Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Syracuse Crunch opts out of Anaheim

The Anaheim Duck's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch declined to pick up their affiliation agreement with the Anaheim Ducks. This action could lead to the Crunch landing a new parent NHL club.

The Ducks-Crunch deal is in it's second year and according to the Syracuse owner, the Ducks and Crunch agreed on a provision that would extend the deal for another 2 years.

This leaves the Crunch with 2 options. The first one would be to strike a new deal with Anaheim and remain their AHL affiliate. The second one would be to look for a new parent club in the NHL.

Howard Dolgon, the owner of the Syracuse Crunch, didn't hint which option he would choose, but if he chose the second one, the Tampa Bay Lightning would be a viable option.

The Crunch and the Ducks have had their differences in the past like last season, where the Ducks loaned Jason Jaffray to the Manitoba Moose instead of the Crunch because the Moose was willing to pick up part of his salary. The Crunch also did not make the playoffs last year and they don't seem to be near contention for a playoff spot this year.

Overall, the Crunch seemed to be at ends with Anaheim and maybe its best if they went their separate ways. There are always other AHL and NHL affiliates for both of these clubs.