Murray Comments On Team; 25th Anniversary Jersey Revealed
By Michael Walters
Today the Anaheim Ducks held a season ticket holder summer beach party event in Huntington Beach at SeaLegs at the Beach.
Anaheim’s play-by-play announcer Steve Carroll had a brief discussion with the Ducks General Manager Bob Murray, which was followed by the 25th anniversary jersey reveal. The first part of the discussion was on selected topics. The second half included questions from season ticket holders who were present at the event.
First Segment:
Improving The Team
Murray stated that in order to compete in the NHL, teams need to have four forward lines that they can play on any given night and there has to be speed throughout the entire lineup. He feels he added depth and more speed with the free agent signings that he made recently. Most of the players he added came from teams that focus on speed and/or went deep in the playoffs recently(i.e. Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay).
He feels like Luke Schenn and Andrej Sustr will help the Ducks third defensive pairing. Murray believes one of them will be with the team most of the season as Marcus Pettersson and Jacob Larsson will be in the mix as well.
Contract Updates
Murray stated that he would be flying to Toronto very soon to address the arbitration hearing for Brandon Montour. He said the good news is a contract will be signed and it is looking like a two-year deal. He did not discuss any possible financials of the deal.
He stated he was happy to lock up Adam Henrique for several years. Murray mentioned that speed is important, but teams also need to be strong down the middle in order to compete.
He is currently negotiating with John Gibson and his agent right now. Murray wants to get a long-term deal signed with Gibson soon. Murray would also like to get a deal with Jakob Silfverberg worked out soon also. Silfverberg will be an unrestricted free agent after next season and Murray doesn’t want to lose him for nothing.
Injury Updates
Ryan Kesler recently told Murray that he is “fine”, but Murray said his status is still up in the air. He expects Patrick Eaves to be healthy for most of next season but is still uncertain about Kesler.
Cam Fowler is “feeling okay” according to Murray. He has been playing golf every day. He ended the season with a shoulder injury preventing him from making an appearance in the playoffs.
Max Jones injured his thumb during the prospect camp at the beginning of the month. He got his thumb caught in another player’s jersey snapping it backward. He is going to be out for at least three months.
Possible Forward Lineups
Given the Kesler situation, here are some possible forward lines that Murray discussed:
Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Patrick Eaves
Jakob Silfverberg – Adam Henrique – Corey Perry
Young Players That Could Play In Anaheim Soon
Murray stated that several of the younger players could make the jump to the big team soon. He feels that Troy Terry, Sam Steel, and Kevin Roy are all players that are not far off from being in Anaheim permanently.
First Round Pick Isac Lundestrom
Murray is satisfied with his first round pick. He said Lundestrom has a solid hockey IQ, is a good two-way player, and can play all zones of the rink.
Second Segment (Fan Questions):
What is the purpose of all the one-year deals?
Murray believes that signing one-year deals makes the players stay hungry in their approach to the game. He said the pressure is on the player to produce and play well if he wants to get another contract.
Is there a plan to address the overtime and/or shootout performances?
Murray said his concern is the 3-on-3 play and it will be addressed this upcoming season. He said “we get off to shitty starts” in the overtime and that it needs to change.
What’s the plan with Corey Perry?
Murray stated that Perry needs to focus on his game in the offseason and improve for next year. He alluded to the fact that Perry could likely not play on the top line when he discussed some of the forward line combinations mentioned above.
How do we improve the power play?
Murray said that players need to stop standing around so much. Players need to move the puck more and be more active. He was adamant about this being an issue with Anaheim’s overall game and not just the power play.
25th Anniversary Jersey Revealed
After the discussion with General Manager Bob Murray, the Anaheim Ducks revealed the new 3rd jersey as Guy Hebert rode in on a lifeguard truck wearing the jersey. The jersey is a throwback in the original Mighty Ducks jersey. The team stayed away from purple or white as being the main color and went with black in the retro style. The logo has silver triangles and the sticks are orange. The gold webbed D logo is on both shoulders.
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The plan is for this jersey to only be worn this season(15 games total) and then the orange third jersey will return in the 2019-20 season. Click below to watch a video of Guy arriving at the event.
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July 21st, 2018