Anaheim Ducks

Rumors and Speculation: The Lifeblood of Draft Weekend

I can almost hear Gary Bettman’s eternally optimistic voice, completely devoid of all personality, addressing nervous eighteen-year-olds, the men who are about to change their lives, and the throngs of hockey mad Montrealers waiting to sanctify, glorify and vilify them as they come of age.  The commissioner is telling them how wonderful it is to see the future of the sport represented in a city so steeped in hockey history and tradition, and he is right, The boys in that room will go on to live their life long dreams and ambitions, some for only fleeting moments and others for decades However, in Anaheim the future is more imminent.  After a heartbreaking end to the season the Ducks seem only a few key pieces away from returning to the glory of 2007.  As such, one has to imagine that Bob Murray will mostly focus on trades and free agency while keeping his eye on the long term interests of the club. 

Obviously the direction of the team hinges on Scott Niedermayer’s decision.  If he retires or signs with another team come July 1st, the Ducks instantly become a different team; his combination of leadership, defensive genius and offensive contributions are simply irreplaceable.  Not only will they still need scoring depth up front, but they will have lost the cornerstone of the best defense in hockey.  In either of those cases there are almost limitless options for the management team, on the other hand, if he should return the need is simple, secondary scoring, but the means of filling it are very interesting. 

Trade rumors in Anaheim always begin with Chris Pronger as is evidenced by the erroneous and ridiculous reports of Pronger to the KIngs for Jack Johnson and tomorrow’s #5 pick.  Still it is a possibility that the big defenseman could be shipped out at a high price.  Yesterday, ESPN’s Scott Burnside suggested the possibility of Pronger going back to St. Louis for one of the Blues’ many young offensive prospects, and a while back my idol John Buccigross brought up the fantasy trade of Philadelphia’s Simon Gagne for Pronger.  Of course it is hard to imagine Murray doing anything with Chris Pronger without official word from Scotty. 

The other topic of discussion around the hotstoves involving Anaheim is JS Giguere.  The discussion is almost inevitable due to the emergence of Jonas Hiller combined with Jiggy’s salary.  It makes business sense to deal Giguere for picks and/or prospects.  That was one of the most difficult sentences I have ever written, mostly due to the nostalgic, emotional connection between a die hard fan and a franchise player, but also because I agree with Bob Murray’s assertion that Jiggy will have a bounce back year in 2009/10.  As difficult as it might be to part with a Conn Smythe winner and a Stanley Cup Champion, the move would keep Anaheim’s stellar defense together (with the probable exception of Francois Beauchemin) and make room to bring in a top six forward via free agency (Cammalleri, Lang, Sullivan, Knuble?).  The logistical difficulty in dealing him is his $6 million cap hit and no-trade agreement.  Something tells me, however that a move to Toronto might be a possibility.  After all, Brian Burke did sign Jiggy to that contract two years ago, and just brought in goaltending coach Francois Allaire, who just so happened to be Jiggy’s personal guru for the past 9 years, not to mention the time he spent in Allaire’s summer goaltending camps as a youngster, and the ever present proximity to family Toronto provides.  Also in desperate need of a goalie to build around is Colorado, however most projections keep them at the bottom of the league for several years to come so getting Jiggy to waive his no-trade clause is more of a stretch.  Based on his comments at the annual select-a-seat and on XM’s NHL Live, Murray doesn’t seem to like the idea of trading for cap room (see: Andy McDonald) and would like to stay with the ”1A and 1B” goaltending situation, but It may be his best option. 

While the speculation is fun and the suspense is excruciating, the answers to these questions and much, much more will all be revealed within the next few days.  Happy Draft Day, everybody.