The Anaheim Ducks came within a win of advancing to the Stanley Cup final in 2014-15. It’s been nine years since Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf hoisted the Cup as 21 year olds…but the Ducks engaged in some slight re-tooling that should see them poised for another run in 2015-16.
Head coach: Bruce Boudreau
GM: Bob Murray
Team payroll: $63.9 million against $71.4 million salary cap.
Last season record: 51-24-7
Goals for: 236
Goals against: 226
PP: 15.7 per cent (28th in the NHL)
PK: 81 per cent (15th in the NHL)
Corsi for per 60: 55.5 (via stats.hockeyanalysis.com)
Key acquisitions: Kevin Bieksa, Carl Hagelin, Mike Santorelli, Chris Stewart, Anton Khudobin, Shawn Horcoff
Key departures: Francois Beauchemin, Matt Beleskey, Emerson Etem, Sheldon Souray, Jason LaBarbera, Tomas Fleischmann
Rookies to Watch:
Nick Ritchie: The 10th overall pick in 2014, Ritchie scored 62 points in 48 regular season games between the Peterborough Petes and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds last season, his final year of major junior. A big, 6-foot-2 power forward, Ritchie is most likely to start in the minors with AHL San Diego, since the Ducks acquired enough forwards to fill holes in the lineup.
Shea Theodore: Like Ritchie, Theodore finished his last major junior season last season – but he got a taste of the AHL at the end of it. the 6-foot-2 puckmoving defenceman scored 11 points in nine games with the Norfolk Admirals. He’s also likely to start this season in the AHL, as the Ducks acquired Kevin Bieksa to fill in for the departire of Francois Beauchemin.
Max Friberg: A fifth round pick (143rd overall) in the 2011 draft, Friberg led the Norfolk Admirals in scoring last season with 40 points in 58 games. He also got a small taste of the NHL with one appearance in a game against Vancouver. It’ll be tough for any youngster to make the NHL roster, but Friberg will be in the conversation. With a good camp, he’ll at the very least be in position for an early call-up.
Highlight of 2014-15
John Gibson found himself on the outside looking in at the beginning the 2015-16 season, but the 22-year-old goaltender showed flashes of brilliance in limited duty last season.
Pre-season positional letter grades
Forwards
With Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler all north of 30, this group’s window is shrinking. The top-six is still very good. Jakob Silfverberg could be in for a breakout campaign. The 24-year-old set career highs across the board last year with 13 goals and 26 assists, and he had a productive post-season to boot.
The Ducks did well to get the most out of Beleskey last season when the 27-year-old more than doubled his previous career-high in goals with 22. Hagelin and Stewart should compensate on the offensive side, with the former carrying a proven track record as a solid two-way player.
Santorelli and Horcoff are good additions to the bottom-six group. GRADE: B+
Defence
Losing Beauchemin hurts, but the arrival of Bieksa should help ease some of the pain. Hampus Lindholm emerged as a top-pairing, puck-moving defenceman by the time the post-season rolled around. Cam Fowler, Simon Despres, and Sami Vatanen round out an improving young defence corps. GRADE: B-
Goaltending
Frederik Andersen appeared to be the guy as the Ducks marched to the Western Conference final last spring…until the Chicago Blackhawks buried 18 goals on him in the series’ final four games. Khudobin took a step backward last season behind a lousy Carolina Hurricanes team. Gibson looming somewhere makes this an intriguing scenario. GRADE: C+
The Ducks will have a successful season if… Bieksa can replicate some of that Beauchemin old man magic, Lindholm and Fowler carry over good 2014-15 performances, and somebody steps up as a legitimate No. 1 goaltender. You know Perry and Getzlaf will do their thing.
The Ducks will have a disappointing season if… Getzlaf and Perry show signs of rapid decline, goaltending questions linger into the playoffs, and the likes of Silfverberg, Lindholm, and Fowler take steps backward. The Ducks should once again be a very competitive team in the Western Conference, though.
