Ban Price trades
Rejoint: oct. 2017
Messages: 6,482
Mentions "j'aime": 6,455
I would think status as a contender is a bit of a reach: the top-nine forwards leave a lot to be desired and the blueline behind that top pair is suspect. With Gibson though, you've got a quality chance to win every game he starts. I think adding Pietrangelo helps the Ducks compete for a wildcard spot, but I don't see the guarantee. I think this kind of move leaves the Ducks stuck in mediocrity until Zegras is a full-time top-six NHL centerman and names like Comtois and Steel are pushing the envelope throughout the Ducks' depth. The question then becomes: is mediocrity something the Ducks can survive over the next 2-3 seasons?
I think they could, but that they're better off committing to a rebuild than trying to fight one. I don't believe Getzlaf has enough left in the tank for another season as a #1C and the internal salary cap that Anaheim is known to work with doesn't support adding $10M of defenceman, taking this team to the upper cusp of the cap ceiling. Even if there's nearly $18M expiring between Backes, Getzlaf, Gudbranson, and Rowney next season.
Let's consider the state of the Pacific division over the course of the next 5 years:
- San Jose is just starting to bottom out and father time remains undefeated. Likely the bottom-feeder of the division over this timespan
- Calgary, without substantial philosophy changes in management, will continue to toil in mediocrity and may bottom-out in the process
- Vancouver and Edmonton appear to be pointed in the right direction, being upward
- Vegas is king
- Seattle cannot be assumed to come out of the gates as hot as Vegas did, but it's worth prepping for
Los Angeles is substantially farther ahead in their rebuild than the Ducks are, and given some of the pieces in the Kings' system, I think it reasonable to assume that graduations are nigh. Stutzle is likely joining a group that's ready to see Turcotte and Vilardi playing big minutes behind Kopitar. Bjornfot is found money, and it's borderline unfair that Petersen is already as good as he is. The Kings are primed in a few seasons to surge up the standings in the Pacific after committing to the pain.
If the Ducks make the decision to add Pietrangelo now, are they looking to be competitive over the next 5 seasons given the above? I think they'd still be fighting for a wildcard spot as they would be today should they make this signing. Commitment to the rebuild is the best path forward, and with the pieces Anaheim already has in her system, I think it could be likely they join the Kings in their window of ascent up the standings. Being another obstacle for a rebuilding Kings to barrel through probably wouldn't sit well in Orange County.