Well, here we are, back at it again. Deja vu at its finest. The Anaheim Ducks are yet again sitting on the outside looking in at the rest of the playoffs unfolding after facing elimination to an opponent they were able to beat. Yet again, we as fans have the same, empty, pit-in-our-stomach feeling. Wondering what could have been if our players actually showed up to play. It really seems like only one player decided that these playoffs and winning were important to him. Only one player put forth his maximum effort each of those seven games against Nashville. To that, I say thank you, Ryan Kesler.
What about the other guys? The players who decided it was okay to show up with what seemed like 80% or even 70% effort? Well, GM Bob Murray definitely has his hands full.
The Ducks are currently sitting with a total of 6 unrestricted free agents and 5 restricted free agents. Those unrestricted free agents are LW David Perron, LW Jamie McGinn, C Shawn Horcoff, RW Chris Stewart, C Mike Santorelli and D Korbinian Holzer. The restricted free agents are C Rickard Rakell, D Hampus Lindholm, D Sami Vatanen, G Frederik Andersen and LW Brandon Pirri. Murray has $7,433,523 in cap space before any moves/signings/releases are made.
So, who do you lock down immediately? The Swedes. Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell are vital pieces to this team's future. With Rakell having a career season in 15-16 and Lindholm on pace to becoming one of the league's best two-way defensemen, these are two players that make Bob Murray into a fool if he does not bring them back.
For the other defenseman, Vatanen is a player that Murray can bring back to keep utilizing his powerplay presence and excellent shot, or he can use Vatanen as a potential key trade piece to acquire a good top 6 left winger. Vatanen is a player that a lot of teams would want. Quick and mobile PMD are highly desirable players in today's NHL and I am 100% certain Murray could finagle himself a nice return for Vatanen. Somebody like Detroit, Tampa Bay or Edmonton could possibly be destinations that could land Vatanen in a deal.
The goalie situation is where it gets tough. Bob Murray will have to make a decision between Frederik Andersen and John Gibson. Does he sign Andersen and trade Gibson, or does he roll with Gibson and let Andersen walk? These are all tough decisions, but frankly to this writer, I believe Murray should trade Gibson and resign Andersen. Gibson is projected to be an elite goaltender, but has proven to not be as good of a playoff performer as he is a regular season performer. Andersen has proven himself to be more reliable in all situations and he is the goaltender I believe Murray should stick with. The benefits of trading Gibson, resigning Andersen and reaping the results of a Gibson trade are far greater than letting Andersen go for nothing and rolling with Gibson. Andersen could be traded, but the return for Gibson would be far greater.
When it comes to the UFA's, it would be ideal to keep David Perron and Jamie McGinn over everyone, but it all depends on Bob Murray's moves with the RFA's, because those are the priorities before anything else. Keeping one of Perron or McGinn would be huge, and if somehow Murray can workout a way to keep both that would be even more incredible. Perron and McGinn both added huge sparks to the team, both scoring in their first appearances with the team. Perron's Corey Perry-like antagonization of the opponent and his scoring touch was a jolt that this team needed and it would be fantastic if we could retain him for next season. McGinn is a power-forward who contributed some depth scoring to the team. He was able to play on a couple different lines and seemed productive and useful in all situations former head coach Bruce Boudreau put him in.
When it comes to exploring the free agent market, it seems like Murray always finds someone he likes and brings them in. I do not have any idea who Bob Murray would have his eyes on, but he always seems to find somewhat helpful fits like Chris Stewart. In my opinion, this summer is going to be more about trades rather than free agents. There are key pieces that Anaheim has that other teams are craving, and we can use the returns from those trades to help build the team.
Murray has already made one move, and that was the dismissal of head coach Bruce Boudreau. The move came to no surprise, and we will see immediately if whatever coach Murray decides to bring in is fit for the job. Its kind of a crapshoot right now in the coaching market, with the Ducks being one year late for the Mike Babcock sweepstakes, a coach I think the Ducks should've been deep in the running for. The Boudreau firing is a step in the right direction to dig this team out of its game 7 underperforming doldrums. These next couple months will tell how the Ducks next few years will shape out. Whether Murray takes the reigns with full steam and goes all in, slowly builds it up. Whatever it may be, the roster needs a real kick in the pants. The not-showing-up in the postseason and when it matters needs to come to an end. No more excuses, no more BS.
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