Anaheim Ducks Round Table: Evaluating their moves at the trade deadline
By Redan Lopez
Thoughts from Redan Lopez
In my opinion, the Ducks relatively stayed the same. The acquisition of 37-year old Chris Kelly and 38-year old Jason Chimera are very minor upgrades to this team. I was looking for the Ducks to acquire a much-needed young scoring and playmaking left winger that would have brought a greater offense dynamic, but sadly this did not happen.
While Bob Murray claims that the Ducks will get quicker with Kelly and Chimera, how much quicker can a 37 and 38 year old? Not to mention, these two were probably be playing on the third and fourth lines, so there impact on the surface is minimal at best.
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If anything, quicker talent like scoring Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk or sniper Mike Hoffamn would have helped a lot. However, Murray did not want to give up lots of things such as a first round pick or minor leaguers Troy Terry, Jacob Larsson, Sam Steel, or Max Jones who other teams probably coveted.
But its very possible that Murray got what he wanted – affect the Ducks’ culture with the infusion of Kelly and Chimera in the lineup. While they may not play the most minutes of their teammates, these two could play a role of providing an energy and emotional impact that cannot be seen with a scoreboard or statistical box score. I as well Murray hope that they can push their current crop of Ducks NHL’ers harder.
The Ducks have struggled throughout the season. There is no doubt of this. After recently reeling off impressive wins against the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Dallas Stars, the Ducks fell to non-playoff teams – the lowly Arizona Coyotes and disappointing Edmonton Oilers.
While on the surface the Ducks stayed relatively the same in terms of team composition, it is possible and hopeful the Ducks get better in terms of their culture and playing consistent on the ice. It is a big question mark on whether Kelly and Chimera can contribute to the Ducks playing better.
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Murray knows these current Ducks have another level to show in terms of their play. It’s a matter of if and when they cannot display this – hopefully very, very soon. Seeing what other teams like San Jose and Calgary did at the deadline, the Ducks will need to play every game like a playoff game.