Resting Him Up.

Coach Randy Carlyle and Anaheim have made the decision to rest their number one goaltender Jonas Hiller for the first time in 19 games, Hiller was the one watching the game from the bench as Curtis McElhinney played in net for his first start as a Duck and second time playing as a Duck overall. McElhinney got the start against the Edmonton Oilers, where he played fairly well. McElhinney made 34 of 36 saves to help the Ducks win 3-2. McElhinney showed a massive amount of trust in his teammates as he left rebound after rebound in nearly  the most perfect place for the team in front of him to clear. Sometimes McElhinney seemed lost while the Oilers created tons of traffic in front and started whacking away at the puck but he was there to prevent Edmonton from scoring, as was he had trust with the team in front of him to help him clear the puck.

As Anaheim most likely will not be making the playoffs the decision has been made to rest Hiller up and give McElhinney a more of a chance down the stretch for the next 8 games or so. Though, Hiller probably will not sit out for the remainder of the season but probably a good chunk of it. McElhinney has definitely showed what he's worth. He's a good and focused goaltender that will benefit a lot from starting a good amount of the games down the stretch. As for Hiller this did take more of a mental tow on him than a physical, especially the fact that he was just fresh off the Olympics.

As he stated in this comment to the Orange County Register's Curtis Zupke:

Quotes from Boys in the Crease: 

“Toward the end, it was mostly mental, especially after the Olympics to stay focused, to play here again, to get ready for another challenge to make the playoffs,” Hiller said. “It was tough and, mentally, there were a lot of games on the schedule, so it wasn’t easy.”

The question still lies for McElhinney who seems to enjoy his time with Anaheim the answer was much clearer with Vesa Toskala of if he was going to remain a Duck or not. For Toskala the answer was most likely no. McElhinney he may not remain a Duck next season but that answer isn't clear. He seems to be a viable back-up for Hiller next season. McElhinney, who turns 27 on May 23rd still has the youth and a lot left in him. Giving McElhinney the chance will help improve his play if he does play with Anaheim next season. This will give him more of a chance to know how the Ducks play despite the struggling this season. Where if he does play next season, he'll most likely have a more of an improved play than he does now.

Giving Hiller the chance to rest may benefit him in the long run the Ducks had been riding him like a workhorse with little rest tiring him out both mentally and physically. Hiller will improve his play next season as well with the Ducks. The clean slate will help both but Anaheim may find ways to win while getting used to with most likely two too familiar faces in Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne in the locker room next season. (There is still a slight chance of Teemu returning though not Scotty who is most likely done, as he has won it all even though Anaheim did not make the playoffs this season. He has four Stanley Cups and he just recently won the Gold Medal virtually in his own backyard, which most likely was the cherry on top) 

As for Hiller he will probably be at the rink a lot trying to improve his game this by the given impression of former Duck J.S. Giguere's  light-hearted comment last season saying  how Hiller is always at the rink. "Jonas, he's always at the rink. He needs a girlfriend" He'd probably be home in Switzerland working on his game and doing whatever he does over there like fixing up cars.
Timo Pielmeier is always oneg goalie who Anaheim is definitely looking at for the chance of McElhinney not resigning next season with Anaheim; Pielmeier most likely is high on t he list for the Ducks to call as a backup for Hiller. Pielmeier is an excellent goaltender who is one that has made himself stand out in the crop of excellent goalies "In the System"" for Anaheim. There is also no doubt that the Ducks are also taking a good long hard look at J.P. Levasseur, Joey MacDonald, Marco Cousineau who are all playing in North America and also the three goaltenders who are playing overseas on Europe or Russia. Igor Bobkov (Russia), Matias Modig (Sweden), and Sebastian Stefaniszin (Germany).

The fans also seem to be liking McElhinney and with McElhinney's seeming of liking it in Anaheim there is a pretty good chance we'll see him next season in a Ducks uniform.  Resting Hiller up is a great idea where he has been overworked as of late however he should and most likely will be starting more games down the stretch in the remainder of the season. Which will give Anaheim a lengthy summer...unfortunately.