Ducks GM Bob Murray finally admits: ‘We’re rebuilding’

IRVINE — Ducks wide manager Bob Murray delivered a connection Wednesday. After talking astir the taxable publicly, and utilizing different words to picture what helium was doing to effort to amended the franchise’s sagging fortunes, helium yet uttered the words truthful galore fans longed to perceive implicit the past fewer years.

“We’re rebuilding,” Murray acknowledged during an informal, 40-minute speech 24 hours earlier the Ducks unfastened grooming campy astatine Great Park Ice.

Asked what helium tells Ducks fans erstwhile they admit him astatine the state presumption oregon connected the play course, Murray said, “We’re sticking to our plan. We’re rebuilding. This is however we’re doing it. We’re being patient. Everything we’re going to bash going forward, each the trades we make, everything is for the aboriginal astatine this constituent successful time.

“As those things travel along, we’ll support adding to that halfway young radical we have. Just beryllium patient. Just bask watching the young kids present and, hopefully, immoderate of the veterans travel backmost (to form) and springiness you thing to beryllium blessed about.”

Murray could person been engaged this past summer, but helium wasn’t. At slightest not successful the mode that captured headlines oregon generated a precocious measurement of integer clicks, anyway.

He could person signed an costly seasoned escaped cause oregon 2 oregon three, but helium didn’t. He could person swapped past first-round draught picks Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras positive Mason McTavish, the 3rd wide prime successful July, for Buffalo Sabres halfway Jack Eichel, but helium wouldn’t.

Henry and Susan Samueli, the Ducks’ owners, seemingly are connected committee with Murray’s diligent attack to turning astir a franchise that erstwhile made Pacific Division championships and heavy playoff runs look similar springtime rites of passage. Publicly, the Samuelis person remained silent, however.

Murray’s biggest determination during the offseason was to re-sign longtime skipper Ryan Getzlaf to a one-season, $4.5-million declaration that included a no-movement clause and a $1.5-million show bonus. He besides revamped the coaching staffs successful Anaheim and San Diego.

Dallas Eakins is backmost for his 3rd play arsenic the Ducks’ coach, and perchance his archetypal without a melodramatic interaction from the COVID-19 pandemic. Eakins has 3 caller assistants, Newell Brown, Mike Stothers and Geoff Ward. Joel Bouchard is the caller manager of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.

“I conscionable felt similar we needed much acquisition here,” Murray said of replacing Mark Morrison and Marty Wilford, Eakins’ assistants the past 2 seasons. “We’ve got a clump of younger players. I didn’t consciousness bully astir younger players with a younger coaching staff. I needed much experience.”

“In the minors, due to the fact that we’re going to person truthful galore kids successful the adjacent small portion with young teams, we conscionable wanted a younger radical down there, a younger radical that has dealt with that property radical before. I deliberation that’s thing that got overlooked this summer, changing the 2 staffs.”

In addition, Murray besides hired erstwhile Kings enforcement Jeff Solomon to regenerate the retired David McNab arsenic vice president of hockey operations. Solomon’s summation volition nary uncertainty delight galore of the skeptics extracurricular the organization, who believed Murray resided excessively comfortably successful hockey’s prehistoric ages.

“We had immoderate radical and we had immoderate numbers,” Murray said of embracing analytics. “Since Jeff has travel connected board, the mode helium explains it to maine and talks astir it, I recognize definite things a batch more. Certain things, erstwhile they’d accidental them to me, I’d say, ‘Hold on. I conscionable watched that game. That’s not what I saw.’

“But (Solomon) explains it much and it tin decidedly backmost up immoderate of your thought process and unfastened your eyes to others. I similar what shows what lines are bully together, what defence pairs are bully together. I similar that due to the fact that it reaffirms successful my caput who tin enactment good together.

“We were a small down successful (analytics).”

Of McNab, who was 1 of the archetypal executives hired erstwhile the Ducks began play successful 1993-94, Murray said, “Losing David was tough. Jeff benignant of fell successful our lap. That was a immense interruption this summer, a immense break. He’s been precise instrumental successful the bureau successful reorganizing and reshuffling and getting everybody focused.”

Solomon besides aided Murray during the offseason by compiling a spreadsheet of his caller moves.

“Jeff’s worldly connected rebuilding, and however helium picked my encephalon and wherever we were and what we were doing and past putting it each connected insubstantial truthful I could work successful a spreadsheet, everything’s there,” Murray said. “It’s easier for everyone to spot wherever we’re going and however we’re going to get there.

“Now we person to marque the close moves and make the players the close way.”