Duck, Duck, Disaster
Before the start of the season, there were very few people who would bet against the Anaheim Ducks leading the Western Conference, in dominant fashion. After all, this team made few changes from the team that took the eventual Stanley Cup Champion, Chicago Blackhawks to seven games in the Western Conference Finals last year. If anything, they got better with the additions of Carl Hagelin, and Kevin Bieksa to an already imposing line up.
Now three weeks have gone by, and the Anaheim Ducks are not only one of the worst teams in the Western Conference, but the entire league. They currently hold a 1-5-2 record, with a measly 4 points. To compound these disappointing stats, seven individual players have as many, or more goals than the entire Ducks line up over the course of the season, so far. Even worse, the Ducks have already been shut out more times after eight games (5), than all of last season (4).
Several of the Ducks top players have barely made their presence known this season. In fact, some have pulled off an epic disappearing act bound to leave David Copperfield mystified. Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler and Carl Hagelin have each recorded just one assist each. That’s something, right? Well, the Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford has an assist this year, too.
Dead Ducks
For the Ducks fans, this is beyond frustrating. Their team had not changed much, and yet they are dead in the water. For management, it is a catastrophic failure that will likely be the end of one, or several members of their current roster, and/or coaching staff.
Bruce Boudreau is almost certainly sweating over the teams complete collapse, as the management team has to be asking whether, or not he is capable of leading this team. A question they were likely already asking, given the manner in which this team had been eliminated in each of the last few seasons. If the coach can not get them through a game seven, with everything on the line, how will he get them out of this funk when the stakes are not as high? Yet.
And for the leaders on the ice, Perry and Getzlaf are also feeling the heat. They have been unable to show up in the moments that their team needs them the most. For teams that succeed, their leaders step up in the moments that everything is on the line. Carey Price makes the biggest saves, on the biggest stages. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane score the game winner in OT. Shea Weber blocks a shot to preserve a lead with seconds to go. Getzlaf and Perry break sticks on the bench, and commit unnecessary penalties out of frustration.
Shaken to Their Core
The answer for the Ducks is likely not going to be easy, or popular. At this point, there seems to be only one option. The nuclear option. They have only a handful of choices, and all of them would fall under this category. First, they can fire coach Bruce Boudreau, and hope that shakes up the players enough to light the fire. Second, they can throw the hail Mary pass, and trade a marquee player. Third, they can do absolutely nothing, and pray that tomorrow the Ducks will wake up, and start playing.
None of these options are going to be particularly palatable to the coaches, the players, the fans, or the management team. However, they are at the breaking point where they will have to decide which course of action to take.
As an outsider, it is clear that a shake up of some kind is on the way. A win at this point is merely a stay of execution, because every loss that piles up in the Western Conference is one step closer to an early golf season. And a hole this deep is already well on the way to booking tee times.