Speculation: 2025 Trade/Free Agency Thread (TDL is March 7th)
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The Sporting Tribune
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There are two different availability sessions going around and verbeek had different things to say in each one. I haven't been able to find a full transcript of the other one.
Dr Johnny Fever
RIP Grizzly 399
Sounds like we’re gonna need a new coach who can offer a little more than, “they’ll figure it out”.
Get-R-done Beeker!
The Sporting Tribune
There are two different availability sessions going around and verbeek had different things to say in each one. I haven't been able to find a full transcript of the other one.
'I Believe in this Group': Verbeek on Ducks Trade Deadline Moves, Future Plans | Anaheim Ducks
With the NHL Trade Deadline now in the rear view window, Anaheim's roster for the remainder of the 2024-25 season is largely set. The Ducks made just a pair of moves into the days leading up to the deadline, dealing veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin to New Jersey for forward prospect
www.nhl.com
Hockey Duckie
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'I Believe in this Group': Verbeek on Ducks Trade Deadline Moves, Future Plans | Anaheim Ducks
With the NHL Trade Deadline now in the rear view window, Anaheim's roster for the remainder of the 2024-25 season is largely set. The Ducks made just a pair of moves into the days leading up to the deadline, dealing veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin to New Jersey for forward prospect
I don't have a good feeling about that interview. Verbeek loves the 5v5 play, but thinks all we need to do is fix the PP and PK to become a playoff team. No mention that our netminders have been standing on their heads this season. Our offense is meager and below the 250 goal threshold Verbeek cites to being a top team in the league. He expects our youths to take steps forward under Cronin's offense. The only youth that has taken off is LaCombe, but even Verbeek stated that LaCombe was playing that way in his last season in college (which I alluded to a few times) and LaCombe just needed time to adjust to the NHL speed and level of play.
Verbeek may possess bias in his thoughts about culture. We were a competitive team under Eakins, despite being a vastly under equipped talented roster in 2022-23. Cronin only managed one extra point in the standings with +38 Goal Differential (GD) improvement between his first season and Eakins' last season with us. Although our projected scoring rate looks to be higher in Cronin's second season (2024-25), our current GF production of 165 goals is still in the bottom three with Nashville at 164 goals and Chicago at 163 goals. For the past three seasons, our PP and PK have been abysmal. I do not believe Cronin is getting the most out of our roster offensively.
2021-22 vs 2024-25
That 2021-22 season featured quite a few rookies that season in C Zegras, RD Drysdale, 23-year old LD Mahura, and 23-year old LD Benoit.
The 2024-25 Ducks have three rookies, sort of, in LW Cutter, 23-year old RD Helleson and 23-year old RW Colangelo.
Ducks' 2024-25 squad has far more talent and talented depth at forward and defense than the 2021-22 Ducks. Early in the season, Vaak couldn't get onto the ice often enough despite his good defense when paired with Gudas. In fact, all of our youths have been in a healthy scratch rotation all season, including LaCombe, displaying our talented depth. Anahiem's blueline has been quite healthy all season long this year.
The 2021-22 squad lost Manson for 17 out his last 21 games, including 13-continguous games which also had the All-Star break where he went on IR when Verbeek took over the Ducks. No outside replacement came as the team fumbled around with rookies Mahura and Benoit as well as fringe NHL'er Pateryn.
On offense, the youth talent is incredible! Zegras, McTavish, Carlsson, Cutter, and Colangelo should be banging out high amounts of points, but they are not. Cronin sees Mac as a third liner and Colangelo's initial role was to be a grinder even though he was the Gulls' leading goal scorer when called up. None of those youth forwards are projected to put more than 51 points at the moment.
That's crazy because Zegras scored 61 points (23g + 38a) as a rookie in 2021-22 under Eakins. And in that same year, Eakins helped to unlock Terry's scoring with a 37-goal performance and 67 points. As for vet improvement, Eakins helped Fowler to a career high of 42 points at age 30!
The 2021-22 Ducks at 62 games were 4 points from 3rd in the Pacific and 3 points from the last wild card spot. This year's Ducks after 62 games are 10 points from 3rd in the Pacific and 8 points from the last wild card spot.
Verbeek blew up the team at the TDL.
Here is a crazy identification... Dostal (2018), LaCombe (2019), Thrun (2019), Colangelo (2020), Mac (2021), and Zell (2021) were already in the system before Verbeek took over.
Goalies ======
Cronin is blessed with an amazing goalie tandem this season. The 2021-22 goalie duo were not as great. (Stats from Money Puck) That 2021-22 team now looks more impressive upon deeper dive reflections.
Conclusion
Verbeek has his version of what is successful and it looks very biased. If Verbeek does bring back Cronin, which is what Verbeek is intimating, then...
And should the team falter next season, then Verbeek needs to go along with Cronin.
All Mighty
Registered User
Offer sheets are obviously rare, but here is a good candidate with how tight money will be for Dallas. Anything above $4.58M would require a 1st. It's probably smarter for us to focus on more proven players, but Bourque could be an interesting option.
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FlyingV09
Registered User
I can appreciate Verbeek’s optimism in this group but the reality is this team has pretty much sunk its chances this year. We lost to two bottom dwellers in Buffalo and Chicago and then to Vancouver and St Louis who we’re fighting with for that playoff spot. It was fun to think we were in the race but it was short lived.
I do think this team, at times, has looked greatly improved to last year, and some of the young kids are showing signs of development in the last half of the season. Verbeek touched on the special teams and scoring as two areas in need of improvement, and if he can give these guys some help there whether it be by coaching or free agents, then I think there will be a lot to look forward to next year.
I do think this team, at times, has looked greatly improved to last year, and some of the young kids are showing signs of development in the last half of the season. Verbeek touched on the special teams and scoring as two areas in need of improvement, and if he can give these guys some help there whether it be by coaching or free agents, then I think there will be a lot to look forward to next year.
robbieboy3686
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- Jan 17, 2016
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robbieboy3686
Registered User
- Jan 17, 2016
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Best thing that can happen to us, is to keep losing to assure that Cronin is fired alongside the other coaches.
I think it'll be tough for Pat to bring in a really interesting younger forward but i could be wrong. One of the dmen would have to be moved for sure. He may have to turn to somebody like Rakell, i don't love his contract but it's not horrible and I don't think we'll be having any issues with the cap.
I just think it might be difficult to bring in a truly compelling forward.
I just think it might be difficult to bring in a truly compelling forward.
AngelDuck
Rak 'em up
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Our “4th line” cast of characters this year has mainly consisted of Lundestrom, Leason, Harkins, and Johnston this year
They have a combined 12 goals in a combined 197 games
That’s comically bad and has to be an area we look to get more production out of
If we’re not going to have any superstars, the depth scoring has to be better
They have a combined 12 goals in a combined 197 games
That’s comically bad and has to be an area we look to get more production out of
If we’re not going to have any superstars, the depth scoring has to be better
I knew it had to be low but man that is awful. Part of why our GF is always amongst the least in the league as well.
Dr Johnny Fever
RIP Grizzly 399
Firequacker
used wall of text! It's not very effective...
- Jun 3, 2022
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Genuinely though, how much of that is related to the entire team's offense being comically bad?
Lundestrom (yes even the guy who already can't do offense is snakebit) and Leason are shooting pretty far below their career percentages this season. Harkins is also pretty low, though he's roughly in line with his career percentage. (Johnston has the best percentage of the four but I don't think his one goal on nine shots is a big argument in his favor.) Other than him though, by fourth line standards they are generating some stuff, just not finishing. It's one thing if it's just them, but this has been a common complaint about a lot more than the fourth line this season, under a coach who explicitly thinks offense is a thing that "will just happen." So there's that.
There's also McGinn, the one guy who was shooting about on pace with where you'd expect him to be. His finishing is presumably not relevant going forward, but his goals probably are relevant to the playmaking ability of his linemates. If you include him, the fourth liners have provided 16 of the team's 162 goals. (If anyone wants to be real depressed, the power play has provided 21.) In any case, getting nearly 10% of your goals from your fourth liners doesn't sound that unreasonable to me? Are there expected splits on that?
Like I'm not saying there are no improvements to be made on the fourth line, obviously there are. (Even now they could probably be improved just by keeping Colangelo up and putting Fabbri at 4LW when/if he comes back, or bringing up Nesterenko if the Gulls' playoff run fizzles. I like Harkins' motor but there's probably not much more production to get out of him. And firing Johnston into the sun would be a general improvement.) But I do think they're getting an outsized amount of grief recently, and likely suffering from the same coaching issues as everyone else.
Reveille1984
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- Dec 3, 2014
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Yeah, we barely have one player in the top 100 in scoring (Terry at 87) and only two in the top 150 (Vatrano at 133), yet the only thing keeping us out of contention is special teams.... okay there bud. Our entire offensive system is absolutely awful and we can barely string together a few passes or get through the neutral zone without a meltdown or odd man rush coming the other way.
I get that most of what he's saying is probably lip service and there's no way he can believe most of this stuff, but it is still pretty laughable.
I may have missed it, but I haven't seen anyone mention that the ducks did not use their final retention slot. Just a wasted asset - not for the first time.
Firequacker
used wall of text! It's not very effective...
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Yeah, special teams might (somehow) be the thing standing between us and a wild card spot right now, but certainly not the only thing keeping us from being a genuinely competitive team. If he actually believes we've made great strides at 5v5 I am... concerned. To put it mildly.
robbieboy3686
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Guess not. I remember him always being out phyisicalled by a large magain in the getzlaf and Kesler days
