Toggle sidebar

2024-25 San Diego Gulls/Tulsa Oilers

MMC said:
I don’t think the record of the Gulls should really factor in at all to anyone’s view of McIlvane, unless the primary thing one wants to see out of the Gulls is them competing for a championship every year rather than developing players for the NHL club. The best AHL teams are full of AHL lifers, they aren’t being led by their parent clubs top prospects. While I’d like to see the Gulls be competitive every year, as long as players are developing well that’s good enough for me. And because the Ducks have so many prospects down there by virtue of accumulating so many picks and prospects during the rebuild, there isn’t space to load up the team with the vets that will carry the team to being competitive
Click to expand...

According to PuckPedia, Anaheim has five contract spots open. They have the capacity to sign AHL lifers who are fringe NHL'ers to a one-year deals. Adding two to three of these types of players can help with the consistency of high level play for our youths, thereby potentially quickening their learning curve/acclimation.

Looking at the organization's defensemen depth chart, all the Ducks had available to them for a call-up in San Diego in are all youths to start the season. They were rotating between four youth Ds earlier in the season until LaCombe took hold of a permanent spot on the roster. Now, we're rotating between three youth D's. Without having one of those AHL lifer D-men to call up, we are forced to rotate three youth d-men as we carry 7-D.
 
Has there been any update on Suchanek? Judging by the goalie stats (I don't watch the games), we could really use him. Is Suchanek expected back this season at all?
 
Hockey Duckie said:
According to PuckPedia, Anaheim has five contract spots open. They have the capacity to sign AHL lifers who are fringe NHL'ers to a one-year deals. Adding two to three of these types of players can help with the consistency of high level play for our youths, thereby potentially quickening their learning curve/acclimation.

Looking at the organization's defensemen depth chart, all the Ducks had available to them for a call-up in San Diego in are all youths to start the season. They were rotating between four youth Ds earlier in the season until LaCombe took hold of a permanent spot on the roster. Now, we're rotating between three youth D's. Without having one of those AHL lifer D-men to call up, we are forced to rotate three youth d-men as we carry 7-D.
Click to expand...
Sure, they have available contract spots, but do they have available spots in the lineup to add more players? Doesn't seem like they think they do
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheDarkWingThatDucks
MMC said:
Sure, they have available contract spots, but do they have available spots in the lineup to add more players? Doesn't seem like they think they do
Click to expand...
There is not.

Today’s lineup has all prospects except the following.

Heatherington (A), Mckeon (A), Lucas (replaceable). That’s Defensively and Rodwin not playing but takes Lucas’ spot.

Offensively, non prospects are… captain Carpenter, recently acquired Bailey, Meyers (replaceable), Howe (replaceable) and Sidorov taking one of the replaceable spots.
 
MMC said:
Sure, they have available contract spots, but do they have available spots in the lineup to add more players? Doesn't seem like they think they do
Click to expand...

You are viewing this as the roster as is as opposed to the construction of the roster during the off-season. We have seven players with AHL contracts, four of them on defense. Luneau has the same amount of points as AHL contract D McKeon in 11 fewer games. The org could easily pull some higher end AHL lifers/NHL fringe players, but we don't.

We could have sent Helleson back down to the AHL if we had an AHL lifer/NHL fringe D and stop this rotation business. With carrying 7D at the NHL level, it's either Helleson or another youth. Helleson is the oldest of the youths in the AHL at age 23. Hinds is 21 years old, Luneau 21, Dionicio 20, and Warren 20. We have 22-year old Biakabutuka, but he's an ECHL level player. We do not have a sacrificial AHL lifer/NHL fringe D to be that 7D at the NHL level.

Harkins is a mainstay at the NHL level. I don't think the org meant for that to happen for Harkins. He was the Gulls leading scorer with a 1.55 ppg rate before becoming a mainstay with the NHL club. We don't have more talent like Harkins should Harkins be called up or keep Harkins down with an NHL talent higher than Harkins?

An org can develop youths and try to win simultaneously. Youths teaching youths isn't ideal.
 
Hockey Duckie said:
We could have sent Helleson back down to the AHL if we had an AHL lifer/NHL fringe D and stop this rotation business. With carrying 7D at the NHL level, it's either Helleson or another youth. Helleson is the oldest of the youths in the AHL at age 23. Hinds is 21 years old, Luneau 21, Dionicio 20, and Warren 20. We have 22-year old Biakabutuka, but he's an ECHL level player. We do not have a sacrificial AHL lifer/NHL fringe D to be that 7D at the NHL level.

Harkins is a mainstay at the NHL level. I don't think the org meant for that to happen for Harkins. He was the Gulls leading scorer with a 1.55 ppg rate before becoming a mainstay with the NHL club. We don't have more talent like Harkins should Harkins be called up or keep Harkins down with an NHL talent higher than Harkins?

An org can develop youths and try to win simultaneously. Youths teaching youths isn't ideal.
Click to expand...
What you seem to be overlooking is that PV has all of these guys in the NHL because he views them as NHL players. If he truly wanted someone like Mintyukov, Zellweger, or Helleson in the AHL he could claim one of the many defensemen that have been on waivers over the past few months, the fact that he hasn't is a pretty indication he wants them all in the NHL. And I really don't think the rotation until Dumoulin is moved at the deadline is hurting anybody.

RE Harkins, he was signed to a 2 year, one-way contract in the offseason, that to me would indicate the organization did see him as at least the first call up when injuries started happening
 
MMC said:
What you seem to be overlooking is that PV has all of these guys in the NHL because he views them as NHL players. If he truly wanted someone like Mintyukov, Zellweger, or Helleson in the AHL he could claim one of the many defensemen that have been on waivers over the past few months, the fact that he hasn't is a pretty indication he wants them all in the NHL. And I really don't think the rotation until Dumoulin is moved at the deadline is hurting anybody.

RE Harkins, he was signed to a 2 year, one-way contract in the offseason, that to me would indicate the organization did see him as at least the first call up when injuries started happening
Click to expand...

Inconsistencies in your thoughts.

All the Duck players are NHL players, but they're some in a rotation. Are we developing or are we going for the playoffs? Why move Dumo if you said it's normal for the rotation since they're all NHL'ers? And if you move Dumo and don't pickup anyone else, then you're bringing up yet another youth to be in rotation. With Luneau's recent surge, he could be on the Zellweger plan of last year.

You agree with Harkins being signed to an NHL contract, but that was a minimal amount. Why didn't the Ducks org do more of that? Or are you going to go back to your circular conclusion that all the players are NHL players.
 
Hockey Duckie said:
Inconsistencies in your thoughts.

All the Duck players are NHL players, but they're some in a rotation. Are we developing or are we going for the playoffs? Why move Dumo if you said it's normal for the rotation since they're all NHL'ers? And if you move Dumo and don't pickup anyone else, then you're bringing up yet another youth to be in rotation. With Luneau's recent surge, he could be on the Zellweger plan of last year.

You agree with Harkins being signed to an NHL contract, but that was a minimal amount. Why didn't the Ducks org do more of that? Or are you going to go back to your circular conclusion that all the players are NHL players.
Click to expand...
I think your harping on the NHL players thing a little too much. Zelly is too good for the AHL, and Verbeek sees more positives in his development being in a rotation before we eventually move Dumo closer to the deadline. Is that the best thing for his development, probably not, is it going to stop him from reaching his potential longterm, again probably not.

Harkins is with the big club because Johnston is on the roster and McGinn got hurt. If McGinn isn’t hurt, and you sign another harkins then you are taking spots away from Gaucher and co in the AHL. Speaking of Harkins, I think we all agree Paul Maurice is on of the best coaches in the league, here is some words he has about harkins.



You can try to play meaningful games “pushing” for the playoffs and care about development at the same time, it’s not a one or the other. The longer Dumo stays on the team, the more we care about trying to win this year over completely being developing our young and core, which is a good thing in my mind. Doesn’t mean it’s the best way, but it would be nice to try and build a more winning culture for next season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom