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Originally Posted by Stillriledup
Any thoughts on Bieksa to the Ducks? Has that guy lost a step or will he be rejuvenated playing w his pal Kessler on a cup contender ?
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I think Anaheim may have shot themselves in the foot by signing Kessler to a $41.25 Million 6 year deal, with a full no-movement clause in the first 5 years. That means you are stuck with him until he is 36, good luck with that.
Having said that, you have a quality defense core and a solid group of young forwards that are very cap friendly, but here is the rub, the majority of them are restricted free agents next summer. The likelihood of you keeping this lineup together after this season is slim, which means you have to win this year. Your veterans are in the latter part of their primes, and from what i saw they didn’t exactly impress me against a quality opposition.
You dumped ol man Beauchemin and replaced him with Kevin Bieksa, who is a hard–nosed, defensive-minded defenseman. He won’t get you many points and i wouldn’t call him a game changer by any means. He is 34 and well seasoned but i question his foot speed in the contemporary NHL.
My biggest concern is with your goaltending, they picked up Anton Khudobin from Carolina who is a back-up at best. This deal was a head scratcher seeing that the team has to win now, and you already have two guys that have yet to prove themselves, you better pray that Gibson elevates his game next season because Anderson has some serious flaws, there are rumors of Gibson starting next season in the AHL, that should make him really happy.
And lastly, the Ducks hired Dave Nonis? WTF? The only smart move the Ducks have made was hiring Paul MacLean as an assistant, he worked under Babcock in Detroit and was coach of the year in Ottawa, and i would make a sizeable wager that he will replace Boudreau when they finally realize that this guy is a stiff.
Keep your fingers crossed, it’s this year or bust, and i have already bet against them, at least you brought back Brian McGrattan.
