30 in 30: Anaheim Ducks
For a significant part of the shortened regular season only one team truly challenged the Chicago Blackhawks for the league lead and that was the Ducks. After posting a record that might in most year’s would have been worthy of the President’s Trophy, being knocked off in a first round Game 7 by Detroit was a very disappointing end to their season. I don’t think many expected them to head into the playoffs as 2nd seeds prior to the campaign though, and I find it tough to make a case for a repeat.
Notable Ins: Jakub Silfverberg, Dustin Penner, Mark Fistric
Notable Outs: Bobby Ryan, Matthew Lombardi, David Steckel, Toni Lydman
Fortunately it’s not the end of an era just yet at The Pond, for most of this offseason he seemed set to retire but franchise legend Teemu Selanne announced last week he will play one more year in an Anaheim jersey. The Finn’s return means the only high profile departure from their roster is former 2nd overall pick Bobby Ryan, obviously patience finally ran out over a talented individual who is yet to reach his full potential. Expectations will be placed on three young wingers to collectively fill that void – Jakub Silfverberg, Emerson Etem and Nick Palmieri.
The job of leading the Ducks’ offence will once again be down to the partnership of captain Ryan Getzlaf and 2011 Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry. It will be for the foreseeable future as they enter the first of fresh 8 year contracts with cap hits of over $8 million, their combined salary represents 45% of the payroll for their entire forward group. Still, that top line is a nightmare matchup and has set the style and identity of this team with their fearsome combination of size, aggression and skill.
Bruce Boudreau’s Ducks might not be as free flowing as past incarnations but as their head coach enters his first full season at the helm a stable defensive six can offset that reduced offensive threat. Topped by last season’s major success story Francois Beauchemin, it’s a corps that mostly consists of solid, big-bodied veterans such as Sheldon Souray and Bryan Allen. Cam Fowler is the gifted anomaly here and stands out as the one who could be the difference maker from the back end, though he’s another who hasn’t quite kicked on since his excellent introduction as a rookie.
Throughout last season I’m not sure Boudreau managed to figure out who his starting goaltender was out of Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth. Fasth was a major story going 8-0 in his first eight NHL outings, eventually cooling off though maintaining impressive form Eventually he plumped for Hiller to start all seven playoff games and although the coach will have inevitably second guessed that decision it’s hard to see him not going with his more experienced guy on opening night. Still it’s probably the most hotly contested starting job in the West and there’ll be hoping that continues to push their individual performances.
My outlook for the Ducks is mostly based on evidence from mid-March onwards when the hot start ended and flaws began to appear. They’ll likely make a return to the playoffs but I believe they’ll be in amongst the scrap for the lower spots rather than high and dry with time to spare.
Prediction: 4th in Pacific