hf101 Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Earlier in the week I read where Boudreau thinks Danny Heatley will be a good fit on the first line with Getzlaf and Perry. Maybe he'd be a better choice than Patrick Maroon, but really, is that all the Ducks have for left wingers? Matt Beleskey doesn't seem right for the first line either. Anyone think the Ducks #1 draft pick Nick Richie makes the Ducks roster this season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Anyone think the Ducks #1 draft pick Nick Richie makes the Ducks roster this season? Stranger things have happened. At 6'3 and 230 lbs...he already has an NHL body. Reminds me of Landeskog, he was also physically ready to just step in. I think Richie would have no problem keeping up with the pace of the NHL game, he's a huge kid, but he has respectable speed. In the end, it will come down to how he plays in his own zone. If he is defensively responsible he has a great chance to stick. I'm a big fan of the Sanheim pick, but it was Nick who I really hoped for.....a tank with wicked hands...he would have looked GREAT patrolling the wing in O & B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I LOVE Ritchie, the definition of a power forward. I think the Ducks are too skilled to carry him this year though. Wonderful pick for the organization however. Left Wing is a problem, Pancake Penner was okay for about a half a season last year before he got lost, Belesky can play but I agree, he is not a grinder like they need on that line. Personally, I would stick with Maroon, he seemed to find a home with the big boys, kind of like Abdelkader with Datsyuk. Don't expect much but he will do the dirty work. Heatley? Is he still in the league? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 @yave1964 If Maroon found a home on that top line, I would expect 20 goals out of him. He does have some wicked hands. The only thing holding this guy back from being a star is his skating. Last year proved that he can play in this league, now he just needs to go out there and play his game. He would be a BEAST parked in front of the net while Getzlaf and Perry work their magic. I would love to see those 3 as linemates, would be a lot of fun to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I'd love that. It will make it much easier to contend with that line for the Sharks. Heatley is not a first line or even second line player anymore. I was excited to get him for the Sharks at first, but then overjoyed to see him leave with that contract. Logan Couture was absolutely carrying him at the end of his tenure and being held back in the process Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I can see the Ducks giving Dany Heatley some time on the top line to see if he really does have anything left.Problem is, I don't think he will last very long there.Anaheim will quickly see that Heatley does not skate like he used to and although he is a big body at 6'3 230, he very rarely PLAYS like a big man....instead preferring to play on the perimeter and taking 'fire and forget' shots, turning away, and not really fast enough to get back on defense if the other team blocks then possesses the puck. At this stage in his career, I believe Dany Heatly is a 3rd or 4th line guy and his best chances will come when matched up with the other teams' bottom six guys.He might even do well on a 2nd PP unit.Still though, there may even be some question as to whether even Anaheim will have him as a regular player if he plays like he did with the Wild last season.....the team is geared for a Stanley Cup run and a 30% Dany Heatley just won't cut it.....he may find himself a healthy scratch on many nights! Which leads me to Nick Ritchie.I agree with what was said already that the Ducks are very loaded up front where they DON'T have to rush Ritchie to the big leagues...however, if a guy like Dany Heatley shows no heart, soul, play, or whatever else one expects from a vet, why NOT give his roster spot to an up n comer like Ritchie, who, physically, is more than a match for most NHL players already? Even if you start Ritchie on a 3rd line, he can learn quite a lot by putting his body to the test against some of the NHL's best workmanlike players on opposing 3rd and 4th lines, and then showcase some of this offensive talent by causing problems for those same lines with his skill, prompting Anaheim to look at him for possibly some better roles on the team. There is always the question as to whether a young guy like Ritchie benefits more from being a top six guy in the minors/juniors or being a bottom six guy in the majors.....but when you have a guy built like him with a good skill set to go along with it...you MAKE room for him on your team...assuming everything else about him is ready for the big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 @TropicalFruitGirl26 I have stated my issues with the whole cesspool that is the Juniors, my feelings that an NHL team should be allowed to send a Canadian boy to the AHL the same as a Swede or a Russian or a boy from the USA. It is absurd that an archaic setup has not been in place for too long. If Ritchie were permitted to play for Norfolk and called up when needed, then returned he would still get the experience needed. I have heard all of the arguments for Juniors, how they raise a player up and all, but they get the fruits of the labor, the NHL should be able to do what they want with their players and not be forced to abide by rules set forth by a lower tier. Ritchie, and his ilk should be allowed to play at the highest levels without fear or favor. Same as kids from other countries. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 @yave1964 I agree.If a player is ready to make the jump, there should be no need to go back to juniors....especially if that player has dominated the junior leagues. True, there is some developmental worth to the whole thing, but really, some players just "get it" faster than others and are held back because of age (or teams not wanting to start that NHL service time clock), and thus should be allowed to at LEAST play at the AHL level as that resembles more of what they will see in the bigs moreso than the junior level....and at that point, he is just a call or injury to a current player away from being part of the NHL roster. I don't know enough about Ritchie's development to say whether he would benefit anymore from being at juniors still in 2014-15, but seems to me, at least on the outside, that he should do just fine there (at the NHL level).But again, if Anaheim doesn't want to start him with the Ducks, at least get him to Norfolk as he will be physically challenged by MEN instead of the relative 'boys' at juniors.And when I say MEN, it isn't to be derogatory to those players in junior, but rather to point out that the AHL fields guys who will never see the light of an NHL arena...but they also have guys who HAVE seen the NHL and in some cases had done well in the past up there, as well as having guys much like Ritchie himself who are about ready for NHL play.....and those types of players will offer a much better 'classroom' for a young player looking to hone his game a bit more before taking on the top shelf players that inhabit most NHL teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Good luck to the Ducks tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Did Kessler sign as a free agent or was he involved in a trade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Did Kessler sign as a free agent or was he involved in a trade?Kesler was traded to Anaheim for a package of players that included Lucas Sbisa and Nick Bonino going to Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Kesler was traded to Anaheim for a package of players that included Lucas Sbisa and Nick Bonino going to Vancouver.thanks tropical fruit girl. I always wondered why teams trade within their own divison? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 thanks tropical fruit girl. I always wondered why teams trade within their own divison? Well, they generally DON'T...however, Kesler had some control over which teams he could be traded to if I am not mistaken, so Vancouver didn't have a myriad of options....but, when they saw the players they would be getting back (Sbisa, Bonino, and a 2014 1st rounder), I think it softened the blow of trading Kesler to a team within their own division. And whether Kesler works out for Anaheim or not, I think long term, the Canucks will be very happy with what they got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Well, they generally DON'T...however, Kesler had some control over which teams he could be traded to if I am not mistaken, so Vancouver didn't have a myriad of options....but, when they saw the players they would be getting back (Sbisa, Bonino, and a 2014 1st rounder), I think it softened the blow of trading Kesler to a team within their own division. And whether Kesler works out for Anaheim or not, I think long term, the Canucks will be very happy with what they got.it seems to me the Canucks may have received the better end of the deal however slight depending on who they get in the draft and how Kesler plays. That choice is in next year's draft? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 it seems to me the Canucks may have received the better end of the deal however slight depending on who they get in the draft and how Kesler plays. That choice is in next year's draft?The pick was for this past draft, the 2014 one.I would have to look it up to see who the Canucks got, but it was for this past draft in July. Also, yes, many people believe Vancouver got the better end of the deal...however, and this is big...if the Ducks end up winning a Cup with Kesler on the team at any point during his contract (something they are going for this year), then Anaheim could call it a win as well.....even if Sbisa, Bonino, and the pick turn out to be career stud players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 The pick was for this past draft, the 2014 one.I would have to look it up to see who the Canucks got, but it was for this past draft in July. Also, yes, many people believe Vancouver got the better end of the deal...however, and this is big...if the Ducks end up winning a Cup with Kesler on the team at any point during his contract (something they are going for this year), then Anaheim could call it a win as well.....even if Sbisa, Bonino, and the pick turn out to be career stud players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I would love to see the Canucks and Ducks in the WCF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 And whether Kesler works out for Anaheim or not, I think long term, the Canucks will be very happy with what they got. I think the Canucks ripped off the Ducks here. Bonino is very close to being as valuable as Kesler right now, and he's minus all the injury problems that follow Kesler like a dark cloud. Sbisa is just the cherry on the sundae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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