HockeyIzCool

I'm a Killjoy? Have you seen the way our team has played the last 2 1/2 seasons? It's a dumpster fire within a dumpster fire. I realize you're a completely devoted fan whether the club is deep in the playoffs, contending for the Cup, or languishing in the depths of the league standings. But surely you see the difference between the players and depth we had 10-20 years ago and the ones we have now. It's like comparing Wayne Gretzky to a 4th line center on a minor league hockey club. There's only so much you can do with a roster made up mostly of subpar or mediocre players, along with a few others who won't play to their potential. There's really only so many line combos even a good coach can play with, before realizing it doesn't matter who you pair with one another, when there are so many that are just not that great to begin with. And I wouldn't even call Eakins a good coach, so there's that as well. Murray is not getting the job done, and hasn't for some time now. So it's also on the Samueli's, since they don't seem interested in either letting him go, or beyond that, apparently don't care about winning or having a team even remotely capable of contending for a Cup. I heard a lot about how great Gibson was, and how fortunate we were to have him. Well, if that's true, then he's wasting away, while year after year we fail to even qualify for the playoffs. Putting him out there night after night, and expecting a 1 or 2 goal performance in order to give us a decent shot of winning, is not going to help his trade value any. But of course, we're not going to trade him. He is probably one of the few decent players we have right now. But if the time did come we decided to try and move him, we're going to get less in return, thanks to the fact our "d" hangs him out to dry night after night.

When fans are able to return, it's going to be easy for the Ducks to maintain social distancing, since more than half the building will already be empty on a regular basis.

I realize it's part of the game, but I can't help but think how many years the money spent on guys like Kesler, Eaves and Perry set the Ducks back. It's taken away any possibility Getzlaf had of winning another Cup with the Ducks, before he retires. I shudder to think what will happen once he does retire, or worse, is traded away for prospects and/or picks, that won't bear fruit for many years into the future. Looking at the roster, I see nobody near the stature of a guy like Getzlaf. Perhaps the goalie, Gibson, although he has yet to prove himself by taking it to the next level. But in terms of Forwards or Defensemen, the cupboard is somewhat bare. Clearly we're in the midst of another season where the Goalies will need to stand on their heads, in order for the Ducks to have a good chance of winning games. And sure, a great goalie tandem on hot streaks, is enough to perhaps make the playoffs. Were that to happen for Anaheim, it will likely be by the slimmest of margins. And I don't know if Gibson could become the 2nd coming of Jiggy, come playoff time, because that is what it would take for a team with difficulty putting the puck in the net, to win come playoff time. I feel like the Ducks' future is not good, the longer they keep Murray as GM. It seems like the Samueli's have lost their passion for even building a team capable of winning another Cup for Anaheim. I can't escape the feeling that the Ducks are at the lowest point in the franchise's history. There have been some rough patches along the way, but there was always a sense of optimism. That they could tinker a couple of things here and there, with the result being a playoff team. Instead we've wasted millions on worthless contracts, and ownership takes the cheap way out when it comes to biting the bullet to go get a better GM, and hire an NHL Proven Head Coach. I almost feel as if Boudreau, with all his bad luck, was really the best we've had the past 15 or so seasons. Sure, Randy C. won us the Cup, but I think there are people on these boards that could have coached a team like we had in 2007, and won the Cup.

How did you get credit for the St Louis game, which was played prior to the shutdown.

So this probably increases our odds of getting the #1 pick. Although that didn't work out too well for the Red Wings last season.

I'll begin this season like I do every season. With an open mind. Perhaps there is something in the lineup I'm not seeing. Maybe some chemistry will develop in one or more lines, and we'll have more offense than expected. Perhaps the D will step up to another level, and even go beyond, by contributing to offensive output. Maybe in the shortened season, Gibson will stand on his head, and Miller will not get worn down by having to endure an 82 game schedule as the backup. But 2nd half comebacks like St Louis had, are hard to come by. I think we'll get a pretty good idea what the Ducks' prospects are, within the first few weeks. It won't be easy finishing in the Top 4, and this will not be a season to fall behind, and hope to catch up with a streak at the end. There's not enough runway, and the season will be over in a flash. It has NEVER been more important to start off strong, than it is this year. Heck, I'd even take some undeserved wins, or Giguere like performances from Gibson, to bank some points for us in January. It won't necessarily mean we're going to make the playoffs come May, but it will make the season more interesting, and afford us the opportunity of competing for one of the 4 spots.

I don't mind so much the ads on helmets This season. What I DO Mind is that the story above links to another article which indicates the helmet ads may be a Permanent thing. The League intends to monetize the helmets beyond the upcoming season. I doubt it will result in lower ticket prices, and is simply another way for the Owners to make money.

The National Hockey League and its players reached a tentative deal on Friday to hold a 56-game season in 2021 beginning Jan. 13, pending the approval of each side's executive board and Canadian health officials. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the sides have an agreement, pending the approval of various executive boards. The NHL Players' Association's board is meeting Friday night to discuss it, while the league's board of governors could vote on the plan as soon as this weekend. Approval from health officials in the five Canadian provinces that have teams is still needed before the NHL can go ahead with the season. Training camps for the seven teams who did not participate in last season's playoff bubbles would open Dec. 31, and camps would commence Jan. 3 for the other 24 teams. It's unclear whether teams would play in their home arenas or in "hub" cities, though an all-divisional schedule is expected. Exhibition games aren't expected to be included in the lead-up to the new campaign. Sportsnet in Canada first reported the tentative agreement. The NHL, like the NBA, finished its previous season in a quarantined bubble -- two of them, one each in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta. Commissioner Gary Bettman awarded the Stanley Cup to the Tampa Bay Lightning in late September in Edmonton, after they defeated the Dallas Stars. The league ran a qualifying round in those cities before the Eastern and Western conference playoffs began. Owners and players agreed to a long-term extension of the collective bargaining agreement before the 2019-20 season resumed, setting the table for financial ramifications of the pandemic. They agreed recently to stick to that deal, which includes players deferring 10% of salaries, a cap on money they pay into escrow and a flat, $81.5 million salary cap. The NHL follows the NBA in moving toward another regular season. The basketball season is scheduled to open Tuesday. One hurdle remaining is where the seven Canada-based teams will play. The original plan was to put them in the same division, though tougher pandemic restrictions north of the border put that into limbo this week. "The resumption of sports events in Canada must be undertaken in adherence to Canada's measures to mitigate the importation and spread of COVID-19," the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement Thursday night. "NHL teams and other professional sports must operate within the rules of their provincial jurisdictions for sports or sporting events." Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays played last season in Buffalo, New York, and the NBA's Toronto Raptors have relocated to Tampa, Florida, because of government prohibitions. The NHL so far has one American team that might need a new home: the San Jose Sharks, who play in California's Santa Clara County with a temporary ban on professional and collegiate team sports that has affected the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/30548553/nhl-players-association-reach-tentative-deal-56-game-season-begin-jan-13

WE HAVE A SEASON! NHL-NHLPA Tentatively Agree to 56-Game Season Published 2 hours ago on December 18, 2020 By Dan Kingerski The final details may be sketchy and even the location of the Canadian teams may be a work in progress, but the NHL and NHLPA have reached an agreement on a 56-game 2020-21 NHL season, according to multiple reports from Sportsnet and TSN, which are the NHL’s Canadian rights holders. The NHL season, of course, is pending approval by the NHLPA and the NHL Board of Governors. The sides have been wrangling for weeks in an attempt to figure out the logistics of a season, which both satisfied owners need to create sufficient revenues and the players’ desire to remain with their families. Additional Updates: The Penguins will play in the Atlantic Division with most of the Metro Division, minus Carolina and Columbus. Boston and Buffalo will take their place. Of course, this is pending the confirmation of the all-Canadian division. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the playoff format will take the top four teams from each division. No wild cards. As of writing, further details have not been released, including the fate of the all-Canadian division. On Friday afternoon, a team source apprised the Hockey Now network of one Canadian team owner who informed his staff that a temporary bubble for Canadian teams was possible. However, a high-level NHL source told the Hockey Now network Friday evening, teams will play in their home buildings, but did not provide additional details. “Yes,” was the simple response to the primary question if teams will play at home. Our source did not address the Canadian situation, other than to express confidence it will be resolved. The only firm detail as of Friday evening is a 56-game schedule. The NHLPA scheduled an 8 p.m. conference call to update members and approve the agreement. The NHL Board of Governors is expected to do the same this weekend. Various dates have been published over the past three weeks regarding a start date, but training camps for non-playoff teams could begin as soon as Dec. 29. Training camps for the 24 teams which participated in the postseason could open on Jan. 3. However, those dates are unconfirmed. As one of the new revenue streams to alleviate the heavy losses from a lack of fans being allowed to attend games will be ads on players’ helmets. The two sides are also expected to agree to that soon, according to the Sports Business Journal. As part of the ads on helmet deal, teams could sell separate ads for home and away games. The NHL also unveiled reverse retro jerseys last month The initial negotiations were strained as the NHL and NHLPA fought over economics. The NHL owners wanted to reconfigure the CBA agreement which the two sides signed in May. Owers wanted a greater escrow and salary deferral, but the NHLPA held firm. The owners dropped their demands and the season planning began about three weeks ago. For now, the good news is–We have a 2020-21 NHL season! Details TBD. https://pittsburghhockeynow.com/2020-21-nhl-season-nhlpa-tentatively-agree-56-game-season/

I don't think fans in CA will see hockey at all this season. I'd say there's a decent chance things will be well enough by November 2021, for people to attend indoor events. There may very well be limits on the # allowed though, and also restrictions requiring Proof Of Vaccination in order to attend.

Glad to see they have top notch officiating for the critical Stanley Cup Final games. Completely missed making what should have been a Penalty call on Perry as the 3rd Period was winding down, and instead made a call that shouldn't have been made during OT. I guess the OT penalty could be looked at as a make up call.

Yeah, another issue that will have to be negotiated between the players union and the owners. It was an easier proposition this year, since teams and players had incentive to hold playoffs and award the Cup. Otherwise it was a completely wasted 19-20 season. The NHL is not like Football, Baseball or even Basketball, in that it doesn't really have a lucrative TV contract. And I'm sure that contract is heavily sided towards playoff matches and their televising. So how could teams be able to pay players their full salaries, when those salaries were based on a full season's revenue, and also fans in attendance, which is 100% uncertain. And if it does happen, will be significantly limited for a period of time. Hockey won't have the same demand as football, where the NFL can get plenty of revenue from regular season TV deal with several major networks. So many uncertainties, but I'm extremely glad they were able to make the Canada bubbles work with no problems. They executed the resumption well, and now we'll get to see an actual Cup Finals.

I don't see any possible way that next season is normal. The league should be starting Training Camps this week. Instead they're still finishing the Conference Finals. They still have to work the scheduling for next season around the virus. They will probably nix all the inter-conference games as a start, and almost certainly cut the season length. Perhaps they'll shoot for something around 60 games, but again, that's dependent upon the virus situation. Putting fans in the seats is even less certain. At some point they might be allowed to let some fans attend in person, but probably not full rows and rows of people, so again, limited attendance, and proper spacing between each set of fans. Hopefully the outbreak won't still be so bad that they have to consider bubbles again, but that very well could happen as well. They'll have to see how spread and testing is going once they're getting ready to make their plans.

Tuukka Rask Opts Out of the Playoffs for Boston.

Anaheim Ducks' Ryan Getzlaf selling O.C. mansion with mini ice rink for $10.8 million https://sports.yahoo.com/anaheim-ducks-ryan-getzlaf-selling-193307342.html I hope he's simply moving somewhere else in the O.C., and is not about to be traded. He only bought the place 2 years ago.

Was hoping for Winnipeg or Florida. Rangers don't exactly need a draw to get fans or sell tickets, whenever that occurs again. They have deep pockets, so if he turns into something special, he won't be going anywhere. Like a Crosby or Ovechkin. They can pay what it will take to lock him up long term. But at least then he wouldn't be in the West, and Ducks would face them 2 times max per season.

Though not necessarily completely his fault, most GM's would be fired given the amount of $$$$$$$$$$$ lost on Eaves, Kesler & Perry, but not our Bob.

Niedermayer, Selanne, Pronger, Getzlaf, Perry, Kunitz.....all on the same roster, and all will eventually be in the Hall Of Fame. I'm not sure we'll see another Ducks lineup like that again in our lifetimes.

Isn't that pretty much how it would have been during a regular season? I thought you're able to fall a total of 3 slots, or able to move up 3 slots. But the rules always confuse me. Ottawa may get a couple of top 6 picks, but they'll still suck. How many good years have they had in the last 30 other than the one where the Ducks walked all over them?

Very detailed article about what happens next. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29220890/the-nhl-coronavirus-pause-playoff-format-means-all-31-teams-updates-testing-more

Announcement at 1:30 today about the resumption of NHL play.

The Ducks haven't had a superstar player who spent his entire career with the club. Getzlaf is going to be that guy. His next contract may or may not be his last, that remains to be seen. The only other question is whether the Ducks intend to retire Giguere's jersey, otherwise Getzlaf is most likely to be the next one retired a few years from now.

Kesler has 2 Years remaining at $6.875 Million cap hit each year. Ducks have to pay Perry for 3 seasons, $5 Million the upcoming season, but then it drops to $2M for 2021-22 & 2022-23. Getzlaf's contract expires at the end of next season, and he'll make $6 Million. Would he take a discount on a Retirement contract, so the team can land a big fish in 2021, and then another in 2022?

It sounds like they are not going to assign playoff spots based upon division ranking, and since the Ducks have the 3rd worst record in the Conference, they would be part of the 3 team group that does not qualify for the playoffs. In fact, all 3 teams would be from Pacific Division, Ducks, Kings & Sharks. California will be left out of the playoffs, which was destined to happen anyways.

Well, supposedly the NBA is telling their players, that if at any point they test positive for the virus, they're out of the playoffs. I don't necessarily think that would result in a team being eliminated, although if enough players on a team did test positive, I suppose that would be it for them. The whole circumstance is uncharted waters. Sure, they're doing it so people have some sports to finally watch on TV, but they're also doing it for money, which is really the main reason.