Anaheim Ducks

It doesn't happen often, but Teemu Selanne's recent comments prove athletes can put loyalty above all other criteria when deciding where they would like to play. 

It was inconceivable just weeks ago, but the Anaheim Ducks may see Monday's trade deadline come and go with famed winger and long-time star Teemu Selanne staying with the club. 

The reason is as simple as wins and as sappy as hope. Selanne has confidence that the Ducks can close in on a playoff spot, something that just wasn't possible a few weeks back. 

Eric Stephens of the OC Register writes that times have changed and so has the status of the 41-year-old winger Selanne.

Several contending teams and their fan bases relish the idea of adding a future Hall of Famer with 657 goals on his resume but Selanne told the Register on Wednesday that he is not thinking about waiving his no-trade clause to seek a deal.

The end is near for Selanne and nobody would fault him for one last playoff push for Stanley Cup glory. There would be a few teams that would jump at the chance for the talent and experience Selanne still brings that would be invaluable in the postseason.

Instead, the Ducks have gone on a remarkable streak of success and have seen their stock rise to a playoff contender, sitting just six points shy of the current eighth seed and neighbors the LA Kings.

It's all due to a string of fortuitous finishes as the Ducks have gone 12-6 over the last month-and-a-half, and in doing so, have made the postseason something they can now target.

The momentum has not been lost on Selanne who has spent 13 of his 18 NHL seasons in Anaheim. He tells the OC Register the following about a potential trade. 

We haven’t even talked about that. There’s good things going here right now. We all really believe we can make it to the playoffs. It hasn’t been on my mind at all. 

Good fortune will yield a fine ending to the Ducks' season. Even without a playoff berth, they will fight to the bitter end with their leader, and that is the only fitting way for Selanne and the Ducks to end the season. 

Sometimes there are more important things than chasing championship glory. Selanne is at home. 

Follow @gabezal

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on the worst NHL midseason records to make the playoffs since the lockout.  

Surprisingly, just three teams have reached the postseason with a record below .500 through 41 games, the worst being six games below.  

The Anaheim Ducks had a midseason record of 13-22-6, leaving their playoff chances hopeless to say the least.  

Since Jan. 6, the Ducks have a record of 14-2-3 and have now worked their way back into the picture with Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne and Jonas Hiller leading the way.  

Their performance over the past 19 games has been beyond impressive, but it's their last few games that have really got people talking. 

The team is currently four games into an eight-game road trip, and have picked up seven out of eight possible points. Earning points on the road is difficult enough, but the fact that their only point lost thus far was at Joe Louis Arena is incredible. 

The Ducks shut down the surging Penguins in a 2-1 victory last night, while holding the hottest player in the league, Evgeni Malkin, off the score-sheet. The win saw Anaheim reach the .500 plateau, putting them just six points out of the eighth and final playoff position.  

If the Ducks can continue their play for the remainder of this road-trip, they will not only have a chance at making the playoffs, but a good chance. And nobody wants to face a team in the postseason who is riding this type of momentum.  

The Anaheim Ducks were not a team pegged to be at the bottom of the league on January 1st. Quite the opposite, they were expected to compete with the Kings and Sharks for the Pacific Division title.

Through the first half of the season, their lackluster play and skyrocketing loss totals went on without explanation and seemed to have no end in sight, regardless of who was coaching the team.

Yet, as Bruce Boudreau began to implement his game plan in Orange County, the Ducks have quietly become one of the best teams in the league during 2012. Now in the middle of an eight- game road trip (tied for the longest in team history), they've put themselves now only eight points out of the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

It is not hard to argue that Anaheim is now a brand new team under Boudreau, as he has the team playing a much more aggressive brand of defense and a speedier high-powered offense.

Since January 1st the Ducks have lost only two games in regulation (both to the Dallas Stars) and have picked up 13 wins in the process going 13-2-3 and picking up 29 of a possible 36 points. It has put them in a position to actually make a push for the playoffs after a terrible start to the season.

So does Anaheim actually have a shot?

Road Trip

Anaheim is three games into a season-long eight-game road trip. Thus far, they've grabbed five of a possible six points winning both games in regulation against Western Conference teams.

Now, it is certainly true that Anaheim has to maintain a high level of play and continue to climb. Though in addition, they can't simply break even, as most teams do when they go on long road trips. Rather, they need to increase their position in standings over the next five games.

Yet, the Ducks do have one thing working in their favor as they set out to accomplish this.

On the road trip, all the Western Conference games are behind them.

The five games left are all against Eastern Conference opponents. Therefore, winning a game in overtime is of no consequence and won't afford advancement to any Western Conference team who they may be chasing for a playoff spot.

The Ducks showed a huge amount of resilience Tuesday night playing an excellent third period against Minnesota and battling back to not only tie the game, but win it in regulation. The Wild are the next team ahead of Anaheim in the standings, so an overtime win against that team wouldn't have been as helpful.

As far as the road trip goes, the worst is over.

If the Ducks continue to win and fair well against Eastern Conference opponents (5-3-3 so far this season), they'll be in great shape for March where nine of their 14 games are either at home or in Los Angeles.

Coaching and a New Game Plan

Boudreau has done an excellent job of getting his new club to adapt to his game plan while still complementing the skill established on the roster before he was there.

It's my personal opinion that the Ducks players never had a problem responding to Randy Carlyle. Rather they were responding to him while he was pushing a game plan that didn't work with Anaheim's 2011 roster.

Carlyle's brightest moments were when he coached the Neidermayer and Pronger led Ducks of the 2006-2009 era. During these years he had the personnel to play a grinding, hard-hitting, dump-and-chase style, and to his credit he coached that game plan very well.

Though fast forward to 2011, and you have a team now built around youth and speed with that same coach. At this point, Carlyle should have adjusted his game plan.

He didn't.

We shouldn't blame the players or say that Carlyle just got "stale." Not at all. His voice was being heard loud and clear, the exact same way it was being heard in 2007; his 2011 team just wasn't designed to carry out those orders.

Boudreau works because he is working with what he has. Speed, youth and athleticism are all strengths of his roster. He's utilizing them in every way possible, and it shows on the ice as well as the enthusiasm on the players' bench.

Keep It Up

Since January 1st, Anaheim has done everything they could possibly do to win and keep their loss column's activity to a minimum. This continued momentum will push them into the playoffs if they stick to their game plan and continue to play fast, aggressive 2012 Anaheim Ducks hockey.

If they get a few bounces, they have every chance needed to be in the Top Eight come April.

The Anaheim Ducks are stuck between a rock and a hard place heading into the NHL trade deadline. More specifically, Bruce Boudreau's bunch is just 10 points out of the Western Conference playoff picture after going 6-2-2 in its last 10 games, albeit from 13th place in the standings.

The chief source of Anaheim's ecstasy and agony? None other than Jason Blake.

While teams around the league have fawned and drooled all over the likes of Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf (and rightfully so—they're all fantastic players), it's Blake who's proven to be the engine that makes the Ducks go. Per Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register, the Ducks are 13-3-3 in games Blake has played, as opposed to 9-21-6 over the course of his absence.

The 38-year-old has proven to be a steadying presence on a young team, a veteran with the versatility to play on multiple lines.

Yet Blake also happens to be among Anaheim's most tradeable assets. He'll be an unrestricted free agent at season's end and, at his advanced age, likely wouldn't mind the opportunity to finally compete for a Stanley Cup.

Of course, if the Ducks were serious about selling at the deadline, they'd ship one of their three young scorers out of Orange County in exchange for some other blue chippers.

And if GM Bob Murray isn't going to sell off any of his core assets by the end of the month, why would he bother shedding a fringe difference maker like Blake? Surely, the Ducks will get more value out of keeping him for the rest of the season than trading him for some lower-tier prospect.

With Blake, the Ducks might actually be able to sneak their way into the playoffs and make some noise. Without him, they're dead in the water, with little to show for their loss.

In short, if the Ducks know what's good for 'em, they'll hang onto Blake for as long as they can.

Follow @J0shMart1n

The Anaheim Ducks are in a bit of a strange situation. The team is 12-3-3 since January 1st and since that point, they have been one of the league's best teams. They have even kept pace with the Detroit Red Wings (14-4-1).

However, the question of whether or not it will be enough to make up for an absolutely abysmal start under then head coach Randy Carlyle, is uncertain.

It may have been better for Anaheim, as an organization, to be completely out of the playoffs as it would give them a clearer path to travel during the trade deadline. Teams who are completely out of a playoff spot will typically unload some of their veteran players for draft picks, and begin to prepare for the next season.

Anaheim's issue is that if their improved play continues, they will be able to put themselves in playoff contention before April. But, not before the trade deadline passes on February 27th, which will make their own definition of a "smart trade" very difficult to discern.

The team is now only nine points out of a playoff spot, and have opened up a season long road trip taking three out of a possible four points in their first two contests.

If the Ducks are going to tank, they had better tank soon. Otherwise, GM Bob Murray's hands will be tied while he waits to see if his team is going to pull off the miracle turnaround.

Nonetheless, if the Ducks find themselves any closer to a playoff berth next week (say 5-6 points out), expect them to play the deadline conservatively involving only a few players. Here are some possible scenarios.

Lubomir Visnovsky

Visnosky isn't the Ducks most valuable defenseman; however, he did lead the league in points among defenders last year then was hampered by an injury for a large part of this season. He's got a lot to offer, and could grab Anaheim a third or fourth round draft pick should the Ducks be expected to miss the postseason, or someone to shore up the third line if a playoff run seems probable.

Jason Blake

Unknown to the average hockey fan, Ducks' prospect Emerson Etem is currently lighting up the WHL with 51 goals and 89 points in 50 games. The consensus is that he's ripe for the NHL, and Anaheim could be looking to make room for him to play on the second line next year.

That would mean the exodus of one or more of Anaheim's aging second liners. While the Ducks are unlikely to move Teemu Selanne or Saku Koivu, Jason Blake still has some scoring upside and could be on the move. Anaheim won't get much more then a late round draft pick for him, despite his ability to still put up goals and points. Even at 37-years-old, he would be a valuable addition to a contender looking to add depth.

Matt Beleskey

Beleskey has had flashes of value and solid play in Anaheim. We could see him move to a team lower then the Ducks in the standings, possibly for a number five or six defenseman. This scenario would make Anaheim a "buyer" which doesn't seem suited for a team who has had such a poor season. Although, if the Ducks continue to progress towards playoff contention, they may look to shore up and make a final push, as the second half of their season has been nothing but positive. 

Follow @robertwilliam9

The Anaheim Ducks boasted last year's highest scoring defender, the most threatening top line, the league MVP and, perhaps, the greatest veteran in today's game with Teemu Selanne.

In an ultra competitive Pacific Division, this team wasn't expected to run away with the West, but they certainly were thought to be capable of matching last year's performance and possibly making a deeper playoff run.

We're now 50 games into the season, and despite improved play as of late, the Ducks turned out a horrendous first-half performance. They haven’t put themselves in place to even make the playoffs, much less eclipse last year's accomplishments.

What went wrong?

When answering that question about a team with so much talent, you need to dig a little deeper than usual. Here are three x-factors that ultimately doomed Anaheim's 2011-12 season.

Coaching

Randy Carlyle wasn't a bad coach, but his gameplan was set in stone.

While that plan worked in 2007, it wasn't suited to the team that GM Bob Murray has constructed in the years since.

Having Bruce Boudreau take over made that painfully clear.

Had the Ducks' management lost their patience with Carlyle earlier in the season, they might have had a chance to salvage the year, as Boudreau's methods have the team competing at a much higher level.

Though, in all likelihood, his mid-season hiring will have to wait until next season to truly come full-circle.

The November Homestand

By November 9, the Ducks had gone 6-8-3. While this was not an excellent start, it wasn't insurmountable.

To this point, Anaheim would play 11 of their next 13 games at home, with the two road games in nearby Los Angeles and Phoenix.

This home-stand should have been an excellent stretch for a Ducks team who has historically been very good at home. It should have been the springboard that would turn their season in the right direction and get them quickly back into the Western Conference conversation. It should have saved Randy Carlyle's job.

None of this happened.

Anaheim went 3-8-2 during this stretch, which sent them to the bottom of the standings and culminated in the firing of Carlyle and the hiring of Boudreau. T

he Ducks would drop eight of their next ten games before turning their season around during January. However, if the mid-season surge isn't enough to get them into the post-season, the wasted home-stand will be largely to blame.

First Half Goaltending

Jonas Hiller's year long battle with vertigo significantly hurt his playing ability. While his health this year was never in question, the lingering effects were almost certainly an issue.

Hiller's play has picked up as of late. But, during the first half of the season, he seemed very flustered, beatable and just plain inconsistent.

With the injury issues behind him and enough games played to regain his footing after missing so much time, the Ducks' netminder will likely maintain the expected level of play that won him the starting job over J.S. Giguere.

The damage has been done, though, as Hiller's early season play cost Anaheim a lot of games.

Solutions?

Anaheim's current situation is good.

The Ducks are 10-2-2 in their last 14 games and have won seven of their last 10. Everything that went wrong with the team this season has been addressed and appears to have been almost completely corrected.

A new coaching staff is seeing their scheme take root with the players, the team is playing better at home and better goaltending is being complimented by a more aggressive defense.

The only problem with all this is that it's too little, too late.

Anaheim simply doesn't have enough track to make up for how far behind in the race they've fallen; they lost too much ground early in the season.

Yet, moving forward, the Ducks look to have solved what amounts to a four-year Stanley Cup hangover. They've moved on from that coach and that team and have created a new-look Anaheim Ducks team with the blue prints of Bruce Boudreau's Washington Capitals.

Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next season to see the full complement of these changes and whether or not they are enough to push Anaheim back into the playoffs and beyond.

Last season, Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry netted 50 goals and racked up 98 points en route to the Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player. That alone should be enough to keep the Ducks from even considering trading Perry.

According to Jason Botchford of The Province, the rumor is that the Ducks are considering dealing Perry to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for goaltender Cory Schneider, forward Mason Raymond and defenseman Keith Ballard.

This rumor comes as the Ducks are scuffling with a mere 45 points on the season, good for third last in the Western Conference. Perry isn't exactly on the same pace he set last season, but 22 goals and 17 assists at this juncture of the season are still solid numbers.

I'm not going to say that Anaheim should never consider trading Perry because I believe anyone can be traded for the right price, but that package from the Canucks isn't overly appealing. Schneider is having an excellent year and looks ready to become a full-time starter with a record of 11-5 and a 2.28 goals against average.

At the same time, though, the Ducks still $4.5 million per season invested in goalie Jonas Hiller for two more years. Hiller has had a rough go this season with a goals against average of just 2.77, but he was an All Star last year and is capable of playing at a high level.

Additionally, the other pieces the Ducks would be receiving in the deal simply aren't good enough. Raymond is a really nice player, but he has battled injuries this season and has just 12 points in 25 games. Also, he is coming off a mediocre 39-point campaign. If that weren't enough, Raymond becomes a restricted free agent after this season.

Ballard has proven at times in the past that he can be an elite defenseman, but he hasn't been able to put it all together for a long period of time. Ballard has clearly fallen out of favor with Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault as his ice time continues to decrease. He would be an albatross for the Ducks as he is due to earn $4.2 million annually through the 2014-15 season.

Ultimately, the rumored return is nowhere close to what Anaheim should be getting for a player of Perry's caliber. Schneider would be the crown jewel coming back, but with Hiller already in the fold, things would get messy. Raymond is more of a third-line player and Ballard's confidence is shot.

The main thing you have to ask yourself when evaluating this trade is whether Anaheim can replace the 50 goals it loses by trading Perry. The answer is a resounding "no" as the Ducks would be lucky to get 20 goals total out of Raymond and Ballard over a full season.

I'm not sure where Botchford heard this rumor, but it doesn't seem reliable to me in the least. If the Ducks are actually considering this type of offer then there is a considerable problem with the organization. More than likely, though, it is just wishful thinking by some Canucks supporters.

Bruce Boudreau wasn't out of a job for very long, due in part to the timing of Randy Carlyle being fired, and in part to his reputable resume and personality being known around the league.

Coach Boudreau joined one of the most unsuccessful Anaheim Ducks campaigns of the last decade, inheriting a team that had spent almost the entire first half of the season competing with the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in the Western Conference.

That was over two months ago, and Boudreau's impact on the Ducks' play has certainly been noticeable, if not right away, certainly during the month of January.

While the Ducks' December didn't impress much more then their first two months of the season, the team has been on an absolute tear during the month of January going 8-2-2 and averaging less than two goals against per game in that span.

With all this in mind, we ask ourselves: What is the verdict on Coach Boudreau?

Here is Bruce Almighty's early season report card broken down into three different subjects and an overall assessment.

Top Line

Whenever you hear "top line" in relation to the Anaheim Ducks, you're almost always hearing a reference to Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan. They are Boudreau's Anaheim versions of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Bäckström and Alexander Semin. Everyone knows that Boudreau had tremendous success with these players in Washington, but could he re-create it in So-Cal with Anaheim's cycling game plan?

Our answer appears to be yes.

The top three have responded extremely well to Boudreau's coaching. Anaheim's top line is now noticeably faster and more prone to put shots on goal then earlier in the season.

Aside from point production, which has increased during the month of January for all three forwards, the top line has been consistent enough to play together most of the time they're on the ice, which is good news for each of their respective stat sheets.

While the Ducks' top line is still a powerful team down low, they've incorporated a lot of Boudreau's speed game with the cycling style they are already familiar with. Both sides have adjusted well in this regard and the players' point production serves as proof.

Grade: B+

Offense

The addition of Jason Blake (returning from an early season injury) and Niklas Hagman has without a doubt helped the cause of Boudreau's second and third line combinations. Boudreau deserves credit for keeping these players on the same lines and giving them a chance to generate some chemistry.

Under Boudreau the Ducks are rolling out three scoring lines with a fourth checking line. Niklas Hagman, Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne command the second line while Jason Blake, Nick Bonino and Andrew Cogliano make up the third.

Boudreau has done an excellent job getting speed onto all three of these lines without having to move Bobby Ryan around. This has particularly benefited Blake and Hagman, and they've combined for 13 points in the month of January.

Grade: A-

Defense:

Probably the darkest spot for Anaheim this year and in years past has been their defense. Boudreau hasn't exactly been known to be a defensive minded coach, which is one of the few things that made his hiring somewhat puzzling.

Carlyle was the more defensively focused of the two, even if it wasn't showing on the ice.

Boudreau has started by simply reducing the amount of shots his team gives up per game. Often times he'll have a third forward down below the faceoff dot to provide support and cut off shooting lanes. The scheme creates a collapsing wall around Jonas Hiller where the Ducks just give opposition the high points and corners and forces teams to take shots that are easy for Jonas Hiller to stop.

As mentioned earlier, the Ducks' speed has improved in this regard as well. Such long shots create more loose pucks, and the Ducks are quick to pounce on these and start the attack going the other way.

Boudreau deserves credit here for capitalizing on his team's agility and speed rather than trying to re-create the physicality of the 2007 Anaheim Ducks, something Randy Carlyle was certainly guilty of.

Grade: A

Overall

It's never an easy thing for a coach to completely turn around a struggling team, and midseason coaching changes aren't necessarily expected to do that. However, the adjustments that coach Boudreau has made are beginning to become evident and have certainly forced me to contradict an article I wrote back on January 13th titled 5 Reasons Bruce Boudreau Should Not Be the Coach Next Year.

Boudreau has more than proven me wrong as he has not only begun to improve the Anaheim Ducks' record, but also (and perhaps of equal importance) he has taken the team in a brand new direction by developing a new identity and by not relying on an old model that wasn't working with current personnel.

Overall Grade: A-

Follow @RobertWilliam9