ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks suffered another home setback
Wednesday, dropping a 3-1 contest to the San Jose Sharks as the club nears the
second half of the season sitting 19 points out of a playoff spot.
As has been a familiar case at the Honda Center this season, the Ducks
stiffened up after surrendering a tying goal in the second period, allowing
Benn Ferriero to score the game winner just 27 seconds after teammate Brad
Winchester tied it at 1-1.
“There’s just no resiliency, I guess, would be the best word,” Anaheim forward
Bobby Ryan said.
While 2011-12 appears to be a lost season in Orange County, there are still
reasons to be optimistic that Anaheim can jump back into relevancy perhaps as
early as next season ... and it starts with improving the team’s defense.
It would take several shrewd moves by GM Bob Murray, who no
doubt is on the hot seat after Randy Carlyle’s contract extension less than
four months before his firing. Plus, there was last season’s trade with Toronto
in which the Ducks gave up Joffrey Lupul, currently tied for fifth in league
scoring, and promising 21-year old defenseman Jake Gardiner.
The Ducks already have several answers from within. Cam Fowler, who has
regressed somewhat in his sophomore season, must be able to make a leap next
year in his development, which will be his third in the NHL. Perhaps the lure
of a pay raise as a restricted free agent after the 2012-13 season will serve
as motivation. Fowler recorded 40 points as a 19-year old last season and
displays excellent skating and offensive zone awareness, so it’s not out of the
question to think he can revert to his rookie-year production and improve
greatly on his career minus-44 rating within the next 15 months.
Luca Sbisa continues to offer somewhat of a rugged role for the Anaheim blue line
and leads all defensemen in hits for the second consecutive season. Though he
trudged through an inconsistent first half, there’s hope that a corner has been
turned after he’s posted a goal, two assists, a fighting major and an even
rating over the last five games in which the Ducks have been outscored 16-10 in
regulation.
If Anaheim is to make a defensive leap next season, Sbisa
and Fowler must establish themselves as minute-eaters capable of holding down a
top-four pairing.
Enter Justin Schultz? The smooth-skating, 6-foot-2 offensive blue liner drafted
43rd overall in 2008 has been the top D-man in NCAA hockey this season. Schultz
has nine goals and 28 points for the Wisconsin Badgers, sitting five points
ahead of the next highest-scoring defenseman.
"There's no question, with his ability, just at the right time, to make a
play offensively or defensively, to settle us down," Badgers coach Mike
Eaves said of Schultz to UWBadgers.com
in November. It wouldn’t be unrealistic to imagine Schultz on Anaheim’s blue line
as early as the end of this season, once Wisconsin’s season ends, though it
would be quite a bit to expect him to enjoy the type of production Fowler
immediately experienced.
Once again, there will likely be some growing pains in
Schultz’s development, though the innate hockey sense — and the poise described
above — will greatly improve the Ducks back end within several years.
Speaking of poise, there’s one player in the upcoming NHL Draft that possesses
it in droves — Ryan Murray. International Scouting Service’s No. 4 overall
draft-eligible skater and the top-rated defenseman entering the 2012 NHL Draft,
Murray led Canada to gold at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament as team
captain despite being its youngest player.
In addition to captaining his WHL team, the Everett
Silvertips, and his former midget team, the Regina Jr. Pats, Murray also
captained Canada’s U-18 team in the spring.
Scott Niedermayer is still revered by Ducks fans, and
there’s a reason Murray wears No. 27 nearly everywhere he goes. With the
decision making and calm-under-pressure style Murray demonstrates, his poise
and leadership is something that would greatly benefit Anaheim’s defense down
the line. The only question is whether the backbone he possesses will be
available when Anaheim steps to the podium in Pittsburgh in June.
"He's a unique player in that I really don't see a weakness in this young
man's game," Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert told Nick Patterson of the
Everett Herald in September. "He's as rounded a hockey player as I've
seen in this league the last eight years.”
Of course, there’s always the possibility of acquiring a young defenseman through
a trade, though the Ducks would have to surrender one of their offensive pieces
in order to do so. Toronto has often been one of Bob Murray’s dance partners.
Would Toronto’s 22-year old heavy hitter Luke Schenn even be
available? If he is, say goodbye to a player of Ryan’s caliber, possibly Ryan.
Players with expiring contracts — Nashville’s Ryan Suter, Carolina’s Tim
Gleason — are more likely to be moved. Because of their UFA status, they’re of
greater immediate use to a contending team rather than the Ducks’ long-term
plans.
Which brings us to free agency, and there’s a good opportunity for Anaheim to
cash in with the nearly $20 million coming off of the club’s books heading into
next year thanks to expiring contracts of Jason Blake, Teemu Selanne, Saku
Koivu, Niklas Hagman, George Parros, Rod Pelley, Francois Beauchemin, Sheldon
Brookbank and Dan Ellis.
Should Suter, Gleason or maybe even Nashville’s Shea Weber,
who will likely command a commitment upwards of $50 million, be available,
expect the Ducks to become major players in an effort to revamp their blue line ... which might be closer to being rebuilt than some Southern California hockey
fans might think.
