The Anaheim Ducks are set to embark on a five game road swing that could decide more than just the team's early season standings in the Western Conference. Per a report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Ducks GM Bob Murray wants to "see how things go" on the trip, at which point he will reconsider the status of his head coach, Bruce Boudreau. Per Friedman, Murray "feels strongly" that Boudreau "deserves more of an opportunity to straighten this out," but it still sounds as though a continuation of the Ducks' currently limited offensive production could put Boudreau's long-term job prospects in doubt.
A 1-3-1 start to the season, that saw the Ducks fail in four attempts before finally notching their first win of the season against the Wild of Minnesota on Sunday, was not what anyone, Boudreau included, likely expected. After finishing in first place in the Pacific Division and taking their Western Conference Finals series against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks to seven games last year, the Ducks have looked shockingly inept to start the 2015-16 season.
Anaheim, despite boasting offensively skilled forwards like Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, have managed just five goals thus far this season, which is the worst total league. They're in the top-10 in goals allowed, having given up just 11 markers through five games, but with an offense operating at a one goal-a-game clip, something is obviously amiss in Anaheim.
Of course, as Friedman notes, Boudreau actually started the season in something of a coaching no-man's land. This offseason, Murray and the rest of the Anaheim franchise's decision-makers made the odd choice to retain Boudreau while firing his assistant coach, Brad Lauer. The frustrations over a second-straight season ending in Game 7 of a postseason series played at home had to be taken out on someone, and while Murray spared Boudreau, he took the rod to Lauer.
Lauer though, was probably more than just a sacrificial lamb meant to send a message to Boudreau and the team. As the director of the Ducks' power play, Lauer was nearly derelict in his duties last season. The group converted on just 15.9 percent of their opportunities, which was bad enough to land them at 28th in the league. Of course, the Ducks have yet to convert with the man advantage this season, so Lauer's failings may, in fact, have been the players' failings, and not the other way around.
Still, with Lauer gone, Boudreau's coaching staff looks very much like a group meant for another coach, or at least meant to prop up a coach in whom Murray only has lukewarm confidence. The Ducks and Murray even went so far as to hire Rich Preston, a former assistant coach in Chicago, Calgary and San Jose, who also has head coaching experience in the WHL, to be Boudreau's right-hand man earlier this month.
What does it all mean? It's hard to tell at this point. As Friedman notes, Murray often preaches patience, especially when it comes to potential coaching changes. The Ducks GM has gone on record previously, suggesting that he views in-season coaching changes as something of a last resort. And Boudreau, despite the Ducks' early struggles, seems like he's earned himself more than a little leeway through his previous four seasons in Anaheim. Under his watch the Ducks have taken the top spot in the Pacific three times and advanced one step farther into the postseason each successive year. Yes, they failed to live up to lofty expectations, but every season in every NHL city is a failure if it doesn't end in a Cup run.
So, perhaps the Ducks will right the ship during their upcoming road trip and the supposed heat under Boudreau's seat will decrease immensely. Or, perhaps the team's early season slide continues, at which point Murray's assessment of his head coach about two weeks from now suddenly takes on a much different complexion.
