SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 12/14/2020 Anaheim Ducks 1180615 How we’d run the Ducks: Unload veterans and keep adding prospects Boston Bruins 1180616 BHN Puck Links: Boston Bruins Prospect Not Alone In World Juniors Cuts Colorado Avalanche 1180617 Pierre Lacroix dies at 72: How the hockey world reacted to the former Avalanche GM’s death 1180618 Pierre Lacroix, former Avalanche GM who built 2 Stanley Cup-winning teams, has died at 72 1180619 NHL journal: Avalanche will land in middle of NHL realignment 1180620 Pierre Lacroix, former Avalanche GM and architect of two Stanley Cups, has died at 72 1180621 Pierre Lacroix: 1948-2020; Those who knew him will never forget him 1180622 Pierre Lacroix, iconic Avalanche former general manager, has died Detroit Red Wings 1180623 Detroit Red Wings mailbag: Why is Jeff Blashill still Steve Yzerman's coach? 1180624 Seven Red Wings prospects to compete at world junior championships Edmonton Oilers 1180625 Lowetide: Theodor Lennstrom is the Oilers’ latest European bet on defence Montreal Canadiens 1180626 Jack Todd: Nordiques GM Lacroix was one of the smartest people in hockey Pittsburgh Penguins 1180627 Penguins A to Z: Casey DeSmith gets his old job back 1180628 Pair of Penguins Prospect Goalies Make 2021 WJC Squads San Jose Sharks 1180629 PENG TO THE POINTdeMause on Sharks Leaving San Jose: “It’s hard for me to take it really seriously.” Tampa Bay Lightning 1180630 Lightning sign top draft pick Jack Finley Toronto Maple Leafs 1180631 Leafs will have six prospects at world junior, but Robertson won't take part Vancouver Canucks 1180632 Canucks prospects tracker: Hoglander's sweet sendoff, McDonough starts strong 1180633 Canucks preach team toughness for tense Canadian division clashes Websites 1180634 Sportsnet.ca / Pierre Lacroix, former GM of Nordiques, Avalanche, dies at 72 SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1180615 Anaheim Ducks without any top-line skaters, let alone an elite one. Those players are generally acquired at the draft and the next three seasons should be spent focusing on getting as many picks as possible. — Dom How we’d run the Ducks: Unload veterans and keep adding prospects Luszczyszyn The Prospect Pipeline By The Athletic NHL Staff Dec 13, 2020 When will our players get here? The Ducks’ prospect pool has a nice blend of players who are knocking on the NHL door and who are still two or three years away. It’s an As an extension of the NHL Future Power Rankings, which look ahead to enviable position to be in because even as names like Maxime Comtois how teams will stack up three seasons from now, we are diving into what and Josh Mahura officially move on, they’ll still have an abundance of each team can expect and what moves it can make to produce the best other B-level prospects who are, presumably, getting better. Having a outcome. strong prospect pool means having more than one wave of inbound talent. It’s about sustainability. The Ducks have done a nice job building The Athletic will break down what each team needs to do to, or should both quality and quantity over the last few drafts. It means there’s no rush do, to take the next step toward contention. James Mirtle will give advice for college players like Henry Thrun, Ian Moore and Sam Colangelo, and based on the salary cap situation. Dom Luszczyszyn will dive into the that prospects like Brayden Tracey and Jacob Perreault can be allowed analytics and look at what each team has on his Stanley Cup checklist. to cut their teeth in junior and then the AHL if need be. Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman will answer four key questions about the team’s prospects. And Eric Duhatschek will propose a game plan for How good will they be when they get here? the general manager. Then the local beat writer will put it all in perspective with a reality check. For a while, the Ducks’ prospect pool was strong without being one of the league’s best. The star power of Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale has The Cap Situation changed that, though, positioning them with two of the best prospects at their respective positions. Their success will be pivotal to whatever There’s acres of bad money here. comes next for the Ducks because they’ve never had a shortage of The combined weight of Corey Perry’s buyout with Ryan Kesler on IR middle-of-the-lineup players but there have been real concerns about (not LTIR) and David Backes is $18 million — or more than 22 percent of who was going to carry the mantle in the post-Getzlaf era. In Zegras, their cap space. they have a player who may be able to drive a top line and run a power play. In Drysdale, they might have a right-handed No. 2 defenseman for That’s a hard way to win — and they can’t do much about most of it other the top pairing. And Perreault gives them another chance at an impact than wait for the clock to run out on the contracts. guy. That’s huge. The Ducks cap situation improves dramatically by 2021-22, however, What positions do they play, and do we have excesses or deficiencies? with Ryan Getzlaf’s enormous deal off the books. Management should look to further add flexibility by moving out older players for future assets The Ducks’ only real hole in their system at this point is probably a left- that can help when Anaheim is more competitive. They would be able to shot, goal scoring winger. On defence, Drysdale and Moore are both get a haul of assets for most of their veterans on the blue line, for righties, while Mahura and Thrun (a favourite of mine) are lefties, with example. Jackson LaCombe as an intriguing project who plays both sides. In net, Lukas Dostal has emerged as one of the better goalie prospects in the With a contention window that is at least two or three years off, they world. At center, Zegras gives them a top-of-the-lineup talent and Benoit- should look to unload anyone over 30 in the next six months for players Olivier Groulx and Isac Lundestrom should provide fine depth. Colangelo with potential — especially up front. Perhaps there might even be a taker and Perreault are both righties who can score, too. But I don’t think for Getzlaf at the deadline at half his salary, if he’s willing to waive his no- Comtois is going to be the left-handed threat they need (even though I do move clause. — James Mirtle think he’ll be a very good NHLer), and Tracey is more of a complementary piece if he makes it. The Analytics What does our prospect pool tell us about where we are in a competitive The Stanley Cup Checklist is based on research done earlier this year cycle? looking at the average value for players at every position from the past 10 Cup champions. It’s based on the best-of-the-best each year, making The strength of the Ducks’ prospect pool is reflective of where they’re at it a high bar to clear and it means no team will have every box checked as an organization, which is to say in a bit of a reset. It will be incumbent off, but the more holes a team has filled, the closer they are to being a on them to stick with it, though. Just because it’s strong now and there’s Cup contender. A name in a specific box means he’s in the right ballpark talent coming doesn’t mean it’s time to pivot into a next chapter. My for projected value compared to past Cup winners, with some on the advice would be simple: Don’t get ahead of yourself, keep adding lower end and some on the higher end. Using an age curve, we made prospects and picks for another year or two at minimum. — Scott note of what each team already has on their roster signed for each of the Wheeler next three seasons. The Game Plan Let’s take a look. Few teams understand the value of draft choices better than the Ducks I like the Kevin Shattenkirk signing in a vacuum, just not for this team. do and part of the goal in a rebuilding year is to determine just how far The time to tank is now for a team that was fourth last in expected goals along some of the youngsters they’ve been patiently nurturing — Troy last year and is one of two teams in the league without a single top line Terry, Sam Steel, Max Jones — have come along and to see if they are player. ready to make an NHL impact. It may well be that rookie forward Trevor Zegras leapfrogs them all in short order, which is what the organization It’s hard to win when your best forward is … Rickard Rakell? Maybe? By badly needs — not just a prospect to fill an NHL uniform, but one who GSVA he projects to be worth 1.4 wins, which is the rate of an average can be a difference-maker. second-liner. That’s not good enough and if any team needs to tank to start building an elite future core, it’s this one. It’s the final year of Getzlaf’s contract, worth $8.25 million, and though it’s likely Anaheim will want to keep Getzlaf around as a Duck for life, the In all honesty, that’s not happening with John Gibson in net who is single- same might also have been said of Corey Perry a few years back.