NEW GM LOOKING FORWARD TO OPENING OF FREE AGENT MARKET
With the opening of the free agent market only days away, the Anaheim Ducks have positioned themselves well to be very active players in the signing frenzy. Recently hired General Manager, Rob Ives, has unloaded a significant amount of the team's salary commitments in the past two weeks, creating cap space to sign two or three of the big-name free agents available in this year's market.
Since taking over the reigns in Anaheim, Ives has moved some of the team's most pricey contracts including Alexei Yashin ($7.6M), Sergei Gonchar ($3.5M), Brendan Witt ($2.75M) and Mike Comrie ($1.9M). Ives also moved JS Giguere who is undoubtedly in line for a big raise from his current $2.5M salary. It is widely expected that Giguere will command a 4-year, $24M deal.
The moves do leave some holes in the Anaheim line-up, however, the team also got signficantly younger with players like Matt Lombardi, Scottie Upshall, Rosislav Olesz, Brad Boyes, Fredrik SJostrom, Lukas Krajicek and Noah Welch coming aboard. All of those players should have a chance to crack the Ducks line-up this season.
With approximately $22 million in cap room, it is widely expected that the Ducks will go after a top defenseman such as Nick Lidstrom or Philippe Boucher as well as two big forwards to play with newly acquired winger Paul Kariya. Martin Straka, Jozef Stumpel and Mark Recchi are among possible signings. The Ducks will also be looking for a back-up for Chris Mason. With Justin Pogge and Riku Helenius the up-and-coming tandum in Anaheim, look for the Ducks to sign a goaltender like Ed Belfour or Chris Osgood to a 1-year deal. Bringing back Curtis Joseph is also a remote possibility.
What might the Ducks look like after free agency? Might they be contenders, pretenders or basement dwellers in 2007-08?
Below is a possible Ducks line-up, post-free agency based on the anticipated salary demends on the available free agents:
Kariya - Straka - Stumpel Upshall - Lombardi - Boyes Olesz - Bonk - Sjostrom Brown - Svitov - Neil
Again, it is admitted that this is only a framework for what is possible, however, with such a line-up the Ducks would likely be in a battle for a 7th or 8th seed playoff spot. If they get there, who knows what might happen, however it is our feeling that even with big signings as discussed in this article, the Ducks won't be contenders. There simply isn't enough depth in the projected line-up. The Ducks may have more success in signing a higher number of mid-range free agents. The Ducks could add one big name like Lidstrom or Jaromir Jagr and may still have enough money left to sign the likes of Steve Rucchin, Scott Walker, Tomas Holmstrom, Eric Lindros and Ken Klee. Those signings would result in a far different picture in Anaheim:
Such a scenario would make little difference to the Ducks championship hopes. So it becomes quite clear that if the Ducks are going to challenge for the Cup this season, GM Ives will be forced to make one or two more shrewed moves to acquire some cheap talent to provide the Ducks with more depth.
-- Edited by Anaheim GM at 11:41, 2007-08-16
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2007-08 - missed playoffs (29th overall) 2008-09 - missed playoffs (26th overall) 2009-10 - 7th place in Western Conference (99 pts), Conference Semi-Finals 2010-11 - missed playoffs (19th overall) 2011-12
