Season Review: Captain Experience
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 11:37 AM PDT
25 comments
No more Chris Pronger. No more Francois Beauchemin. No more O'Donnell, no more Schneider, no more Huskins. Most every defenseman that Ducks fans have seen patrol the blueline since the "Mighty" was removed from the team name is now departed.
But fret not, Ducks fans, because Mr. Incredible is back -- once again fighting off the tempting lure of retirement to lead the blueline corps once again. Captain Scott Niedermayer's re-re-return to Anaheim has some nice trickle-down effects this time: not only did it prompt Selanne to similarly not retire -- which brought Koivu to the Ducks -- but Scott's return also enabled the Ducks to ship Pronger to Philly while his asking price was sky-high. I should reiterate one key point from this summer, though: the choice was never just "Niedermayer or Pronger" going forward for the Ducks -- that's a hard call to make. As I pointed out at the time of the Pronger trade, it's been tough to determine which Norris defenseman has been better for the team throughout their time together. Rather, Barstool Bob's choice was "Niedermayer + Sbisa + Lupul + 2 firsts or Pronger" -- that seems a much easier decision.
It also appears that Scott has removed the "Rob" clause from his contract demands this go-round; that definitely represents some cap savings, plus it enables me to stop referring to these Niedermayer dudes by their first names. From now on, Niedermayer is Niedermayer. There can be only one.
However, let's look at what's left on the blueline -- essentially it has been gutted down to Niedermayer and a bunch of Ducks newbies:
| Games Played in a Ducks Uniform -- Defensemen | Points Scored in a Ducks Uniform -- Defensemen |
| (regular season plus playoffs) | (regular season plus playoffs) |
| Scott Niedermayer - 347 | Scott Niedermayer - 250 |
| Sheldon Brookbank - 42 | Ryan Whitney - 16 |
| Brett Festerling - 41 | James Wisniewski - 14 |
| Brendan Mikkelson - 34 | Brett Festerling - 5 |
| Ryan Whitney - 33 | Sheldon Brookbank - 4 |
| James Wisniewski - 29 | Brendan Mikkelson - 2 |
| Brian Salcido - 2 | Brian Salcido - 1 |
| Scott Niedermayer - 347 | Scott Niedermayer - 250 |
| Everyone Else - 181 | Everyone Else - 42 |
Sbisa, Boynton, Eminger, McCarthy -- these guys have yet to don a Ducks uniform. Whitney and Wisniewski have only been around since the trade deadline. Brookbank, Festerling, and Mikkelson played only partial seasons in Anaheim last year as well. Without a doubt, Captain Scott will be the veteran leader of next year's blueline crew -- the guy who knows Coach Carlyle's schemes better than anyone. By a fucking mile. In fact, here's some of that cagey veteran advice, free of charge:
"If you can stop a wrench, you can stop a hard-charging opposing forward."
I'm not sure there's going to be a more critical player to the Ducks' success next season than Scott Niedermayer -- not only will he have to play all the key minutes over the course of the season, but hopefully he can continue his tradition of babysitting a young d-man as his even-strength partner as well That really is one of the keys that has made Niedermayer's hefty salary seem a bargain over the years -- his ability to elevate dirt-cheap partners like Beauchemin and Festerling has enabled other defensemen to drop down to more logical slots.
In a lot of ways, the Ducks are going back to their 2006 form, the pre-Pronger days with only one top defensive pairing. Which isn't so bad -- that team did make it to the western conference finals after a really strong regular-season finish. But now it's three years later, can an older Captain Experience do it all again with a new supporting cast? My next "Season Review" post will take a look at the rest of the blueline hopefuls not named Niedermayer -- there are tons of question marks there, mostly because they all new to the club -- but assuming Scott can be the do-it-all defenseman Anaheim fans have grown used to, it's possible the post-Pronger transition could go as smoothly as Scott's skating stride.
But that doesn't mean I'm not losing sleep stressing about the Ducks' defense (something I don't think I've done since like 2002) -- if the Ducks do falter next season, the blueline will likely be the cause. I'll be elaborating more on that in the next post, but definitely the newbies have a lot of Pronger-plus-Beauchemin minutes to fill. Here's hoping that Captain Niedermayer can maintain his excellent play for the Ducks so that their offseason tradeoff-for-offense pays off.
Optional questions for the comments: 1. How stressed out are you about the Anaheim blueline next year, Ducks fans? (Alternatively, how much are you salivating about playing against it, opponent fans?) 2. If you were head coach of the Anaheim Ducks this coming season, who would be your first preference to play at even-strength with Scott Niedermayer and why?
Go Ducks.
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I’d be worried about the Ducks’ defense not necessarily because of the defensemen (although it does look like Scott Niedermayer & the Whos?), but because of the offense. Getzlaf and co. are really only good defensive players because they’re usually on the attack and I’m not convinced Todd Marchant has suddenly decided to become a good defensive player after all these years. Oh well, you can always rely on the backchecking of Teemu Se-hahahaha, just kidding.
The Ducks were 18th in the league in goals allowed last year and their goaltenders got a lot of shots, and that was with Chris Pronger back there; if Hiller turns back into a pumpkin, the Ducks may be in trouble.
*wah wah
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
by RudyKelly on Sep 9, 2009 12:20 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
The Ducks were 18th in the league in goals allowed last year and their goaltenders got a lot of shots, and that was with Chris Pronger back there
Yeah, and that’s the thing — normally I’d say that the loss of Pronger + Beauchemin necessarily means an increase in goals-against, but the Ducks were pretty mediocre at the defensive end most of the year, especially shorthanded. Some of that we can associate with Giguere’s fall-apart, but overall there never seemed to be a stretch, except possibly at the end of the season, where the Ducks seemed that solid defensively.
To tell you the truth, though, I’m not that worried about the forwards — I was watching the NHL Network’s replays of the Ducks’ postseason games against SJS and DET, and it’s tough for me to envision how we don’t see a strong improvement up front — the second line was Miller-Ebbett-Selanne for a lot of that spring, which seems easily improvable. The depth brought in isn’t necessarily stronger in the “backchecking” department, I guess, but it’s tough to see how they won’t prove more dangerous than what we ended up with last year.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 12:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I mean, essentially here’s what’s happened to the forwards this offseason:
Out: Rob Niedermayer, Drew Miller
In: Saku Koivu, Joffrey Lupul, Evgeny Artyukhin
Seems like a lot of pick-up to me. Factor in a fuller season from Bobby Ryan and I don’t know why I’d be pessimistic about the front-end.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was factoring in the guys lost at the trade deadline. Basically, I’d just be worried how the Ducks would react to not having a fantastic shutdown line anymore, but maybe Brown-Marchant-Lupul will become a great shutdown line too.
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
by RudyKelly on Sep 9, 2009 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s true — but Kunitz, Moen, and Pahlsson were all having varyingly bad years last season — that said, there was a lot of underachievement throughout the roster when those guys left.
But for sure, a lot will depend on the defensive facilities of Marchant — he did open a lot of eyes after Pahlsson went down with whooping cough or whatever, to the point where his re-signing became essential. He could prove as critical as Niedermayer this year — here’s to old guys continuing to beat down Father Time.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmm, I talked about pumpkin transformation in my comment in your post before I read this comment. Spooky.
by Malurous on Sep 9, 2009 6:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also, this article in the OC Register is one of the greatest things I’ve ever read:
Can you imagine? Dugard was 11 when she was kidnapped and stashed in Phillip Garrido’s backyard. She was 29 when she escaped. Penitentiary inmates at least get an hour of TV a day. Dugard was cut off from everything but the elements.
How long before she fully digests the world she re-enters? How difficult to adjust to such cataclysmic change?
More than that, who’s going to explain the fact that there’s a President Obama?
Dugard’s stepfather says she’s going to need a lot of therapy — you think? — so perhaps she should take a respite before confronting the new realities.
So, Jaycee, whenever you’re ready, here’s what you’ve missed:
•Barry Bonds, who was just leading the Pirates to their second NL East title, wound up breaking Henry Aaron’s home run record. How did such a skinny guy manage that? We’ll deal with that later.
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
by RudyKelly on Sep 9, 2009 12:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Seriously, I read that yesterday and couldn’t believe my eyes — I mean, even I was fucking offended by a newspaper sports story! When’s the last time that happened?
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It kind of makes me nostalgic — remember back when BoC was cutting-edge in the area of California-based offensive journalism? Now, two days later, it appears we’re the old fogies.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Better rape another state.
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
by RudyKelly on Sep 9, 2009 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
maybe you need to up the ante.
kidnap a state, hold it hostage for years, have a couple of kids with it.
oh, too early. sorry.
hooked on quack
by tu madre on Sep 9, 2009 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And then write a post explaining all the things that state missed while they were abducted.
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
by RudyKelly on Sep 9, 2009 5:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And now Whicker apologizes. Poor journalists, always so answerable for their off moments.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 6:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not very worried. But I guess I’m in the minority judging by the freak outs happening on some other boards.
Like Earl and Rudy alluded to, last yr’s defense blew chucks even with Pronger and Beauch. I’m much more excited by the promise of some actual offense from someone other than RRP. I really think Koivu can put some jump back in Teemu’s step on even strength. My level of excitement for the offense far outweights any worries about the defense.
Don't bRuin your life. Practice safe sex. Make love with a Trojan
by Morbo on Sep 9, 2009 9:24 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
(Alternatively, how much are you salivating about playing against it, opponent fans?)
Any team that lost Pronger is easier to play against. Maybe if you replaced him with Chara (MAYBE), but not having Pronger makes things easier. I’m sure Niedermayer can still make a dead fish look like a competent top-pair D-man, but realistically, that’s only 20 minutes a night now, instead of 40, and that likely only lasts another year. I’m sure Anaheim will be pretty decent this year, as I expect good things in the crease in a Hiller/Giguere battle, and I’m sure the defensemen won’t completely shit the bed, along with an improved offense. I’m more thinking of the year after, where Niedermayer is likely gone, Selanne may be gone as well (or soon thereafter), the goaltending battle is settled and someone is gone, and the no names are asked to lead the way forward for the new incarnation of the Ducks. This year though, Anaheim, while easier to play against, at least because Pronger won’t eat you, will still be dangerous.
You guys should trade Lupul for Pronger again, and keep Sbisa and the 2 firsts.
http://sacrificethebody.blogspot.com/
Sacrifice the Body - Examining the NHL through statistical analysis, reasoned thought, and blind conjecture.
by IAmJoe on Sep 9, 2009 10:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Sure, but I’m not stressing about a year down the road just yet — consider how much this year’s roster resembles one year ago (not a whole lot), there’s certainly plenty of time to prepare for post-Niedermayer, even if it’s not dealt with until next summer. And there will be an extra $6M+ to do so with Niedermayer’s salary alone — seems like that could buy some external help that isn’t in the listing of defensemen you see today.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 10:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, that $6M will of course provide help, but I’d be a bit concerned about not having Ryan on an entry level deal or the Selanne discount anymore, and Koivu will probably have to be replaced too. You’ll be at risk of actually having to pay your top 6 forwards the going rate for a change ;) Really, there have been at least two, often more top 6 forward bargains all the time in recent seasons (every one of Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan, MacDonald, Kunitz and Selanne at some point).
by Malurous on Sep 9, 2009 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sure, definitely there will be more than Niedermayer replaced, but I’m not discouraged yet. Seems nearly any team could have had Tanguay this summer had they reserved the cap space and been patient. And it’s significant that it won’t be top-line talent that will need to be filled (provided Getzlaf, Perry, or Ryan don’t fall off the map) — only needs to be players that can produce in easier minutes, which shouldn’t be as rare or as costly.
Plus, if the cap falls, there should be plenty of teams giving away players SJS-style. I’ll take flexibility at this point in time.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed. In fact, I think that any team with contracts coming up this summer or next have a pretty nice situation – it’s a buyer’s market now, which hasn’t been the case before. Then again, it’s never a bad idea to be in Detroit’s or Boston’s etc. situation either where you’ve got so many great assets you don’t know what to do with them. It’s never difficult to get rid of good assets, it’s just difficult to get a return for them nowadays.
Anyway, makes you wonder how teams with multiple 10 year or so contracts will cope the next time the cap goes down… Because those don’t leave flexibility. Of course, neither do stupid short term contracts.
Sure, Penner’s in that category too. There have been too many to remember, it seems.
by Malurous on Sep 9, 2009 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anyway, makes you wonder how teams with multiple 10 year or so contracts will cope the next time the cap goes down…
I have a suspicion they’ll get by just fine — the rich teams have cap-cheating mechanisms, and if things turn really disastrous, I’m sure the league will step in. They wouldn’t really allow stupidity to destroy the ability of big market teams to reasonably compete based on old mistakes.
So I guess my hope is that big contracts weigh down franchises, but don’t cripple them to the point where the league intervenes on their behalf.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And don’t forget Penner — nobody in the league played cheaper than the big guy those Duck years.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 9, 2009 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
For sure, there will be some extra money to go around, but remember, Norris trophy winners don’t grow on trees. Maybe Sbisa quickly becomes a top-pair sort of guy or whatever, maybe the “no names” actually develop names and (good) reputations to go with them, but losing two Norris trophy defensemen in consecutive years is gonna help other teams a lot. If the rest of that defense develops into something decent to good, that’s still better for the opponents than the fantastic defense the team won a Cup with. I’m less scared of a team with a great offense and a decent defense than I am of a team with decent offense and great defense, as those sorts of teams have not been able to knock off the Wings with any sort of consistency over the last several years, with pretty much the singular exception of last year’s finals (and I’m blaming injuries for that one).
Besides, I honestly respect the way the Ducks have been built the last couple years. Their success I felt more or less started from the crease and went out. Get a good goalie, build a defense around him, and then build an offense in front of that. They play a mean, physical game, they focus on being defensively responsible, they really just tend to exemplify what hockey is and how hockey is meant to be played, at least in my opinion. If I weren’t already committed as a fan, I would probably be a Ducks fan instead. It would be kind of disappointing to me if they changed that formula too much.
http://sacrificethebody.blogspot.com/
Sacrifice the Body - Examining the NHL through statistical analysis, reasoned thought, and blind conjecture.
by IAmJoe on Sep 10, 2009 5:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m less scared of a team with a great offense and a decent defense than I am of a team with decent offense and great defense, as those sorts of teams have not been able to knock off the Wings with any sort of consistency over the last several years
Sure, I guess as a personal angle, but I feel Detroit falls into the more offensive category (they threw a lot of lines of offense and suffered on their PK), and that’s a team that Anaheim didn’t have enough offense for — that had to be dealt with.
Obviously if the goal in hockey was simply to retain the most Norris d-men, it’s a shitty strategy, but I guess I’m less convinced that’s optimal. Our salary commitments would likely mean one of Getzlaf or Perry had to be shipped out — assuming Giguere’s still unmovable — and I doubt that we’d be better off with keeping Niedermayer and Pronger but having less offense up front. And besides, simply holding onto Niedermayer and Pronger for as long as possible definitely means that there’s a day coming when young d-men are ill-prepared to take the important minutes — that’s a necessity any time there’s an excellent player who refuses to play eternally.
Plus I can’t understand why the Pronger extension doesn’t scare the crap out of you. I’m glad as fuck that contract is on some other sucker’s books — your position seems to say that doesn’t matter, Pronger is worth anything, but I tell you, Anaheim’s not a team that does will with bad money on its books.
So yeah, short term, the Ducks could have scared you another year, I guess — that’s a tradeoff that I’m comfortable with. I think if you’re looking longer term than that, there’s a ton of sense in getting value for Pronger rather than letting him expire on your shelf.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 10, 2009 8:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, I also think that the "lets get as many mean defensemen as we can and attempt to decapitate (insert Eastern Conference star) is the best way to win a Cup Finals too, if you’re the Western Champ. If last year’s 7-gamer had gone the other way, the only thing that would’ve kept the Ducks from beating the Pens in the finals is that the Ducks probably would’ve given the Pens too many PP’s. But they’d have still had a damn good chance, and I’d take them in a heartbeat over any other Eastern team. Now, obviously, you don’t play the Pens much if you’re a Western team, but I do think that the East is embarrassing in its general rolling over to the Penguins, so I wouldn’ t be surprised if we see the Pens in a couple more Finals over the next 5 years, so it is worth keeping in mind. I think it is a strategy that works well against other teams like that, and that includes the Wings, who are always going to be in the way during the Western side of the playoffs. No Eastern team in the NHL can handle that style, because not a one of them plays it, and in the West, its historically the best way to knock off the perennially contending Wings, and probably the Blackhawks now too, as well as several lesser teams that probably can’t hang with Anaheim anyways.
Pronger’s extension sucks, but I’m not sure that it wasn’t a deal where PHI honestly thought they could fight the league on it, or if they thought by the time a new CBA kicks in, they’d have a way out. Either one would be believable to me, and is something that an organization that isn’t retarded wouldn’t have done. I’d be fine with giving him a 3 year deal at 6M or so though. I think he’s a safe bet to be effective to 38 (39?) years old. I don’t think that would be bad money, but what PHI gave him probably is.
http://sacrificethebody.blogspot.com/
Sacrifice the Body - Examining the NHL through statistical analysis, reasoned thought, and blind conjecture.
by IAmJoe on Sep 11, 2009 1:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guess you can add Jassen Cullimore to the list of potential blueliners, too. Apparently he’s on a try-out contract just like Kyle Calder.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Sep 11, 2009 3:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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Pacific Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Jose
|
71 | 43 | 18 | 10 | 96 |
|
Phoenix
|
72 | 45 | 22 | 5 | 95 |
|
Los Angeles
|
70 | 41 | 24 | 5 | 87 |
|
Dallas
|
71 | 31 | 27 | 13 | 75 |
|
Anaheim
|
70 | 33 | 29 | 8 | 74 |
(updated 3.21.2010 at 5:42 AM PDT)
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