Rangers I think say yes, but we'd rather Kase. You could probably get Nash for Kase straight up, maybe add a mid-rounder and he's yours.

Love the Nash deal, but even though I think somebody overpays, I don't think the Ducks give up Ritchie. I could see them sending Jacob Larsson or Kase instead and the 2nd turns into a 1st or compensatory 1st

Kase is just as good if not better than Nash. If not, he is almost as good No chance the Ducks would make that trade. Your crazy if you think so. Not trading Kase. Ridiculous counter.

Gross. Kase is just as good if not better than Nash. Ridiculous that you think the Ducks would do that. Horrible. Ducks aren’t trading Kase.

Hey, listen I agree. Some people think Ritchie is as good. I'm not one of those people and clearly neither are you.

Like the trades. Switch Kase and Vermette. Kase is a stud.

The Hjalmarsson trade may fall a tad short for AZ. I think they'd get better offers, unless Grant was changed to a better player/prospect. Maybe Welinski + Roy? AZ might be moving Domi soon, Roy is a similar style of player and might be a decent consolation prize.

Nash + Hjal to the Ducks looks pretty though. Drool.

add a prospect instead of richie.. not a fan of his overall game-- only way richie would go through is if it was an unconditioned first rounder

The Nash trade is simply terrible. I’ve made my thoughts clear on it in the original proposal thread, but, regardless of your feelings about Ritchie, I’m seriously shocked that Duck fans think that’s a good deal. Just an horrendous overpay for an aging under-performer.

The Hjalmarsson deal doesn’t have enough value for ARI IMO. Would love to add him regardless of whether we make the playoffs or not. He’d solidify our top 4 for now, get Bieksa bumped from the line-up, and provide a veteran persence next season. Probably needs Roy added to the deal instead of Grant, but I’d do that deal.

The line combinations are all over the place. I mean, Rakell at RW? Wagner at C when you have Vermette in the 3LW position? Kase on the 4th line. Just all kinds of wrong.

So first of all... I honestly think Nash improves this team. He can score. Is he Rick Nash of Columbus and al of that success? No. He is a pending UFA rental. Very little risk on the salary since it’s expiring. Plain and simple Nick Ritchie isn’t working. He was supposedly going to fill the roll of Maroon but it doesn’t seem to work. He has flashes but honestly is stale here. Fresh start needed. Is he the only guy out there that I’d look at? No. But I think he is a quality option, a vet who knows how to come in and work. Plus there is some history there. Getzlaf and Nash have played on the same line together for Canada and have good chemistry. Could add a great punch. And if you’re going to consider the idea that we are loading up for a cup run (which would be the only reason to be a buyer at this point for the ducks), then you gotta look at it as trading a low second round pick and a young player that just hasn’t worked out.

As for the lines Rakell has played on both wings and C. One of the things the ducks liked about him originally is he versatility. Even CF has him listed a C,RW. But Nash can play both sides so feel free to switch them if that makes you feel more comfortable. The Second line is what it is. I like Vermette on the wing. He has played there multiple times this season including on the left side of Getz with Rakell on the right (see previous statement on Rakells versatility) and Perry has had good chemistry with both Rico and Vermette. As for Kase, again he has played up and down the lines. Realistically I you bring in a winger someone is getting moved around. And moreover as far as the wingers... RC likes to shuffle them around. This why Silfy has been all over, Rakell has played both sides, Perry has been on the first line, fourth line and everywhere in between. Wags has been on the wing and at center as has vermette.

I stand by the trades and would be over the moon to see what that team can do.

You think adding a guy who is slow, bad defensively and currently on pace for sub-40 pts is really going to improve this team? Really? I mean, even if you do, do you really think he takes us from being a fringe playoff team to a cup winner? Because that is what you would have to think to justify that price. Regardless of your views on Ritchie, that is a ridiculous price to pay and horrendous asset management.

Ok, so you think Ritchie hasn’t worked and needs a change. I think the whole team hasn’t worked and needs a change. To suggest that Ritchie is the only problem player in a team that struggles to beat bottom feeder teams is, quite frankly, absurd. Ritchie has been mismanaged, as has Bieksa (should be benched), Boll (should never have been on roster), Getzlaf and Kesler (over-used during the season leading to fatigue in the playoffs), Roy/Welinski/Larsson (all should be getting more looks in), etc. The problem isn’t (just) Ritchie, the problem is Randy Carlyle. He’s tried to implement a game plan of sitting back, absorbing pressure and countering on the rush. A very similar game to what LA plays. Except, we don’t have the quality in the D corp across the line-up to execute it, especially with Vats gone and Bieksa being a staple. We also don’t have the speed in the forwards to capitalise on counter attacks or to get back in coverage once the puck has been lost, leading to odd man rushes the other way for the opposition. Why the hell would Ritchie, a guy who is 6ft 2 and 220lbs and who excels along the boards and around the net, be successful in a system that requires him to play like a guy that is 5ft 11 and 190lbs? I mean, look how good Kase and Roy have been this year? That’s not Ritchie’s game. This isn’t to say that Ritchie doesn’t need to improve. He needs to improve his skating speed, particularly his first step, and his hands and positioning also need work. However, that can all be worked on. He’s 22 years old for crying out load. What he can’t do is become a completely different player overnight to fit a system that doesn’t suit his style. The team is aging and we’ve had injuries that have slowed many of our players. RC hasn’t adapted his game plan to address this and that is why we are struggling to win, that and he makes awful line-up decisions like playing Bieksa 18-20 mins a night. If you want to move Ritchie, fine. But at least let the trade make some sense. Don’t give away a slow, big, young, cost-controlled player that is struggling to fit into a system that requires him to be a fast skater for a slow, big, old, pending FA that probably won’t fit into the system either and that you have no intention of re-signing. Moreover, don’t add a 2nd round pick on top of that. Ritchie for someone like Domi, who is faster and would fit the system better, makes sense (even with a 2nd attached) and is something I could get behind. Ultimately, I’d like RC gone and replaced with someone who is going to embrace the skill set we have in our players i.e. a possession based, strong cycle game, better suited to slower players i.e. most of our core. It may not be the way the NHL is headed (speed becoming king), but, unless you want to give up on ever winning a cup with Getzlaf, we’ve got no other option. Otherwise, we might as well blow it all up and start acquiring players that are better suited for today’s NHL.

As far Rakell, LW is his dominant position. If you don’t know that, I don’t really know what to tell you. We’ve tried him at C and he’s probably good for the 3rd line. At LW, he’s a 1st line, scoring machine. I haven’t seen Rakell ever play RW for ANA. Regardless, why mess with something that’s working? Nash is also a natural LW. Why bring in a player and then play him on his offside? Just trade for RW, no? Vermette is terrible and was terrible even with Getzlaf. He’s basically a face off guy and that’s it. He deserves to be on the 4th line, and the 4th line only. Players have been moved around because RCs system is terrible and doesn’t suit the players on roster. He’s moving players up and down the lineup like a headless chicken because he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing/is unwilling to admit that his system isn’t working. Anyway, a line-up of:

Rakell - Getzlaf - Perry
Cogs - Kesler - Silf
Nash - Henrique - Kase
Wagner - Vermette - Brown

Makes more sense. I don’t know why you’d do anything differently. Maybe swap Perry and Kase, but then you have Nash - Henrique - Perry, arguably the slowest forward line in the entire league. Good luck executing on RCs system with that line.

Of course you stand by the trades, that is absolutely fine. I disagree and would go a different route. However, this is what is great about the internet. We get to exchange ideas and beliefs, even if we disagree. All I can do now is hope to god that ANA is not on Rick’s trade location list.