Belarus

My thoughts on Cronin based upon other comments on this board. 1 - Maybe he'll be the next Scotty Bowman, maybe he'll be the next Dallas Eakins. Time will tell. 2 - Cronin being 60 years old is completely irrelevant as to whether he'll be a good coach or not. Irrelevant. 3 - The fact that he's a first-year NHL head coach is notable, but only indicates his lack of time-tested experience. I'm more interested in his potential, his ability to inspire the players and if he'll improve morale (which in my opinion is the most severely underrated facet of ANY organization). Time will tell. 4 - As established, experienced coaches retire or sabotage their careers (Babcock), new inexperienced coaches have to take their place. That's just the way it works. See line 1. 5 - He came from an organization with a winning culture. He probably has brought some of it with him... 6 - I wish the man good luck for the upcoming season! (Insert "he'll need it" jokes here...)

Well, rats. I guess after seeing this highly indicative preseason game it should be obvious to all that given the amazing, astonishing, and downright unbelievable performance by Adam Fantilli the Ducks will be doomed to finishing the season 0-82 while Columbus will finish 82-0 and win the Stanley Cup. The Samuelli's could then sell the team to a buyer up north who could rename the team, "The Sacramento Sarcasm" and have a mascot called, "Glass Half-Empty Charlie."

So sad. Life can be so fleeting. Advice to all - Tell your loved ones today you love them while you have the chance.

That's actually an intriguing stat. I wonder how that compares to all the other teams, i.e. how many 2nd round forwards over the last 25 years scored 50+points in a season for the team that drafted them.

Could there be a possibility that Zegras and Drysdale don't WANT to play for the Ducks, and are hoping a different team steps up and signs them?

I'm curious. Did Tim Hortons run out of coffee and donuts up there in Saskatchewan?

🖐️ I'm excited. I can't wait to WATCH hockey so I don't have to just TALK hockey. This off-season has gone on way too long... 🥱

Nobody signing Zegras? A thought provoking article... https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/features/when-does-a-lack-of-rfa-offer-sheets-become-collusion

I used to look just like that when I was younger... 🤓

Noodles... You know, nobody criticizes a chefs cooking BEFORE the meal is served, right? With that mini-analogy, I like to state that I can hardly wait for this season to start. On that day we can all sit down and sample the noodles to see what they ACTUALLY taste like instead of speculating what they MIGHT taste like. Thanks, y'all. Now I have to run to the store because I can't stop thinking about Cup o' Noodles...

Interesting. None of the Golden Knight goalies are in the top 25. Didn't they win the Stanley Cup last season?

Ahh, I knew it. It was too good to be true to believe this thread would quietly fade away...

Excerpt from the Yardbarker article: "In a league where 20 goaltenders are making at least $5 million per year, Gibson’s $6.4 million shouldn’t be considered burdensome. While it does make it difficult to move him under the current salary cap, it does nothing to prevent the Ducks from building their roster with the future in mind. " Doesn't sound too bad to me...

The way I see it, Verbeek's in a no-win situation with this board. 1 - Verbeek gives Terry what he's asking: "Verbeek didn't even try to save the club money - the worst GM ever!" 2 - Verbeek comes back with a lower offer: "Verbeek's lowballing Terry - the worst GM ever!"

Just for fun and giggles, out of the first ten games in the upcoming season, how many of those ten would the Ducks have to win for some of you to say, "Hey, Verbeek's better than I thought!"? Obviously 10 would be great, but I'll say 6.

Well, of course he would. Solomon is a KING...

There is a bright spot here. Having the worst GM puts us in a great position to win the GM lottery, and have the best odds of winning the first overall pick in next year's GM draft. 🙃

Didn't know where to put this link. From the NHL.com home page - "Team Resets." Talking about the Ducks. https://www.nhl.com/news/anaheim-ducks-roster-changes-for-2023-24-season/c-345270478?tid=281151520

Hmm, great topic. Hmm... Hmm... Hmm... Oh, yeah! I saw a fire truck during intermission at one of the games! 😃 Oh yes, I almost forgot! The sheer joy, at the end of the season, realizing that we somehow came in last place and were almost GUARANTEED the #1 draft pick! 🤩 But seriously. The best part of the season was the food trucks. Much better than the indoor food... 🤢 But SERIOUSLY. That first game, Gibson to Terry in OT. 😍 And... uhh... That's about it... 😟

Thought I'd resurrect this thread with an opinion! (Brace yourselves) I hope the Ducks name a captain before the season starts. A season without a captain is a season without a leader, and a leader is something the Ducks need going forward. Any opinions on who? The new veterans? The young kids? Terry? Fowler? Silfverberg?

Somewhere out there FS93 is saying, "Please, oh please!" 🙏

I don't mean to interrupt the DeBrincat conversation, but thought I'd comment on Hagg for a moment. Like Gudas, he apparently likes to hit and block shots. And being Swedish, he'll communicate well with Carlsson. https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-sign-defenseman-hagg-to-one-year-contract/c-345214774 OK, back to DeBrincat!

Switching back to Gudas, here's a blurb from yesterday's newspaper: "Gudas ranked second in the NHL with 312 hits, only six behind defenseman Luke Schenn of Toronto, in 2022-23. That was nearly 100 more than the Ducks' leader in that department - defenseman Simon Benoit (216). The only other Anaheim player with more than 100 hits last season was Max Jones (110)." (For that reason I LIKED Benoit - although I, uhh, seem to be his ONLY fan here...)

"We'll return to 'Perry Mason' after a word from our sponsor..." Happy 4th, everyone! 💥 Uhh, and happy belated Canada Day too!