Francois Beauchemin and the Anaheim Ducks are at a crossroads. Beauchemin now in his second stint with the Ducks, is one of three remaining Ducks from their 07 Stanley Cup championship team but is 35 years old and an unrestricted free agent. There is no question that he is a fan favorite for most, brings steady defense and leadership to the team, and also has been pivotal in the development of young defensive star Hampus Lindholm. But this is the time of year that tough decisions needs to be made, and while Beauchemin has expressed his desire to play out his career with the Ducks they need to move on. It’s what’s best for the team going forward and they have numerous avenues to explore in replacing him.

James Wisniewski:

At the trade deadline this past season the Ducks believed their blue-line needed to be bolstered. They addressed this by making moves to acquire Simon Despres from Pittsburgh and James Wisniewski from Columbus. While Despres jumped right in and became an integral defender for the Ducks the same could not be said of Wisniewski. He managed to appear in just 13 games with the Ducks going 0-5-5 with a -3 rating. He looked slow, out of sync and was prone to making mistakes in his limited action and became the 7th defensemen for the Ducks in the playoffs.

Whether it was an injury or the fact the Ducks didn’t lose regulation games until their final two playoff games is up for debate but based on Murrays exit interview it seems to be a little bit of both. When asked, Murray stated “he and the coaching staff need to take blame for hurrying him into the line-up before he was in shape”. He went on to say that was a mistake but that next year is another year. Those comments suggest Wisniewski will be here next season and front office is expecting him to make an impact. Wisniewski is signed for this year and next at a cap hit of 5.5 million. That’s a pretty hefty contract to sit on the bench and if he is fully healthy he can make an impact as big if not bigger than Beauchemin would. He is also four years younger and if it doesn’t work comes off the books in two years.

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The Ducks could also replace Beauchemin through unrestricted or restricted free agency. The Ducks would be looking to add a top 4 defensemen and a few names could be of interest. As far as unrestricted free agents the Ducks could target the likes of Cody Franson, Mike Green, or Michael Del Zotto. All three of these could greatly improve the Ducks, are young defenders, and would cost comparable to what it would to re-sign Beauchemin. If the Ducks are looking more offensive Green is their guy while adding Franson or Del Zotto would be more of a defensive defensemen selection. However any would be great replacements.

Restricted free agency gets a little funky with offer sheets or waiting to see if players aren’t re-signed but that doesn’t mean you cannot go after them. Especially if the team they currently play for is in cap trouble. A perfect example of this is Dougie Hamilton of the Boston Bruins. Fellow staff writer Griffin Foster spoke at length on the possibility of the Ducks trying to get Hamilton. If Murray could pull that off it would be a monumental get for the Ducks.

You can read Griffin’s thoughts here.

Besides Hamilton other RFA possibilities are scarce but stranger things happen in the NHL.

Promote from within:

Ducks fans have become accustom to seeing young defenders make their way up the system and debut wearing the webbed D. The Ducks have struck gold with Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Sami Vatanen all looking like staples for the Ducks d-corps for the for-seeable future. And the Ducks defense pipeline is still stocked with prospects. We got a taste of Josh Manson last season who surpassed everyone’s expectations in his limited action. Manson is not a dynamic offensive threat but is a big bodied stay at home defender, can clear the front of the net and makes a great first pass out of the zone. He also isn’t afraid to activate from the point and help the offense when he can. A taste of NHL action along with a good year at the AHL could have Manson poised to claim a job next season.

Should the Ducks decide they want a more offensive minded d-man Shea Theodore is a budding super-star. Theodore was drafted in the first round back in the 2013 draft and has been a point per game defenseman in the WHL. This past season he racked up 48 points in 43 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds and went 3-6-9 in 6 playoff games. When Seattle was eliminated Theodore signed his entry level contract and reported to the Norfolk Admirals. In nine games with them he went 4-7-11 before their season ended. He has succeeded everywhere he’s been and the fact he could jump from the WHL right to the AHL and have an impact like he did is huge. There is no doubt he’ll push for a job in camp next season and could be another Duck to earn his wings

It isn’t an easy job to have and none of this is a knock on Beauchemin. I have always liked what he brought to the table and his compete level is always there. Unfortunately for him there are younger and capable options for the Ducks to utilize and can make the Ducks better. It is time to make that tough call and not bring back Beauchemin when the puck is dropped in October for the 15-16’ season.