The Anaheim Ducks are ready to put their Cup hangover behind them and foot a solid playoff team this season. Their offense is led by youngsters Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, and their defensive corps is one of the strongest in the league—Niedermayer or no Niedermayer.
Here's an in-depth look on how the Ducks will play this year:
Forwards
Getzlaf and Perry will be counted on to produce the most points around the net, and that's a burden they can easily handle. Expect both to finish with 80-90 points in what should be breakout seasons for both of them into the NHL's elite.
Chris Kunitz will definitely improve his offense if he steps into the first-line slot, but he is still more suited to being a good second-liner than a first-liner.
However, secondary scoring will be hard to come by. Brian Sutherby and Todd Marchant aren't exactly household names. Brenden Morrison is talented, but coming off an injury-plagued season—and there are questions about whether he can produce.
Bobby Ryan may make a splash offensively, but he will need to impress in training camp to get ice time on the second line.
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Grinders—such as Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer, May, and Moen—predominantly occupy the last two lines. Those lines will be good for shutting down the opponents' offfense, but won't produce much otherwise.
Overall, it's hard to believe the Ducks will put up a lot of offense outside of the first line.
Overall Grade: C
Defense
There's no other way to put this—Anaheim's defense is stacked!
Pronger, Niedermayer, and Schneider will all produce offensively and be responsible defensively. Although Pronger had an off year last year, there is no way a defenseman that good can be inconsistent for more than a year.
Francois Beauchemin also had a drop in production, but Schnieder's arrival meant Beauchemin's power-play time was limited.
Huskins is a good third-liner, and Brenden Mikkelson or Brian Salcido—the former a stay-at-home defenseman and the latter an offensive defenseman—should be able to cling onto a spot on the team.
My money's on Salcido, because they could use him at wing even if he doesn't crack the top six on defense.
Overall Grade: A
Goaltending
J-S Giguere is one of the best at his position and is expected to play 60 games this year. Last year, Anaheim only gave up 100 even-strength goals—mostly due to the play of Giguere.
Backup Jonas Hiller went 10-7-1 with a 2.06 GAA and .927 save percentage, and is all you could look for in a backup. He won't get more than 20-25 games in Anaheim, but he is as dependable as No. 2 goalies get.
Overall grade: A-
Overall Verdict
This club will keep points off the board and win a lot of close games by virtue of their defense and goaltending, as well as their checking line. However, you can't get over the hump if you can't score—which is why the Anaheim Ducks will fail to crack the top four in the Western CConference.
Team Grade: B
Prediction: Sixth in the West
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2 months ago
Good article.
May I add a couple comments on the forwards: The third line of Moen-Pahlsson-RNiedermeyer is a classic "checking line" and they are one of the best in the business. Marchant and Sutherby are interchangeable with Parros and May on the 4th line. The first and second lines will be comprised of Perry/Getzlaff, Kunitz, Morrisson, Ryan and two guys you forgot to mention, Ryan Carter and a guy named Selanne. Carter showed that he really has some speed, skill, and aggresiveness last year before he broke his wrist in a freak accident (His arm went through the photographers hole in the glass.) And Selanne, well, I think he's coming back. No need to get into why again here. So, with Selanne, Carter, Ryan, Morrisson, Kunitz, Perry, and Getzlaff, a classic old school scrappy defensive checking line comprised of Pahlsson-Moen-RNiedermeyer, and an intimidation line of some combination of Parros/May/Sutherby/Marchant, I think you underestimate them. The Ducks are all about effort. They may not have a Marion Gaborik on the roster but their #13 forward puts out more effort than Gaborik ever will, even though Gaborik has much more natural talent.
Schneider will probably be dealt to make room for Selanne so Beauchemin will have more responsibility this year.
Forwards: B
Defense: A+
Goal: A
Overall: A-
Finish: 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in the West. (1 DET 2-3-4: ANA, DAL, SJ)
I saw Brian Burke speak once and someone asked him what he looks for in a player. His answer was great, I thought. Burke said something like, "Effort. Pure 100% effort, during games and in practice. And we're not looking for angels either. The rest takes care of itself." I thought that was a great description of the Anaheim Ducks.
2 months ago
The defense is probably not going to have scneider
2 months ago
The Ducks should be able to "field" a playoff contending team this season even if Selanne doesn't return. If Selanne returns, the Ducks will definately be in the playoffs!
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