made big offers to Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, both of whom ultimately signed in Nashville. The Ducks took their swings. They just didn’t connect.”

Now he’ll trade for a few cap dumps to fill out the roster, and we’ll likely be a bottom feeder again.

I think ownership will accept a top 5 pick once more, but Pat better turn it around in 2025-26 or he’ll be looking for a new job.

The Samueli’s are approaching 20 years as owners and have technically never fired a GM, Verbeek’s gonna be safe for a while.

 

[Ducks DVM]

Well, that fiasco was driven by Teemu and Scotty deciding to take half a season off. Not quite the normal offseason the team was expecting.

That’s pretty much literally the only big UFA signings the team has ever had other than a relative or close lifelong friend. We just do not get big UFA’s unless they’re our own players.

 

[Rybread86]

Pat Verbeek had a plan and he botched it.

“For instance, The Athletic learned from league sources that the Ducks made big offers to Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, both of whom ultimately signed in Nashville. The Ducks took their swings. They just didn’t connect.”

Now he’ll trade for a few cap dumps to fill out the roster, and we’ll likely be a bottom feeder again.

I think ownership will accept a top 5 pick once more, but Pat better turn it around in 2025-26 or he’ll be looking for a new job.

Well that's certainly one way to spin it.

Or, they had a plan and stuck to it. Maybe part of that plan was not giving too much term and they had an ultimate heavy offer and another beat it or gave the players a better chance to win or at least play meaningful hockey.

One thing people don't appear to factor in is the actual player signing the contract. "I'll take less to play in X city/play with X player/at least make it into the playoffs now/etc etc."

I will agree though, Beeker needs this team to start making some progress otherwise he'll be headed back to a special advisor job in Det.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Well, yes it is.

lol no it’s not. There’s plenty of comparables from that same summer and both guys are in line with all of them. There’s absolutely no evidence the Ducks had to pony up more to lure them to California, especially Bert.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Too many excuses are being made for the failure to improve today. Is every player going to want to play for the ducks, of course not. But as a GM you vet those things prior to July 1 and you make a plan. Then you make a Plan B. To not improve at all today seems like a real lack of preparation, plain and simple.

Also, some of you all are acting like we are trying to recruit guys to an AHL team in Topeka Kansas. It’s not a bad life being a multi-millionaire athlete in OC. Also, we aren’t Calgary… we could very well be legitimately competitive within a couple years with the right additions.

I agree but I also oppose the concept of paying top dollar for B and C players when you aren't a real contender