Arrivals:
D Sheldon Souray, D Bryan Allen, LW Daniel Winnik, G Viktor Fasth, RW
Brad StaubitzDepartures:
D Lubomir Visnovsky, D Sheldon Brookbank, RW George ParrosUFAs:
LW Jason Blake, LW Niklas Hagman, G Dan Ellis
Promotion candidates: C Peter Holland, RW Emerson Etem, RW Kyle Palmieri, D Sami Vatenen
Promotion candidates: C Peter Holland, RW Emerson Etem, RW Kyle Palmieri, D Sami Vatenen
New
additions brought in by general manager Bob
Murray include a pair of veteran defenseman, Sheldon
Souray, who had a resurgent season with the Stars and brings a
booming shot from the point, and Bryan
Allen, a steady stay-at-home type, as well as checking forward
Daniel Winnik
and gritty Brad
Staubitz. Swedish goalie Viktor
Fasth was signed as the new backup to Hiller. "We lost a
couple good guys but we got what we were looking for. I'm excited for
those moves and I know [Souray and Allen] are going to be a big part
of our defense," Selanne said. "And the rest of our core is
so strong. … I truly believe we have all the pieces. That's what
makes this very interesting and special because I think we all feel
there's unfinished business." And while players like Selanne and
37-year-old fellow alternate captain Saku
Koivu represent the elder statesmen on the Ducks, the roster is
full of young talent who must continue to develop, like defensemen
Cam Fowler
and Luca Sbisa
and forwards Nick
Bonino and Devante
Smith-Pelly. In addition, a list of prospects headed by forwards
Kyle Palmieri
and Emerson
Etem are knocking on the door. In many ways, Anaheim's 2011-12
campaign mirrored that of the New
Jersey Devils a season earlier. The Devils bounced back and went
to the Stanley Cup Final last spring; while it might seem a tall
order for the Ducks to do the same, their goal of making the playoffs
is realistic. And as the Kings just got done proving, once a team
gets there anything is possible.
It
probably goes without saying that coming off a season in which they
finished 13th in the Western Conference and missed the Stanley Cup
Playoffs by 15 points, there are no shortage of questions facing the
Anaheim Ducks.
Since claiming the franchise's first championship in 2007, the Ducks
have won a single playoff round. They've made the postseason three
times and failed to get there twice, but their overall performance
last season was particularly vexing. Anaheim endured a hideous first
half, getting veteran coach Randy
Carlyle fired along the way. On Jan. 6, the Ducks sat 14th in the
West with a 10-22-6 record, a full 20 points out of eighth place.
Then, suddenly, the teachings of new bench boss Bruce
Boudreau seemed to click, and the team went on a second-half
surge. On the strength of a 17-3-4 run fueled largely by the
goaltending of Jonas
Hiller, the Ducks got as close as within four points of a playoff
berth in late February, but could never narrow it further.
When
Bruce Boudreau was hired Dec. 1, the Ducks found themselves in a
sorry state of affairs with a 7-13-4 record. It would get worse
before it got better, as they won just three of their first 14 games
under Boudreau before going 24-14-6 the rest of the way. Although he
couldn't pull off the miracle comeback he did when he first became an
NHL coach in Washington, leading the Capitals back from last place in
the Eastern Conference to the first of four consecutive Southeast
Division titles in 2007-08, Boudreau re-energized the Ducks, most
notably Hiller and the team's defensive efforts in front of him, and
created expectations of better things to come. In the three full
seasons Boudreau coached the Capitals, they finished first in the
division each time. The Pacific boasts the defending Stanley Cup
champs (Los Angeles Kings), the other West finalist (Phoenix Coyotes)
and two other very solid teams (San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars), so
a top-three seed is a lofty goal, but it isn't unreasonable to expect
Boudreau can lead the Ducks back into the playoffs. "This team,
we've just started going where we want to go," Boudreau said in
May, when he signed a two-year contract extension. "If we had
started a little bit earlier, anything could have happened. These
playoff teams, we competed with all these teams, going tooth and
nail."
The
trio of Ryan
Getzlaf centering Corey
Perry and Bobby
Ryan had its occasional flashes of brilliance, but overall
suffered a significant drop in production from the previous season.
Perry, who went on a goal-scoring binge near the end of the 2010-11
campaign in winning the Hart Trophy, slipped from 50 goals and 98
points to 37 and 60, respectively. Ryan's scoring line dipped from
34-37-71 to 31-26-57. And Getzlaf managed just 11 goals (down eight)
and 57 points (down 19), his worst production since his rookie
season. In order for the Ducks to finish above the line that divides
the West's top eight from its bottom seven, they'll probably need the
No. 1 unit to at least produce at a rate that falls between its
sizzling 2010-11 output and its underwhelming follow-up performance.
Of course, that's assuming the top line remains intact, which leads
into our next question.
The
25-year-old right wing Bobby Ryan, who has scored 30-plus goals in
each of his four full NHL seasons, made comments after the season
ended that suggested he wouldn't mind continuing his career somewhere
other than Southern California. With the Columbus Blue Jackets having
traded Rick
Nash to the New York Rangers last month and the high-profile free
agents all signed with the exception of Shane Doan, any team looking
to add an impact player on offense would figure to have Ryan in its
sights. The Philadelphia Flyers, in particular, have been rumored to
have interest in the native of nearby Cherry Hill, N.J., but it's
unclear what the Ducks might want for him, or if they're even
inclined to deal him in the first place. Like it or not, Ryan may
very well find himself playing in familiar surroundings. While he
expressed displeasure over feeling like he shouldered too much blame
for his lack of output during the team's struggles early last season,
any gripes he has with management apparently don't carry over to
Boudreau and the coaching staff. "Bruce essentially changed my
whole season around in Anaheim," Ryan told the Camden
Courier-Post over the summer. "It was going downhill very fast.
He came in and changed things around and really spoke to me on a
level that I could understand. I loved playing for him."
Teemu
Selanne defied Father Time again last season by leading the Ducks in
scoring, registering 26 goals and 66 points. Perhaps even more
remarkably, he played in all 82 games for the first time in five
years. With 663 career goals, Selanne is on the verge of cracking the
top 10, and his 1,406 points rank 19th on the all-time list. Since
the time he first contemplated retirement following Anaheim's Cup
triumph, he's compiled more than 100 goals and 270 points. He also
remains deadly on the power play, where his 12 goals last season give
him 248 over his 19 seasons in the League. Selanne is coming back for
another season because he still feels he can contribute at a level up
to his lofty standards, and it's hard for anyone else to doubt him.
"Age is a funny thing," Selanne told the Ducks' official
website. "A lot of times, I don't really feel 42 right now. It
all depends how good you feel, how healthy you are and how much
passion you have for the game. That is why I still enjoy the game.
It's fun to go to the rink every morning. It sounds pretty old when
you say 42 as a hockey player. Mentally, I am still the same level as
Getzlaf and those other guys. That is most important and that is why
I am still in the game."
Considering
Jonas Hiller missed almost the entire final two months of the 2010-11
season plus the Ducks' first-round playoff defeat to the Nashville
Predators because of vertigo, that he was able to come back last
season and lead the League with 73 appearances was a remarkable feat.
It also indicated the Ducks didn't have a lot of faith in their
goaltending depth, Dan
Ellis missed most of the season because of injury and Jeff
Deslauriers earned only four starts as Anaheim desperately
attempted to make up ground in the playoff race and felt the need to
rely on their best, night after night. Viktor Fasth, who turned 30 on
Aug. 8, has had a decorated career in Sweden, including at the
international level. Assuming he adjusts to the NHL well and gains
Boudreau's confidence, it's not unreasonable to think he could he
could earn 25-30 starts this season.
Over
the past few seasons, the Ducks have traded away Chris
Pronger and Lubomir
Visnovsky and seen Scott
Niedermayer retire. Players like Cam
Fowler and Luca
Sbisa, who represent the future on defense, are at crucial stages
in their development. Fowler's offensive numbers regressed in his
sophomore season and he's a minus-53 in 158 games since entering the
League. But he doesn't turn 21 until December and still has all the
makings of a future star at his position. Sbisa, 22, set career highs
across the board last season and flashed a lot of the potential the
Ducks saw when they acquired him as part of the deal that saw Pronger
sent to the Flyers. Aiding the young duo will be veteran holdovers
Francois
Beauchemin and Toni
Lydman. The Ducks added experience by signing free agents Bryan
Allen and Sheldon
Souray. Their team goals-against average last season of 2.73
ranked 19th in the League.
In
order for the Anaheim
Ducks to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a one-year
absence, there are several key players who will need to have big
seasons. The production of the top line dropped off in 2011-12 and
the trio of Ryan
Getzlaf, Corey
Perry and Bobby
Ryan will be in search of bounce-back seasons. Defenseman Cam
Fowler, beginning his third NHL season and still just 20 years
old, suffered something of a sophomore slump and needs to take the
next step in his development. However, the Ducks' fortunes ultimately
hinge on the man between the pipes, Jonas
Hiller. The 30-year-old Swiss goaltender rebounded from a season
marred by health concerns to play the most games in the NHL at his
position, but had an up-and-down campaign much like his team and
posted a career-low .910 save percentage. "With whatever I went
through at the end of last year, I'm definitely happy how it went
this year for me personally," Hiller said in a player profile
posted last month on the Ducks' official website. "I showed that
I am able to play at the highest level in this League and I think I
can play better. I'm already excited for next year." In 2010-11,
Hiller was coming off a career-high 30 wins and appeared set to
obliterate that as he racked up 25 victories prior to appearing in
the All-Star Game in Raleigh, N.C. His season was quickly derailed,
however, as vertigo symptoms surfaced soon thereafter, limiting him
to three appearances and one win the remainder of the regular season.
Hiller, who finished with a .924 save percentage, couldn't
participate in the playoffs, and the Ducks were dispatched in the
first round by the Nashville
Predators in a six-game series. The good news for Hiller and the
Ducks was his symptoms cleared during the summer and didn't recur
despite his heavy workload. At one point Hiller set a franchise
record by starting 32 consecutive games as Anaheim furiously tried to
climb out of a deep hole in the standings that caused the team to
fire coach Randy
Carlyle two months into the season and replace him with Bruce
Boudreau. Hiller ended up playing in 73 games, with a 29-30-12
record and a 2.57 goals-against average that was almost identical to
the previous season. He seemed to find his best rhythm during that
32-start stretch, going 14-3-4 at one point while allowing more than
three goals in a game just once and surrendering two or fewer 14
times. "I definitely have a little better understanding of my
body and how to take care of it, to listen to my body and not just
try to work through it when something is aching," Hiller told
Adam Brady of the Ducks Blog in early March. "With massage or
treatment, you can get rid of stuff before it really gets serious.
Bruce has also given me the opportunity to take my rest on certain
days and certain practices. That definitely helps to stay sharp,
especially mentally, which is almost as tough as staying ready
physically." Anaheim signed veteran Swedish goalie Viktor
Fasth over the summer, a key move that should allow Hiller to
rest a little more often this season. He's still the undisputed No.
1, though, and if he can re-establish himself as one of the elite
goalies in the League, an accolade he had earned two seasons ago
before the vertigo issues surfaced, then the Ducks will again be a
force in the Pacific Division and Western Conference races.
The
Anaheim Ducks
were expected to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference in
2011-12, but a second consecutive slow start was not followed by a
furious rally like it was in 2010-11. Coach Randy
Carlyle was fired and replaced by Bruce
Boudreau, and there was a second-half surge, but the deficit was
too great to overcome. General manager Bob
Murray shored up the defense during the offseason, but any
improvements up front are likely to come a few young, internal
candidates. The Ducks will welcome back Teemu
Selanne for another season, and the entire sport will be better
off because of it.
Murray
added Daniel
Winnik up front and veterans Sheldon
Souray and Bryan
Allen on defense. Anaheim's depth at forward will depend on some
young players stepping forward and earning roles. The Ducks have been
a top-heavy team in recent years, but they've also had success. How
much the younger guys can help will determine if Anaheim can return
to Stanley Cup contention before Selanne and Saku
Koivu retire at some point in the inevitable future.
Forwards
Forwards
Devante
Smith-Pelly - Ryan
Getzlaf - Corey
Perry
Bobby
Ryan - Saku
Koivu - Teemu
Selanne
Daniel
Winnik - Nick
Bonino - Andrew
Cogliano
Kyle
Palmieri - Peter
Holland - Matt
Beleskey
Brad
Staubitz
Defensemen
Defensemen
Cam
Fowler - Francois
Beauchemin
Sheldon
Souray - Bryan
Allen
Luca
Sbisa - Toni Lydman
Nate
Guenin
Goaltenders
Jonas
Hiller
Viktor
Fasth
NOTES:
The
big name missing here is Emerson
Etem, who would become a favorite for a top-six forward spot if
Ryan is traded. Etem might force his way into the opening-night
lineup anyway, he scored 68 goals in 72 Western Hockey League games
last season (including the playoffs). Bruce
Boudreau didn't hesitate to put Alex
Ovechkin, Nicklas
Backstrom and Alexander
Semin together (or to separate them) during their apex with the
Washington Capitals, so expect him to shuffle back and forth with his
"Big Three" in Anaheim if Ryan stays. There is some
uncertainty with other forward spots as well, but the opportunity for
Holland, Bonino and Palmieri to lock down permanent spots is there.
Holland or Bonino could push Koivu into more of a third-line role if
they prove they're ready. The defense corps looks pretty settled.
Fowler had some growing pains last season, but he could become a bona
fide No. 1 defenseman in his third NHL season. Pairing Souray's
booming shot with Allen's responsible instincts could be an instant
fit. Fasth will battle Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers for the backup spot
behind Hiller.
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