Penalty problems analyzed by the OC Register
"This is an all-too-familiar statement. We were taking far too many penalties," Carlyle said, baffled to explain the recurring problem. "I've asked that question of everybody, including every player, every member of the coaching staff. It seems at times that we as a group can't help ourselves."
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Perry get benched
Over the last nine games, Perry has drawn 10 minor penalties, many of which have come while the Ducks were on the attack.
"First and foremost, he cannot be less aggressive, but he has to be more careful with the use of his stick," Carlyle said Sunday. "He gets no leeway from the officials because he's a player that's scrappy. And they deem at times that he embellishes.
"And they're constantly on him about it. Verbally. Because I've seen it. He gets no slack in that respect."
Perry says he's finding it tough at times to recognize how much he can do to pester an opposing player before the whistle blows.Read the rest here - Link
MVN has more Ducks rumors
First need - move a defenseman. The Ducks already have seven players on the roster. Maxim Kondratiev was eliminated earlier this year and is now playing in Russia. With Niedermayer, there is also Chris Pronger, Mathieu Schneider, Francois Beauchemin, Sean O’Donnell, Kent Huskins, Shane Hnidy and Joe DiPenta. So who is likely to go? O’Donnell would free up enough money. Hnidy would not. Schneider, having been the “replacement” in case of retirement might be the best trade option. He would free up considerable money which would allow for the re-signing of Corey Perry. Having three top two defensemen doesn’t seem reasonable either. Joe DiPenta is the only person who will stay as he has no contract on the books for next year.
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The OC Register has more Ducks rumors
Now that vacationing Scott Niedermayer has decided to rejoin the Ducks — don't rule out Wednesday's home game against Vancouver for the Conn Smythe winner's triumphal return to active duty — the player most likely to be traded to make the required salary-cap room for next season is veteran center Todd Marchant or veteran defenseman Sean O'Donnell.
The best fit, salary-wise, is O'Donnell, who earns $1.25 this season and $1.25 million next season.
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A profile of Andy McDonald
At 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, if the roster is to be believed, Ducks center Andy McDonald does not look like the prototype iron man.
It's a description McDonald certainly never would have imagined in 2003, when he missed 39 regular-season games and all of the club's playoff run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals because of a severe concussion that resulted from a blow to the head delivered by then-Colorado Avalanche and current Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Adam Foote.
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The current locker room environment
This is where giddy anticipation collides head-on with sober reality.
Like those reality television programs, in which the survivors have the opportunity to share in great wealth but the losers are voted off the island -- the Anaheim Ducks are about to engage in their own version of that game.
In a matter of days, the defending Stanley Cup champions will welcome back defending playoff MVP and Hall of Fame-bound defenseman Scott Niedermayer. Those left in the Ducks' dressing room will instantly revel in the feeling of once again being considered Stanley Cup contenders.
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