Anaheim Ducks Media

[Hockey Duckie]

I don't think Verbeek was a fan of Drysdale the player. I just don't think his hockey sense was where he wanted/needed it to be. On top of that, Pat wants bigger dmen and unless you have the sense to make up for size (Zell), you probably aren't a fit in his eyes. It's tough because Jamie seems like a great guy, but his offensive prospects look a bit bleak.

I don't know how Verbeek can judge Drysdale's hockey sense since he's only been on the ice for 10 NHL games with the Ducks. Drysdale seems to be made out of glass would be the only conclusion, but then again Verbeek wasn't able to sign Drysdale before training camp - which lead to Drysdale's injury/injuries. That core injury plagued Drysdale all season and he incurred that in his first Ducks game of the 2023-24 season.

 

[Hey234]

I don't know how Verbeek can judge Drysdale's hockey sense since he's only been on the ice for 10 NHL games with the Ducks. Drysdale seems to be made out of glass would be the only conclusion, but then again Verbeek wasn't able to sign Drysdale before training camp - which lead to Drysdale's injury/injuries. That core injury plagued Drysdale all season and he incurred that in his first Ducks game of the 2023-24 season.

I agree. Drysdale was injured for most of PV's time as GM. IMO, Drysdale became available in PV's mind because of his current, past, and possibly future injury issues. He was waiting for an opportunity and then he heard about Gauthier.

 

[Mr Rogers]

I don't know how Verbeek can judge Drysdale's hockey sense since he's only been on the ice for 10 NHL games with the Ducks. Drysdale seems to be made out of glass would be the only conclusion, but then again Verbeek wasn't able to sign Drysdale before training camp - which lead to Drysdale's injury/injuries. That core injury plagued Drysdale all season and he incurred that in his first Ducks game of the 2023-24 season.

He absolutely would've had opportunities to assess that although obviously not as many as he would've if he were healthier. Also because of his background, Verbeek has very likely been watching Drysdale for several years. To say he was only available/expendable because of his injury issues is IMO not the whole story.

 

[ScarTroy]

I don't know how Verbeek can judge Drysdale's hockey sense since he's only been on the ice for 10 NHL games with the Ducks. Drysdale seems to be made out of glass would be the only conclusion, but then again Verbeek wasn't able to sign Drysdale before training camp - which lead to Drysdale's injury/injuries. That core injury plagued Drysdale all season and he incurred that in his first Ducks game of the 2023-24 season.

Wasn’t Verbeek here for like half of the 21-22 season where Drysdale played all but 1 game? That would be plenty to judge hockey sense, however, it wouldn’t necessarily be fair to judge Drysdales hockey sense based on his rookie season.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Wasn’t Verbeek here for like half of the 21-22 season where Drysdale played all but 1 game? That would be plenty to judge hockey sense, however, it wouldn’t necessarily be fair to judge Drysdales hockey sense based on his rookie season.

Ahhh... you're correct about having watched Drysdale for half a season. Although, Verbeek also watched Lindholm for half a season. Guess half a season wasn't enough for Verbeek to truly commit.

Verbeek also is in charge of prospects too. He didn't know much about Hinds until the 2022 rookie tourney, where Hinds was offered an ELC.

Anyhow, after 2021-22, Verbeek has seen 18 games over the next two seasons, which isn't enough. Then tack on that Verbeek said we were deep at RD to trade away Drysdale, which we're not. And if you include LaCombe and/or Zell, then that also contradicts Verbeek wanting players to play on their natural side.

It's a whole lot of junk statements going without actual substance to prove it. The only thing we know is Drysdale is made out of glass. Zell was playing RD1 after the TDL last year and they're both similar players, except Drysdale is better defensively.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

This one is out now:

Don't usually listen but I'm swapping over to night shift so it gives me something to do tonight....These are the notes I got out of it, some of it might be off as it can be......difficult to follow Verbeek's train of thought so some of my interpretations may be off.

Just ordered as it came up in the interview, skipped over the non-Anaheim parts (there is some interesting talk about Verbeek's career in there though for people who are so inclined).

• Introduction
  • Thinks players today need to hear from the GM compared to players of yesteryear
  • Wanted to observe more then being hands on when he first became Anaheim GM
  • Was more involved with the team last year, and intends to be more involved with the team again this year
  • Feels comfortable where the depth of organisation is in terms of prospects and young guys starting to take steps
  • Sounds like he wants to share his experiences and advice with young players in the organisation this year
  • Talks about not being able to typically see player's day to day when you're scouting them, and the importance of trying to figure out what kind of player they are away from the rink
  • Wants the scouting staff to keep a close eye on players in this regard, as if things suddenly change presents an opportunity to acquire players through trade or draft
  • "There are some players in our organisation, even though I had an extensive background scouting them, watching them over the last three years, patience has taught me that patience is required". Further talks about players having a lightbulb moment and a couple of players in the organisation that have changed his mind since he started
  • Mentions several times about showing players where they want them to go and using comparables from his playing days
  • Mentions how tough amateur scouting is due to a lot more variable compared to pro scouting
• Sennecke
  • Has really high skill level
  • Has really high vision
  • Loves his hockey sense
  • Believes he hasn't caught up to his body strength wise in terms of his growth spurt
  • Has an edge to his game and can alter his game (physical, skill, speed) depending on the situation which Verbeek thinks is going to be hugely important for success in the playoffs
• Carlsson
  • Asked about last year's plan with Carlsson - met with sports science staff about implementing a plan to gain weight and muscle
  • Felt Carlsson was tired at development camp last year after his season finished late before going into combine, draft and development camp
  • Had worries about his testing in training camp and didn't want him to be overused and potentially get injured
  • Focus was on him taking games off to train rather then play day in day out
• McTavish
  • Excited for McTavish
  • Talks about how difficult it is to play centre now compared to his own playing days, game is faster
  • Had ups and downs over course of season
  • Learnt a lot about playing in his zone this past season and believes the game is starting to slow down for him
  • Loves his shot
  • Wants to see a grinding centreman who can grind and score goals, and believes McTavish has the game for that
  • Underrated passing game
• Depth
  • Really likes our depth at centre in the organisation
• Talks about his own experience breaking into the NHL with the Devils, and they drafted high a couple of years after that adding highly rated young players and how it took them a couple of years to develop into a better team and that's where he see's Anaheim right now
• Expects the young guys to take another step and believes the experience they are getting now will benefit Anaheim in two to three years time
• Leadership
  • Brought in experienced players like Killorn so the young players can pick up good habits and how to develop in the NHL on a day to day basis
  • Mentions how important Vatrano and Gudas are in terms of leadership
  • Specifically singles out Gudas as being great with the young players
• Believes the young players need to develop at the NHL level rather then the AHL level and work through having to play against quality top 4 defencemen and top 6 forwards
• Though just before this he mentions if some of our young players were on an outstanding good team, they'd be in the minors not the NHL level
• Mentions a few times about pushing hard at the gym and needing to develop more muscle and fill out their frames to be able to play their best games at the NHL level
• Again talks about the importance of weight training, and that it will help extend their careers at the NHL level
• Skating and skills can be further developed later
• Mentions it's a hard thing to get through to the young players (the importance of weight training compared to skill/skating training)
• Gauthier
  • Asked about if it was hard to keep the trade deal under wraps, knew Flyers were talking to other teams before deal was completed
  • Talks about being able to trade Drysdale as Anaheim have some really good young right hand defencemen coming, which allowed him to add an important piece upfront
  • Refers to Drysdale as a really good young player
  • Spoke to Gauthier regarding his comments in the ESPN pre-game interview, says they had a "really good talk about it" and Gauthier understands now
• 2.17 to roughly 2.40 talk about Verbeek's career
• 2.40 random stuff about what Verbeek does off the ice, apparently likes to pheasant hunt
• 2.45 talks about his thumb injury in the 80's and how it nearly ended his career

It's funny reading this from Verbeek about the NHL level is the developmental level. A year ago, Verbeek preached patience...

Ducks GM preaches patience, won't rush prospects | NHL.com

Verbeek will allow time for Carlsson, others to grow before promoting to NHL

www.nhl.com

 

[ScarTroy]

Ahhh... you're correct about having watched Drysdale for half a season. Although, Verbeek also watched Lindholm for half a season. Guess half a season wasn't enough for Verbeek to truly commit.

Verbeek also is in charge of prospects too. He didn't know much about Hinds until the 2022 rookie tourney, where Hinds was offered an ELC.

Anyhow, after 2021-22, Verbeek has seen 18 games over the next two seasons, which isn't enough. Then tack on that Verbeek said we were deep at RD to trade away Drysdale, which we're not. And if you include LaCombe and/or Zell, then that also contradicts Verbeek wanting players to play on their natural side.

It's a whole lot of junk statements going without actual substance to prove it. The only thing we know is Drysdale is made out of glass. Zell was playing RD1 after the TDL last year and they're both similar players, except Drysdale is better defensively.

I definitely agree we were never strong enough at RD to trade away Drysdale, such an odd statement even if we assume Luneau hits which is still a mystery. Not sure what Verbeek was thinking saying that. I was higher on Drysdale than probably most around here, but I still think it was a solid trade to make and glad he did it.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Thought he meant that if the Ducks were good, the ducklings would be in San Diego?

You might be right, it could be either one. But then it’s just the inverse admission - they’d be developing in the minors if the Ducks were any good, but they’re not, so NHL it is.

 

[Mr Rogers]

Ahhh... you're correct about having watched Drysdale for half a season. Although, Verbeek also watched Lindholm for half a season. Guess half a season wasn't enough for Verbeek to truly commit.

Verbeek also is in charge of prospects too. He didn't know much about Hinds until the 2022 rookie tourney, where Hinds was offered an ELC.

Anyhow, after 2021-22, Verbeek has seen 18 games over the next two seasons, which isn't enough. Then tack on that Verbeek said we were deep at RD to trade away Drysdale, which we're not. And if you include LaCombe and/or Zell, then that also contradicts Verbeek wanting players to play on their natural side.

It's a whole lot of junk statements going without actual substance to prove it. The only thing we know is Drysdale is made out of glass. Zell was playing RD1 after the TDL last year and they're both similar players, except Drysdale is better defensively.

well at the same time there’s no substance behind it have been injury-related lol. You’re making it sound like there’s no other valid rationale except for that lol

And verbeek would’ve 100% have had plenty of time both before and after his hiring to observe his play. If he had no opinion of his hockey sense it’d go against everything he’s said about how passionate he is about scouting young players and honestly I’d be pretty worried if he had no assessment of it already.

In reality there’s probably multiple factors but I don’t think a few injuries at such a young age is on its own reason enough to let go of a promising young player

 

[GreatBear]

I have trouble believing anything that Verbeek says unless it is double checked against reality. That is not to say that Verbeek is wrong if he changes his mind about something. He is not locked into his first opinion. But if he does that he should explain that he changed his mind.

 

[Reveille1984]

I think most agree that the Cutter trade was a net positive.

Verbeek's opinion (public one anyways) as to our depth at RD doesn't make any sense though. Not sure why he can't just say "it was a good hockey trade for us and we think Gauthier fills a need".

 

[Kalv]

Well, we do have Luneau, Warren, Moore. Not great but it's somewhat solid if all goes well

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Well, we do have Luneau, Warren, Moore. Not great but it's somewhat solid if all goes well

Also, LaCombe, Zellweger, and Hinds are left shots who played exclusively RD in NCAA or juniors. LaCombe and Zell played RD at the NHL level. Hinds played some RD at the AHL level and in our last rookie game.

 

[Ducks DVM]

I think most agree that the Cutter trade was a net positive.

Verbeek's opinion (public one anyways) as to our depth at RD doesn't make any sense though. Not sure why he can't just say "it was a good hockey trade for us and we think Gauthier fills a need".

I think most people feel Gauthier for Drysdale is fine. If we finish bottom 3 again, whoever that high 2nd winds up being will need to be entered into the equation, however.

It’s very premature to be saying much of anything about who won the trade IMO. Gauthier hasn’t actually proven anything yet.

 

[Mr Rogers]

Idk why I just feel like Zegs is gonna have a big year. He seemed really at ease and eager to get back to business in that interview with Alexis.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Idk why I just feel like Zegs is gonna have a big year. He seemed really at ease and eager to get back to business in that interview with Alexis.

For sure, especially when he's under contract and will be able to participate for training camp this time around. As for a big year, I'd be fine if he went back to his 60 point + production again.

 

[ZegrassyKnoll]

Idk why I just feel like Zegs is gonna have a big year. He seemed really at ease and eager to get back to business in that interview with Alexis.

I think it's because he's a big player. He probably would have had a big year last year if he didn't miss so much of it.

 

[Rasp]

Zegras is 23 so its time for him to step up and become a star or he will end up as just another skill guy who didnt live up to expectations. After last year he will be hungry to perform

 

[Anaheim4ever]

I think most people feel Gauthier for Drysdale is fine. If we finish bottom 3 again, whoever that high 2nd winds up being will need to be entered into the equation, however.

It’s very premature to be saying much of anything about who won the trade IMO. Gauthier hasn’t actually proven anything yet.

True but at the same time if the Ducks still had that high 2nd round pick there is no guarentee Madden doesn't throw it away on another Tracey/Steel/Jones/Perreault/Holland/Etem/Nattinen that doesn't pan out or passes on high end talent for a role player (Gaucher over Snuggy and Myatovic over the other players who were still there at his draft position). Philly probably has a different player in mind to draft with that pick than the Ducks, so whoever Philly drafts there is no guarentee the Ducks would pick him too.

However there is several big RD in the late 1st to 2nd round of 2025 that I think Madden could use the pick on. Some of the guys expected to go 2nd round that are RD could end up being late 1sts.
If they move Vatrano at the deadline they could get a late 1st to use on one of those RD.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

I don't think Verbeek was a fan of Drysdale the player. I just don't think his hockey sense was where he wanted/needed it to be. On top of that, Pat wants bigger dmen and unless you have the sense to make up for size (Zell), you probably aren't a fit in his eyes. It's tough because Jamie seems like a great guy, but his offensive prospects look a bit bleak.

Yeah Mintyukov and Zellweger have more hockey sense than Drysdale. Just doesn't feel like he was gonna live up to being a core piece. It seems like in every team that has gone thru a rebuild there is that one high pick who doesn't live up to it, for the Ducks it seems to be Drysdale.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Yeah Mintyukov and Zellweger have more hockey sense than Drysdale. Just doesn't feel like he was gonna live up to being a core piece. It seems like in every team that has gone thru a rebuild there is that one high pick who doesn't live up to it, for the Ducks it seems to be Drysdale.

I think it's too early to tell for Drysdale. Drysdale did win AHL rookie of the month during the shortened COVID season and only spent like half the season in the AHL for his D+1 season. Drysdale played RD1 in 81 NHL games for his D+2 season, scoring 32 points and a -26 rating. (61 games with Lindholm: 25 pts, 0.41 ppg, and -18 rating; 20 games with Fowler: 7 pts, 0.35 ppg, and -8 rating.) Minty played 63 NHL games as LD3/LD2 in his D+2 season, scoring 28 points and -20 rating. Zellweger made the pros (AHL/NHL) in his D+3 season and played 22 NHL games as RD1 with 8 points, but also -8 rating.

It appears Drysdale was ahead of Minty and Zell, but injuries have stalled his play for the past two seasons.

As for a player who was thought of as a core piece that bombed during a rebuild, then that would be Comtois.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

I think it's too early to tell for Drysdale. Drysdale did win AHL rookie of the month during the shortened COVID season and only spent like half the season in the AHL for his D+1 season. Drysdale played RD1 in 81 NHL games for his D+2 season, scoring 32 points and a -26 rating. (61 games with Lindholm: 25 pts, 0.41 ppg, and -18 rating; 20 games with Fowler: 7 pts, 0.35 ppg, and -8 rating.) Minty played 63 NHL games as LD3/LD2 in his D+2 season, scoring 28 points and -20 rating. Zellweger made the pros (AHL/NHL) in his D+3 season and played 22 NHL games as RD1 with 8 points, but also -8 rating.

It appears Drysdale was ahead of Minty and Zell, but injuries have stalled his play for the past two seasons.

As for a player who was thought of as a core piece that bombed during a rebuild, then that would be Comtois.

At least Comtois wasn't a high draft pick.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

At least Comtois wasn't a high draft pick.

We went from core to "high draft pick", a sign of Moving the Goal Post. I got a response for "high draft pick" moving goal post is Nick Ritchie.

 

[Reveille1984]

I think most people feel Gauthier for Drysdale is fine. If we finish bottom 3 again, whoever that high 2nd winds up being will need to be entered into the equation, however.

It’s very premature to be saying much of anything about who won the trade IMO. Gauthier hasn’t actually proven anything yet.

Very true. IMHO Cutter has a little more upside in terms of long term value to our rebuild, mainly due to his combo of size and high end shot that are severely lacking in our system. We need more high end players that can push some weight around when needed.

I guess I don't value the draft pick as much as some, even if it's a high 2nd. The chance of that pick becoming a high end NHL player is so low and so far away that it's worth the toss in.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Very true. IMHO Cutter has a little more upside in terms of long term value to our rebuild, mainly due to his combo of size and high end shot that are severely lacking in our system. We need more high end players that can push some weight around when needed.

I guess I don't value the draft pick as much as some, even if it's a high 2nd. The chance of that pick becoming a high end NHL player is so low and so far away that it's worth the toss in.

People are looking for NHL'ers with 2nd round picks, not high end NHL'ers. Of course, there are some exceptions, but the ability to grab a top-4D or middle-6 forward has tremendous value to a team, especially when thinking about NHL depth.

We seem to be quite good at drafting d-men and goalies in the 2nd round. Here are a few drafted in the 2nd round: G Gibson in 2011, C Karlsson in 2011, LD Pettersson in 2014, RD Montour in 2014, LD LaCombe in 2019, LD Zellweger in 2021, RD Luneau in 2022, and Clara in 2023. Gibby was a star for a while. We've traded some d-men drafted for NHL forwards. For example, b/c the Ducks were good at drafting defensemen that they were able to package away other d-men in the Kesler trade. Vatanen, a 4th round pick, helped net us top-6F Rico. Currently, LaCombe, Zellweger, and Luneau are filling up or going to fill up our NHL roster.

The point is to have as many darts as possible b/c the draft after the top-10 it is a lottery. The further away from the top-10, the worse the chances of hitting an NHL player becomes. A high 2nd round pick has tremendous value. In this past draft, we selected Pettersson #35 in the 2nd round, but I really wanted RD Badinka. Badindka went one pick ahead of us. You know the Ducks and drafting defensemen are a thing.

As for acquiring Cutter, Verbeek seems to be loading up the forward group. We have five top-10 drafted forwards (Z, Mac, Cutter, Carlsson, and Sennecke) to only one top-10 drafted defensemen (Minty). I have no idea if this will pan out, but I'll cheer on success b/c that is what fans do.