The more things change the more they stay the same. Unless of course you change the right things.

The Ducks are having a so-so season and are currently at the bottom of the Western Conference. In the entire 30 team NHL, the Ducks currently rank a delightfully putrid 28th. Who ranks beneath them? The Toronto Maple Leafs, who seem to think you only earn points in overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes, who are haven’t won a game since….well, way too long ago.

With a 6-8-2 record and an inability to put together any kind of a winning streak, conventional wisdom would say something has got to change. But what? According to an interview with GM Bob Murray, both the LA Times and Orange Country Register reported that it isn’t going to be the coach.

“There’s going to be a lot of players going through the turnstiles going out the door before coaches go out the door here,” Murray was quoted as saying. “It’s about time some of these people prove that they’re good hockey players. The coach is going nowhere.”

Interestingly enough, Murray was equally adamant about coach Randy Carlyle remaining a fixture in Anaheim last spring, when the Ducks were a lovely 13th place in the Western Conference and seemingly incapable of putting together any kind of winning streak.

So what did Murray do? He had a lot of players going out the door. The newcomers gave a spark to the Ducks and they put together an impressive enough winning streak to get their toe in the playoff door and carried that to a game 7 in the second round before they stopped.

Did Murray do a poor job choosing players? He must have done something right, considering their playoff results. So why aren’t the same individuals performing now? Especially with even more personnel changes over the summertime?

Let’s refresh on who remains from that slumping team in mid-February, just nine short months ago.

Forwards – from the top line you still have Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Teemu Selanne and Bobby Ryan are still here. The third line no longer remains. The fourth line still has George Parros, Todd Marchant, Mike Brown and Ryan Carter. That leaves eight players out of 14 forwards who remain. Out? Chris Kunitz (trade), Travis Moen (trade), Sami Pahlsson (trade), Rob Niedermayer (free agency), Andrew Ebbett (waived).

The defense has been decimated, leaving only Scott Niedermayer and Sheldon Brookbank. Brendan Mikkelson floated in and out of the line-up last year and has finally earned a permanent spot on the roster. Out? Chris Pronger (trade), Francois Beauchemin (free agency), Bret Hedican (retired), Steve Montador (trade), Kent Huskins (trade).

Players obtained at the trade deadline last spring that are still here are forwards Petteri Nokelainen and Erik Christensen, as well as defensemen Ray Whitney and James Wisniewski. Added through free agency over the summer were defensemen Nick Boynton and Steve Eminger and forward Saku Koivu. Joffrey Lupul came in the Pronger trade, and Evgeny Artyukhin was obtained for Drew Miller.

Perhaps I am unclear on the concept, but doesn’t that constitute an overhaul of the line-up already?! There aren’t many players left to send packing.

Yet despite that, Murray refuses to see beyond Carlyle’s accomplishments and is doggedly insisting it’s the players. Certainly the players have a responsibility to show up, be prepared, and do their job on the ice. It doesn’t take video replay to know that isn’t happening this season.

So whose job is it to make sure they are prepared? Whose job is it to make sure they are motivated? Whose job is it to make sure that the system they are playing is the right one for that group? Whose job is it adapt their system when they come up against an opponent that is solving that system?

The coach.

There are a lot of very good coaches who no longer have jobs because they were no longer a good fit with their personnel. It does not make them a bad coach. It does not negate all their previous accomplishments. It just means that it isn’t working anymore.

Until Murray realizes the core root of the problem, the Ducks, no matter what names are on the back of the sweater, will continue to flounder. They might have a few good games here and there, but they will continue to be followed up by retreads of old mistakes. Status quo is no longer an option if the Ducks want to make the post-season for the fifth year in a row.