Inside The Penalty Box 12.10.07: Niedermayer Returning For Remainder of 2007-08 Season
Posted by Neil Borenstein on 12.10.2007
One of the best defensemen in the NHL has decided to delay his retirement and return for at least the remainder of this season with the Anaheim Ducks. Scott Niedermayer is lacing up the skates and will try to get the Ducks to their 2006-07 form, when they claimed Lord Stanley. In this edition of Inside The Penalty Box, Neil Borenstein looks at the impact Niedermayer’s decision to come back for one more year will have on his team.
Niedermayer Back On The Pond
Defenseman Delaying Retirement, Returns To Ducks For Rest Of Season
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports
Scott Niedermayer will delay his retirement and play out the remainder of the season with the Ducks.
ollowing their claim of the Stanley Cup championship last June, the Anaheim Ducks were left to ponder whether two of their most important pieces would return. Their captain and leading defenseman Scott Niedermayer thought about retirement after winning four championships in his NHL career, the last one bringing on the achievement of delivering the Cup to his brother, Rob. Right wing Teemu Selanne also contemplated retirement after finally raising Lord Stanley for the first time in his 14-year tenure.
Though neither player officially called an end to their storied careers, they didn't return to the NHL, either. That was until Wednesday, when Niedermayer chose to come back and play out the remainder of the 2007-08 season with the Ducks, who are 14-13-4 and two games back of the Pacific Division lead behind the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.
A timetable for Niedermayer's return to the ice for game action is unknown. However, at the time of his announcement, general manager Brian Burke speculated that Niedermayer could need as little as seven to 10 days to get into game shape, leaving open the possibility he could play this week.
For a team that's nowhere near as dominant as it was last season, Niedermayer's return has to be a welcome one. Despite the fact that he did take his sweet little time making a decision on whether to come back, Niedermayer is one of the best offensive-defensemen and leaders the NHL has to offer. The Ducks can use his presence and production.
Last season, Anaheim was one of the best teams the NHL had to offer. The Ducks might not have been the No. 1 team in the entire league by regular season's end, but they proved in the playoffs that they had the all-around ability to be considered the absolute best in 2006-07. The Stanley Cup solidified that.
This year, though, the Ducks are a middle-of-the-pack organization. Even though Burke tried to prepare for the impending retirements of his two stars with the signing of two-year deals with right wing Todd Bertuzzi and defenseman Mathieu Schneider over the summer, those two players have not been able to keep the team up to where it was last season.
In 2006-07, Anaheim had the league's sixth best defense with a 2.37 team goals against average (GAA). This year, a team 2.68 GAA places them in a three-way tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders for 12th in the NHL. Pittsburgh and New York are not exactly known as defensive juggernauts; so to be in a class with them is a step down for Anaheim.
On offense, the Ducks were ninth in the league in goals per game (gpg) at 3.05. This year, they are 27th with 2.31 gpg through a league-leading 31 contests. The Ducks join teams like the New York Rangers (2.14 – 30th) and San Jose Sharks (2.46 – 24th) in a class that should contain some of the best offensive producers in the NHL, but just aren't getting the puck in the net thus far this season for some reason.
Anaheim was especially productive on offense last season thanks to what it did on the man advantage. The Ducks were tied for second in the league with the Sharks with a 22.4 power play percentage (PP%). They ranked third in power play goals with 89. This year, the Ducks are 26th in the league with a 13.7 PP% and tied for 19th in the league with 20 goals.
On defense, Niedermayer will be a helpful addition. But I think he will be an even bigger help on offense, where he is one of the best at his position.
His offensive prowess was obvious during his days with the New Jersey Devils, where he won three of his Stanley Cups. But his most productive seasons in the point department have come during the two years he's played with Anaheim. He reached a then career-high of 63 points in 2005-06 – his first with the Ducks – between 13 goals and 50 assists. He followed that up last season with a new career-high of 69 points between 15 goals and 54 assists. His previous career high in New Jersey was 57 points in 1998-99 when he had 14 goals and 43 assists. Niedermayer would more commonly range in the 30-40-point range, however, with New Jersey. He has been granted the opportunity to spread his offensive wings more since joining the Ducks, on top of a greater role in the leadership department. In fact, I don't think his real value was ever truly seen until he joined the Ducks because of being held back a bit by the Devils' defense-first system.
He should continue to play the game at a high level once he returns to game action. Though he hasn't played a game in some time, he did his best to remain in the top possible shape he could while away from the team. He trained with Jeff Friesen and Travis Green for a few weeks prior to his announcement. Plus, you don't just forget the game that easily. At 34 years old, he's not even remotely old enough to have age used as a factor against him. I expect he will be the same Scott Niedermayer that he was for the past two years in Anaheim.
That will trickle down to his teammates. It's hard not to be pumped up when someone with the talent of Niedermayer gets added to the roster, and it didn't even have to happen via a trade. He is a spark to the lineup and that has to boost the overall morale of the players in the organization.
Plus, his re-addition to the team once again gives it one of the most – if not the most – dynamic defenses in the entire NHL. He should pair back up with Chris Pronger, who may still be considered by some the best all-around defenseman in the league. Those two were a formidable duo last season and should become one once against this year.
Francois Beauchemin and Schneider, who have a combined 24 points, are now likely to back up those two as the secondary defensive unit in Anaheim. Kent Huskins, Joe DiPenta, Sean O'Donnell and Shane Hnidy will fill in the other spots on defense, and someone is going to end up being the odd-man out either via trade or minor league assignment. Right now, Hnidy could end up being that guy.
With Niedermayer back, we're left to wonder whether Selanne will follow suit. There hasn't been any indication that Selanne will return, and the birth of a new baby girl could hinder his passion to leave home again and return to the ice. He will, however, only return to the Ducks if he does choose to lace up the skates again.
Unlike Niedermayer's circumstance, Selanne is an unrestricted free agent. Niedermayer is still suspended until he is activated by the Ducks, and will probably see $4 million of his $6.75 million salary this year. Niedermayer coming back doesn't put the team in cap trouble unless he decides to return next season as well. That's why there's some talk that the Ducks might move players – to open up cap room for next year.
But if the Ducks are given indication that Selanne wants to return, and Burke will surely welcome that, they need to do some finagling with their payroll. With Niedermayer's salary coming back on the books, they are going to be right up against the cap. If Selanne chooses to return, Burke will need to open up some room for him, especially since Selanne can still command a pretty penny. The Ducks can definitely use him back, but it will take some creativity and movement to bring him in.
Even if he doesn't come back, however, the Ducks have at least greatly improved themselves on Niedermayer's return. He should bring an influx of confidence with his strong leadership that will undoubtedly trickle down to the rest of the team. But he will also add even more important offensive production at both even strength and on the power play that the team so desperately needs. He could just be the key in bringing the Ducks back to their Stanley Cup form from last season. He could be the key in the Ducks' pursuit of reclaiming the Pacific Division and moving on to defend their crown.
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Until next week, you have just been Inside The Penalty Box!
ollowing their claim of the Stanley Cup championship last June, the Anaheim Ducks were left to ponder whether two of their most important pieces would return. Their captain and leading defenseman Scott Niedermayer thought about retirement after winning four championships in his NHL career, the last one bringing on the achievement of delivering the Cup to his brother, Rob. Right wing Teemu Selanne also contemplated retirement after finally raising Lord Stanley for the first time in his 14-year tenure.
