Sunday, March 1, 2009
Blow Up The Ducks
Needless to say, I haven't followed hockey much this season, or posted really at all.
But here's my $0.02 on the deadline. The Ducks won the Cup in 2007. They got that done. But for various reasons, the core group wasn't able to pull it off again. Some could point to the delay of Niedermayer and Selanne returning, or the loss of Dustin Penner and Andy McDonald. Or even Brian Burke moving on to Toronto, or not having Ilya Bryzgalov as a pressure release for Giguere. It doesn't help that the owners are in deep legal shit either.
Surely, all of this combined to hurt their chances, but just as in 2006 and 2007, the Ducks had in 2008 and have in 2009 the three primary ingredients for winning Cups: goaltending, defense, and experience. But it hasn't worked.
I don't think a trip to the finals is in the cards this year. So, while they've got 'em they should cash 'em in. They've already traded Chris Kunitz for a solid young d-man. Kunitz's value as a Duck is probably 5x greater than his intrinsic value, so that was a good trade.
Pronger probably won't resign, but he can be traded in the summer. Niedermayer would be an excellent choice to offload. You could even send the entire checking line for a good enough price.
New Jersey always has a stable of good prospects. And if they're willing to really pay, bringing Niedermayer back is the last piece of the puzzle for their 4th Cup. It'll be interesting.
I absolutely do not think Boston has the experience or goaltending to win the Cup this year, but I think they are poised for a good run. I think San Jose has to prove it is mentally ready finally, even though they sure appear to be. Detroit is a year older. New Jersey, on the other hand, has the goaltending and experience. They just need a slightly better D corps.
But here's my $0.02 on the deadline. The Ducks won the Cup in 2007. They got that done. But for various reasons, the core group wasn't able to pull it off again. Some could point to the delay of Niedermayer and Selanne returning, or the loss of Dustin Penner and Andy McDonald. Or even Brian Burke moving on to Toronto, or not having Ilya Bryzgalov as a pressure release for Giguere. It doesn't help that the owners are in deep legal shit either.
Surely, all of this combined to hurt their chances, but just as in 2006 and 2007, the Ducks had in 2008 and have in 2009 the three primary ingredients for winning Cups: goaltending, defense, and experience. But it hasn't worked.
I don't think a trip to the finals is in the cards this year. So, while they've got 'em they should cash 'em in. They've already traded Chris Kunitz for a solid young d-man. Kunitz's value as a Duck is probably 5x greater than his intrinsic value, so that was a good trade.
Pronger probably won't resign, but he can be traded in the summer. Niedermayer would be an excellent choice to offload. You could even send the entire checking line for a good enough price.
New Jersey always has a stable of good prospects. And if they're willing to really pay, bringing Niedermayer back is the last piece of the puzzle for their 4th Cup. It'll be interesting.
I absolutely do not think Boston has the experience or goaltending to win the Cup this year, but I think they are poised for a good run. I think San Jose has to prove it is mentally ready finally, even though they sure appear to be. Detroit is a year older. New Jersey, on the other hand, has the goaltending and experience. They just need a slightly better D corps.
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