It's Draft Day.  It could also be called Trade Day.

In keeping with that tradition, the Ducks traded away defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to the New York Islanders. 
Anaheim in return will receive a second-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Visnovsky, 35, did not have a great season last year, with six goals and 27 points in 68 games.  This was a poor follow up for the 2010-11 season when he had 18 goals and 68 points, which was the most in the NHL among defensemen that year.

At $5.6 million against the salary cap, Visnovsky was just too expensive for his production (or recent lack thereof.)

This year, the 2012 draft could also be called D-Day, as in Defensemen.  With the exception of the first and third pick, every selection was a blue line guy.

It made sense then, that when the Ducks made their first draft pick at #6 it would be a defenseman.  The Ducks selected Swedish blue liner Hampus Lindholm.  Lindholm was slotted by the talking heads to go around 15th, but Anaheim has never been one to go a little off the board.

Lindholm is a big guy at 6'2" and 195 pounds.  The 18-year-old Swede split the 2011-12 season between Rogle’s junior and Allsvenskan teams; he recorded 5 goals and 17 points and a plus-25 rating in 28 games for their junior squad and one goal and four points in 20 contests for their senior club.

"I'm very happy," Lindholm said. "I had meetings with the Ducks and had a feeling they might pick me."

Scouting reports vary on Lindholm, but generally agree he is an all around two-way d-man with good size and mobility. Skates well. Hockey sense is impressive and so are his puck skills. Does not shy away from the rough stuff, although not an overly physical player. Used on the man advantage as well as in shorthanded situations. Sort of a late bloomer.  Got better as the season went on.  He has offensive ability, good vision and an ability to create plays.  Solid, but not spectacular.

As with all draft picks, it is a crap shoot for future success, but you have to have hope.

The Ducks change minor league affiliates like some people change shoes. 

The newest Ducks AHL affiliate will be the Norfolk Admirals beginning in the 2012-13 season.  Unlike prior affiliates, this one is a five year contract.

“We are excited to be affiliating with the Admirals in a great hockey market such as Norfolk, Virginia,” said GM Bob Murray. “We look forward to working with the Norfolk organization and continuing the winning tradition the team has created at Norfolk Scope Arena. We would also like to thank the Syracuse Crunch and its fans for their support over the last two seasons.”

Prior to the Syracuse Crunch, the Ducks spent one year with the Iowa Chops.  Before that, it was the Portland Pirates.

Norfolk most recently was the affiliate for the Tampa Bay Lightning

“We are excited to have the Ducks as our partner and look for a terrific long-term relationship," said Admirals President Ken Young. “The Ducks have the nucleus of an excellent club in Anaheim and have a great system of prospects that we will see develop in Norfolk. We look forward to continued top-level hockey in Hampton Roads as Anaheim's top affiliate.”

The Ducks will provide the Admirals with a full roster of players as well as a coaching and training staff in Norfolk. Trent Yawney, who coached the Admirals to the Calder Cup Playoffs in each of the team's first five seasons in the AHL will return as head coach in 2012-13. He will be joined behind the bench by assistant coach Marty Wilford, who is Norfolk's all-time leading scorer among defensemen with 173 points (32g, 141a) in 318 games between 2000-01 and 2004-05.

Seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Will there ever be a time when there are no rumors about Bobby Ryan being shopped around by the Anaheim Ducks? 

Ever since Ryan joined the team, he has never been able to truly feel settled.  Back and forth to the AHL.  Switching around on every single lines.  Different position on the ice.  And those trade rumors?  Incessant.

They've ramped back up again in recent days, especially as the annual entry draft is about to happen.  Before July 1 and free agency, there are plenty of deals and trades made to improve drafting positions. 

TSN has reported that Ryan is on the trading block and GM Bob Murray has confirmed that he is "listening" to offers because he is always trying to improve the team.  Everyone else is chiming in as well. 

Much is being made because Columbus Blue Jackets winger, Rick Nash, is also up for sale.  Ryan provides a cheaper, younger option for teams looking to acquire a solid 30 goal scoring power forward.  Perhaps Columbus won't get as much as they were hoping now that there is another choice out there. 

At least Murray has stated that it would have to be the right offer for him to accept it. 

For now, the rumors swirl.  What will really happen remains to be seen.  Even if it is not accomplished by the draft, I don't recommend that he memorize the Ducks 2012-2013 schedule just yet.   It is highly likely that someone will eventually make Murray an offer he cannot refuse and Ryan will be going elsewhere.   Until then, he is Duck.

With the schedule for next season already out, Ducks fans can certainly plan ahead. 

The Ducks will open their season on Friday, October 12 at home against the San Jose Sharks.   They will finish up their season away from home, but just up the road to face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, April 13.   The first time the Ducks get to meet up with the defending Stanley Cup champions will be November 18 at the Honda Center.  Another team will get to watch when the Kings unfurl their banner.   Some annual Duck traditions include the day after Thanksgiving game matinee against the Chicago Blackhawks and a third consecutive New Year's Eve game against the Colorado Avalanche. 

Road trips and home stands seem pretty evenly balanced.  The longest home stand is in November with six games.  There will be road trips, but the longest will be five games.  No marathons on the road this year.

Who will be playing?  Will Ryan be in the line up?  And if so, will he be there the entire season?  Will Teemu Selanne really be back for one more year (and you know the fans will be asking for the next year, too)?   Who knows? 

At least watching it all unfold will be something to do in the off-season!

The Stanley Cup has been presented and so begins the season of signings and rumors of signings. 

The Ducks signed Max Friberg to a three year entry level contract last week.  The contract is a two way contract, paying $70,000 in the AHL and a graduated salary in the NHL.    The 19 year old Swedish winger was selected in the fifth round of last year's entry draft.

Meanwhile, there are reports out of Finland that Teemu Selanne is going to play one more year.  This was reported by TSN.ca, but has not been confirmed by the Ducks organization.  Until the Ducks have a contract, anything reported is a rumor, no matter how appealing it may be to Anaheim fans.

What is not appealing to Anaheim fans is news that fan favorite, George Parros, is likely to test free agency.  Despite having an offer from GM Bob Murray, Parros will likely be up for grabs on July 1.  If the Ducks cannot come to an agreement with defenseman, Sheldon Brookbank, he, too, will be taking a dip in the free agent pool.

While the Ducks might be ok with those guys going to free agency, they are not thrilled at all that prospect Justin Schultz could also be an unrestricted free agent.  In a weird quirk of the CBA, there is a loophole that Schultz can take advantage of and become an UFA unless Anaheim can comes to term with the University of Wisconsin standout.

The Ducks have until June 24 to negotiate exclusively, but it appears that Schultz is not interested in playing in a Ducks uniform.

“Yeah, that’s a sore spot,” Murray said in an LA Times interview. “We’ve drafted fairly well the last few years … We rebuilt and you have a young man like Justin [Schultz] coming along who gave us every indication he wanted to play for us.  There’s a spot there for him on the right point on that blue line. You mention the weaknesses. Our power play has been horrible. And Justin is very good at that. So it’s a huge disappointment. You just can’t replace it. You counted on it."

Anaheim wanted Schultz to come to Anaheim in March to play after he was done with his junior season.  If Schultz had done that, it would have counted as year one of an entry level contract.  Schultz was not interested.

“We’ve tried everything,” Murray said. ”We’ve offered him everything we could have. This is not a money situation because we actually offered Justin the day before we played Calgary [in the last game of the season].We offered him everything we could possibly have offered him to play for us. He didn’t even have to play that game. He just had to sign the contact from wherever he was and he could have burned a year. … So this is a situation where a young man has decided that he just wants to, as they say, check with all 29 other teams before they sign.”

Schultz was a second-round pick in 2008 and is poised to jump right into a line up.  Anaheim hoped it would be theirs.  It will likely be another team who benefits instead.   Ouch.

The Los Angeles Kings are the 2012 Stanley Cup champions.  As a Ducks fan, do you realize how difficult that is to say?  Then I remember what Anaheim did five years ago, earning their first Cup after only 13 years in existence.  Can't imagine what it would have been like to have to wait 45 years, like Kings fans!

After losing two games in a row to the New Jersey Devils, including their first road loss of the postseason, the Kings returned to their dominating ways and easily took the Devils down 6-1 in game six. 

Of course the Kings had a little help from Devils stupidity.   Halfway through the first period Steve Bernier creamed Rob Scuderi face first into the boards.   Bernier got a five minute major and a game misconduct.  Scuderi got a bloody face and a Stanley Cup ring for his sacrifice.

Not only did the Kings score on the five minute major, but they score three times to put a dagger in the hopes and hearts of the New Jersey Devils. 

Adios Devils.  Might as well shine that Cup up now and figure out the series MVP. 

On the plus side, for those journalists with a tight deadline, the 3-0 lead after the first period made it quite simple to write their "Kings Win the Cup" stories before the second period even began.  All they needed to add was the final details. 

Kings fans, who were overly optimistic in game four, really did have something to celebrate and shout about by the time the end of the third period rolled around.  Pulling the goaltender when it was 4-1 was a bold move, but whether Martin Brodeur was in net or out, it did not matter.  After the empty net goal, followed abruptly by another to make it 6-1, all that was left was to have the clock run down and start the party.

The rest of the party will continue on Thursday with a fan rally in downtown LA.  Ironically the "free" tickets that were handed out for the rally at Staples Center (which occurs after the obligatory parade) have been seen on eBay for up to $500 each.  Nothing says diehard Kings fan like taking a free ticket and making a profit off of it.

Jonathan Quick received the Conn Smythe award for playoff MVP.  To consider anyone else would have been heresy.  The All Star goaltender finished the playoffs with a .946 save percentage and a 1.41 goals against average.  Those are the best stats ever for goalies who played at least 10 games in a postseason.

Quick is also a Vezina trophy finalist and should be picking up that hardware in Las Vegas at the awards show next week.  He should also have been a Hart trophy nominee as well, because he was the primary reason that the Kings made it to the playoffs in the first place.  He was consistent and stingy in letting goals in when his own teammates could not find the back of the net at the other end of the ice. 

So Kings and Kings fans - enjoy it while it lasts.  When you get to the top, there is only one direction from there - down.  Just ask any Ducks fans in the past five years.  But it sure is fun and a great feeling while you are there....

A few days ago, the New Jersey Devils looked like dead ducks.  The Los Angeles Kings were up 3-0 in the seven game series.  The Kings were undefeated on the road and looking unstoppable. 

There is a reason why playoff series last seven games and the old adage "the fourth one is the toughest one to win" is true.  Just ask the Kings how tough. 

The Devils had a must win game four. The Kings appeared to sit back a little in front of a home crowd who paid serious money to (hopefully) watch their team finally win the Stanley Cup.  Instead, the Devils made the Cup keeper pack the big silver thingy back in its case.   They took the lead for the first time in the series, and more importantly, figured out how to get a puck past Jonathan Quick.  The 3-1 defeat forced a game five in New Jersey.

Considering the Kings road record in the postseason, 10-0, the best EVER of any sport or team, it did not seem like the Devils would extend things much further.

Well, records are meant to be broken.  The Devils took the confidence from game 4 and built on it in game 5. 

For the second game in a row, the Devils scored first.  More importantly, they never yielded that lead and sent the series back to Los Angeles for a game 6. 

Now the Kings have lost two in a row.  They haven't lost two in a row since the end of the season.  If the Kings don't change their game plan and performance, it will be three in a row (something that hasn't happened since February).

It seemed impossible that the series would not go beyond four or five games.  Instead, there is a good chance of having a game 7 in New Jersey.  You have to believe there is a seed of doubt in the minds of the Los Angeles Kings, a chink in their armor, the discovery of an achilles heel. 

Game 6 is Monday in LA.  Fans entering the building will be less assured of the results as they were last Wednesday. 

Devils have more hope than they did on Wednesday and will certainly be doing all they can do to go back to New Jersey to push the series to the ultimate limits. 

Their odds are not great, looking at history.  Teams down 3-0 might recover for a game or two.  But come back to win four in a row and take a series?  Just doesn't happen. 

Except in hockey, where anything is possible, no matter how impossible. 

It sure is fun to watch now that it really is a battle!

You might as well just hand the Stanley Cup over the Los Angeles Kings now.  Up 3-0 in the series against the New Jersey Devils, this team is unstoppable.   When the LA crowd was chanting "We want Cup!" towards the end of game three, it did not feel premature at all.

Despite being the eighth seed in the Western Conference, the Kings have had zero difficulty with no home ice advantage.  Road games?  Tough going into a hostile building?  Nope.  The Kings have won every single road game this postseason, an NHL first.

Not that they have lost a lot at home.  They have only lost two games this entire postseason and are just one win away from touching that big silver thingy for the first time since coming into the league in 1967. 

The Kings are certainly making history and doing it in a way that there is no question mark beside their name. 

While you are polishing up the Cup, you might as well start putting Jonathan Quick's name on the Conn Smythe trophy as well.  There is a reason why Quick went to the All Star game for the first time this season.  There is a reason he is the only Vezina nominee left in the playoffs.  He deserves every single honor he gets and while it has been a team effort the past 17 games, Quick has still been a huge component of the Kings success, as he has all year long. 

Quick has allowed two goals in three games.  Martin Brodeur, 40, is not able to keep up with that kind of goaltending at the other end.  Maybe in his younger days, but not at this stage of his career.

A 5 on 3 power play for the Devils?  New Jersey could not score even then.   At that point, not only was the game over, but the series was over. 

Will the Devils come back with a vengeance in game 4?  Probably.  Is there a chance they can even win one and take it back to New Jersey?  Sure.  But if they go back to New Jersey, what is the point?  With the Kings road record, home ice for the Devils is not going make one little tiny bit of difference, any more than it did the first three rounds of the playoffs or the first two games of this series. 

The only advantage of this series going to a game five and the Cup being awarded in New Jersey is that there will be fewer people in downtown LA who will riot in celebration.  (Come on, you know there is going to be one.)

After years of mediocrity, the Kings will have earned this one and for once will truly live up to their name.  If the collective bargaining agreement does not get resolved by the end of summer, Los Angeles might be the reigning Stanley Cup champions longer than the usual time frame.  Maybe that would make up for 45 years of futility. 

For Kings fans, it's about time.  Just remember, Ducks did it before you!

 

It's been a long time since any hockey was played.  OK, not nearly as long as the summer drought, but when you are in the middle of playoff season, five days seems like an eternity.  The Los Angeles Kings finished off the Phoenix Coyotes more than a week ago.  The New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers last Friday evening. 

You think the NHL could start things a wee bit sooner?  Nope.  They are rigidly set in their scheduling ways and will not deviate.  Even if continuing momentum might actually help build an audience who can quickly forget what they had for lunch, much less remember there is still hockey to be played. 

But at last it happens.  For Kings and Devils fans, they have been itching for this.  If you are a Ducks fan with any long history with Anaheim, you kind of feel like....meh.

Who do you root for?  You can't root for the team up the road.  That would be like USC and UCLA fans changing their loyalties.  You can't really root for the Devils, who vanquished the Ducks hope for their first Stanley Cup in 2003, beating them in seven games. 

Goaltender Martin Brodeur is still at the helm of the Devils, albeit a much older version of Brodeur.  40?  Age be damned.  He's still better than a lot of younger players and you cannot deny that he has the experience. 

Jonathan Quick is minding the net for Los Angeles and he is no slouch either.  Quick has been consistent throughout the entire year and has been a primary reason for the Kings success.  His name has been mentioned for the Conn Smythe trophy and he is the only Vezina trophy finalist still in it.  There is no reason to expect him to play any differently in the final round and he could find himself bringing home a lot of hardware this year.

So how will this one go?  The Kings are a #8 seed and the Devils were the #6 seed in the East.    That is a vast difference over past years where the top seed usually wins the whole shebang.   This year, it will be a bottom seed. 

With the way the Kings are playing, they seem unstoppable and likely to finish off the Devils in four or five, as they have their other opponents up until now. 

Then again, maybe during their time off they needed to look at videos of the Ducks in 2003.  The Ducks also won 12 out of 14 games in the first three rounds.  The Ducks swept Detroit in the first round, took Dallas to six games in the second and swept Minnesota, the other Cinderella team that year, to get to the Finals.

When they got there, they were well rested.  They met up with the Devils.  Did not end nearly as idyllic as the first three rounds. 

Anything can happen in these games, and things can change drastically and turn momentum.  There is still discussion about Marty McSorley's stick penalty in 1993.  Was it the only reason why the Kings lost that year?  Probably not, but it seemed to be a pivotal moment that turned the series. 

What will be the pivotal moment this time?  Will there even be one? 

Whatever happens, you want things to be even, well played on both sides and a battle to the bitter end.  Because when this round is over it is going to be a loooonnnnnggggg time before more hockey is played again.  Enjoy it while you can and may the best team end up victorious.

Good luck to both teams and know that I will not be at either of your victory celebrations.  Thanks.  I'll pass.  But the least you can do is make it entertaining.

The Western Conference has a new champion in the Los Angeles Kings.  The five game series between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Kings got nasty and heated at times.  You can be sure that next season the division rivalry will have an even bigger edge to it, with hostilities continuing between the two teams.

For now, Phoenix will get to cool off (good luck in those 100 degree plus temperatures) until September.  While the Kings appeared unstoppable and headed towards a sweep, the Coyotes had other plans.  In the end, the Kings still finished them off in five games.

That will earn the Kings a one week respite to nurse any hidden injuries and prepare for the Stanley Cup Finals.  They will need to refamiliarize themselves with that, as it has been 19 long and mostly futile years between visits. 

The Kings will also need that time to figure out which city they will be visiting next.  The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils series was tied 2-2 as of Wednesday morning. 

The Edmonton Oilers in 2005-2006 are the only other 8th seeded team to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.  Historically, teams who win the Cup are in the top seeds, but with the way the Kings are playing, anything is possible.

Los Angeles has been dominant on the road, which is a good thing because they will never have home ice advantage.  Their eight consecutive wins on the road is an NHL record and they will want to keep it going in the next round as well.

As a Ducks fan, can't wish them good luck.  Only can say enjoy it now, because it doesn't last forever.  Just ask Dustin Penner.

While the playoffs have been going on, the Ducks have doing a few things other than watching teams that are not themselves playing hockey. 

The Ducks signed head coach Bruce Boudreau to a two-year contract extension through the 2014-15 NHL season. Boudreau was originally under contract with Anaheim through 2012-13.

“Since joining the organization last November, Bruce has done an outstanding job with the team,” said GM Bob Murray. “He’s committed to us and determined to lead us back to the playoffs.”

Boudreau is the eighth coach in Anaheim Ducks history, taking over the bench from Randy Carlyle last November.

“I’m really happy about this,” said Boudreau. “I’m convinced we have a great core of players and a bright future, and I’m excited to be part of it.  I just think this team is just starting where we want to go. I look at the playoffs this year. If we had started a little bit earlier, anything could have happened. We competed with all the teams that are in it, touch and nail. It would have been interesting and it will be interesting come next year."

The Ducks have also signed Swedish goaltender, Viktor Fasth, to a one-year contract through the 2012-13 NHL season  worth $1 million.

Fasth, 29, has been named the Swedish Elite League’s Goaltender of the Year in each of the last two seasons, becoming the first goalie to do so since Henrik Lundqvist. 

"I’m really happy and looking forward to joining the organization," said Fasth in a teleconference.  "It’s a dream come true for me. I’m really excited.  I’m really glad to have this opportunity to come over to the NHL. It’s always been a big dream for me. It’s the world’s best league. I’m really glad to get this chance."

The Ducks are unlikely to re-sign Dan Ellis, and prospect Iiro Taarki went to the KHL this spring.  That leaves Fasth and Jeff Deslauriers fighting for the back up spot on the team at camp. 

Murray was pleased with the signing.

“He’s an older, mature goaltender who has experience on the big stage. We just strengthened our goaltending," the GM commented. 

If Fasth earns a spot on the final roster, he will certainly not be your typical "rookie," with his age and experience. 

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