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Game #58 – Ducks vs. Hawks Q&A: Jen Neale, The Only OC Resident We Know… And Want To Know

By Sam Fels February 15, 2018 1798 0

Jen Neale is formerly of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog, and now works in Esports but still follows the Ducks religiously. And quite frankly, we don’t need more than one Ducks fan in our lives.

The Ducks have had their injury problems, but are kind of floating in the netherworld below the playoffs and all the metrics suggest that’s about right. Is this where this team should be?

Yes, I would say so. John Gibson is epically average – as I’ve insisted for years. Randy Carlyle is who we thought he was, Mr. Dump ‘n Chase. Kesler is playing at 60% after offseason hip surgery. The Ducks are lucky the rest of the Pacific (sans Vegas) is a dumpster fire or they’d be worse off.

Rickard Rakell is having another big season, though accumulating a fair amount on the power play. Is he or will he be a premier even-strength scorer?

The kid is magical. It depends on if he can stay healthy and who he plays with. Keep him with Getzlaf and he probably starts getting more even strength goals. Lord knows Getzlaf won’t shoot and Perry couldn’t put a beach ball in the net.

Corey Perry has 11 goals so far after 19 last year. Is he D-O-N-E?

He certainly appears to have stopped stealing souls or drinking the blood of sacrificed animals in order to gain his talent. He’s still doing Corey Perry things on the ice, but the scoring isn’t there. I don’t think he’s done-done, but he’s not scoring 25 goals anymore. Dude doesn’t even play in OT because he’s too slow. When Getzlaf is out-skating you, you got a problem.

On the flip side, we’ve been trying to make a Norris case for Hampus Lindholm even if he doesn’t have the points. That good?

So, so good. He embodies what the Norris Trophy should be rewarded for. The sad part is he plays out West and won’t score a ton of points so he won’t get the attention he deserves. His shot is getting better so maybe one day he’ll get a Norris (for points).

Where is this Ducks team headed in the next couple years?

Hear that creaking sound? That’s the window closing. Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler are signed until the end of time, and they’re clearly on the downside of their careers. Around them are a lot of young, but good parts. If Patrick Eaves never plays again, I’d hope the Ducks could keep Adam Henrique with that money. He’s been a revelation.

I’m mostly concerned with what Bob Murray does when Gibson’s contract is up after next season. He’ll be an RFA and Murray looooooves him. I don’t want the Ducks money tied up in an average goalie for a long time. They’ve already done they with three forwards. It’s only going to make future success by the team damn near impossible. (I still miss Freddie Anderson.)

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Game #58 – Ducks vs. Hawks Douchebag Du Jour: Take A Long Look At Randy

By Sam Fels February 15, 2018 1856 0

All it takes is one Cup. Even if that season you got to toss Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger over the boards for 45 minutes of every 60. That’s how Randy Carlyle has managed to duck the reputation of a moron, even though we all saw him fail to make toast in Toronto.

When the Ducks originally fired Carlyle, it was because he took that Cup-winning roster and managed to win just one more playoff round in the next four seasons, getting fired in the fifth. His hard-ass ways had turned off Perry and Getzlaf, and the affable Bruce Boudreau was seen as the necessary gear change.

So it’s hilariously short-sighted, or unoriginal, that when it came time to replace Boudreau the only name GM Bob Murray thought of, “The guy we fired for this guy.” It’s so hockey. What other sport has retreads like this since the Yankees did it with Billy Martin?

Carlyle and his supporters, basically Pierre McGuire, would point to last year’s conference final appearance as proof it was the right move. Except they needed an utter miracle to not lose to the heavily flawed Edmonton Oilers in the second round after getting a sweetheart draw by playing the dogshit Flames in the first. Getting to be in a weak division saved him. It probably won’t this year.

Carlyle would point to the amount of injuries the Ducks have suffered, but that doesn’t make up for the Ducks not having an area you can say they do well. They’re a bad possession team, bad defensively, and only have John Gibson to thank for not being marooned at the bottom. Carlyle has watched Cory Perry turn to silly putty of course, and Getzlaf hasn’t really cared beyond assists from the outside in like four years.

Still, with Fowler, Lindholm Manson, and Montour, this team could get up and go if he were so inclined. Instead Kevin “Guess What I Just Swallowed?” Bieksa is on the second pairing. They still worry about “getting on the body.”

But whatever, Anaheim sucking along with the Hawks is just fine with us.

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Game #23 – Ducks vs. Hawks: Spotlight – Even Asshats Get Old

By Sam Fels November 27, 2017 2189 0

There aren’t going to be many tears shed outside of Anaheim if Corey Perry is indeed on his decline. At the age of 32, he certainly is at the back of his peak at best. Perry’s on-ice habits, politely described as “ludicrously assholic,” combined with regularly scoring tons of goals haven’t won him many friends who don’t support the….well, whatever the fuck colors the Ducks claim to be other than black. Whatever they are, they look like shit-assed Running Man outfits. So there will be a large crowd waiting to have a good, soul-defining chuckle if Perry is going to be something of an anchor heading out from here. And given his mobility these days, anchors might take that personally.

Perry has only four goals this season, putting him on pace for 16 for the year. This follows a season in which Perry notched just 19 goals, the first time he didn’t mange 20 in ten seasons. Much as the Hawks saw with Marian Hossa for a few years, there’s been a decline in Perry’s shooting-percentage. The path has been 17.1%, 15.8%, 8.8%, and this year’s 8.2%. Of course, there is plenty of time for that to rebound this season, but the pattern is clear.

What has some eyebrows being raised in Orange County, at least the ones that aren’t drawn in and for those who are still able to actually manipulate the muscles in their face, is that Perry isn’t getting anywhere near the attempts he’s used to. He’s only managing 11.4 attempts per 60 minutes, which is down from 14.7 last year and the fifth consecutive season that number had dropped.

All of that adds up to Perry not getting the quality of chances as often as what made him one of the league’s most dangerous snipers. He’s individual expected goals per 60 is 0.5, a career-low by some margin. As you might imagine, Perry’s possession numbers have gone into the toilet along with his scoring metrics. Then again, everything is in the toilet with Perry as that’s his “special place.”

Clearly, Perry has struggled without Ryan Getzlaf, only totaling 60 minutes together so far this season. As we all know, living without your soulmate is tough, even if the higher connection is between two demented lizards like these two. With Getzlaf so far this season Perry’s possession numbers are almost break-even, which on this current iteration of the Ducks would be pretty high, as the Ducks can’t find their dicks with both hands at the moment. Perry is probably trying to heal Getzlaf’s broken face with his own hands, coming up with whatever eye-of-newt stew he has in the cauldron in the basement of the abandoned construction site he assuredly lives in.

Being 32 doesn’t mean it’s over, of course. Jarome Iginla, whose style Perry’s closely resembles in some ways, had three 30+ goal-seasons after the age of 32. Hossa managed a 30-goal season, a 29-goal one, and 26 last year after the age of 32. But what does appear to be clear is that Perry is going to need a playmaker of Getzlaf’s level to open him up, as he doesn’t quite get to the spots in the same way that he used to.

Perry is signed for three more years after this one, at a hit of $8.6 per season. Even if the Ducks hit the button on a rebuild after this season, no one’s going to rush to take that number unless Perry proves he’s going to have a revival in the sunset. The Ducks only have 10 skaters signed beyond this season, and Silfverberg is UFA after next season. There are going to be some hard decisions coming for GM Bob Murray.

Still, if the Ducks were to eat a portion of Perry’s salary and were determined to start over, Perry can probably still provide second-line scoring for three or four more years. That might be valuable enough to get someone to bite. But the Ducks aren’t there yet. They just might get there sooner than they thought.

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Game #23 – Ducks vs. Hawks: Q&A With Jen Neale

By Sam Fels November 27, 2017 2057 0

Our friend Jen has been our Ducks outlet for more years than she’d probably like to remember. She’s a former contributor to Puck Daddy as well, but is much more pleasant than Wyshynsky. You can follow her on Twitter @MsJenNeale.

Been something of a rough start for the Ducks, but Getzlaf, Kesler, Vatanen, Fowler, and Eaves have all missed some or a lot of time. Are the injuries solely to blame or is there more to it?

You’re forgetting Lindholm, Rakell, Ryan Miller, and Ondrej Kase, too. It’s an entire starting lineup worth of injuries.

I don’t like the ‘injury excuse’ because every team goes through it, but seriously, it’s like The Walking Dead around here. However, I’m surprised the Ducks aren’t worse than they are.

As much as I am loathed to admit it, John Gibson has played pretty well more often than not. He’s facing upwards of 30+ shots a night, and kept them in it when they really shouldn’t be.

Corey Perry – four goals. Coming off a year where he only netted 19, is there some fear this is the great descent for him?

What I found fascinating is coming into camp Perry refused to answer any questions about last season. Maybe being a new dad threw him off his game (a la Getzlaf when he had his first kiddo).

With Getzlaf out of the lineup, Perry has taken over as the guy who passes all the time. He has 13 assists, but honestly, I’d rather see him score goals.

I am afraid this might be the beginning of a descent. Carlyle won’t even play him in OT because he’s so slow and his puck possession is terrible.

Because of all the injuries, the Ducks have had to lean on a fair amount of kids and call-ups. Are any of them worth paying attention to long-term?

I really like Kalle Kossila. He was just recalled with the injury to Rakell. He has the potential to be as dynamic as the player he’s replacing. The problem is he makes one mistake and Carlyle puts him on the fourth line playing three minutes a night. He scored a “Michigander” goal for the Gulls last year. Google that shit.

The other kid to watch is Jaycob “Liquid Hot” Megna – if you want to feel old, he didn’t get that reference at first. He’s back in San Diego (for now), but he’ll eventually be another strong blueliner for the club.

The Ducks have only 10 skaters signed for next year. If they don’t turn things around somewhat soon, is there a sense they might start shipping off some of their impending free agents?

To be honest, I’m not sure. Bob Murray’s decisions from his perch atop Mount Doom remain secret. Although we’re reaching the time near the Christmas break where he rips the team a new one and they wake up. It’s tradition. Not sure how he can temper that message given the vets he usually rips are all injured.

My main concern is the contract of Andrew Cogliano. He has yet to sign a new deal, and it doesn’t sound like one is close. I can’t emphasize enough how important he is to the team. That being said, he’ll probably be on the Hawks by the end of the season (ohpleaseohpleaseohplease – ED).

Given that situation, do the Ducks feel that this might be the last go with this particular group?

I believe they have two more years as a group before they’re completely irrelevant.

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