The progression of the Anaheim Ducks the past three seasons has been impressive. They've advanced deeper into the Stanley Cup Playoffs every year since 2013, a run most teams would love to have. However, each of those seasons has ended with a Game 7 loss at home, the latest to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2015 Western Conference Final.
Anaheim is well-equipped for another long ride, and its offseason moves confirmed that their time is now with Getzlaf, Corey Perry 30 years old and Ryan Kesler 31 on Aug. 31. Anaheim shuffled some pieces at the 2015 NHL Draft, when it traded young forwards Emerson Etem and Kyle Palmieri in separate moves and acquired left wing Carl Hagelin from the New York Rangers. Hagelin, who signed a four-year contract on Aug. 14, figures to fill a top-six role on the left side and gives the Ducks a premier penalty-killer.
Anaheim probably would have liked Kesler to score more than the 20 goals he had last season, but that was the only disappointing aspect of his Ducks debut. They are otherwise set at center with Getzlaf, Kesler and Rickard Rakell, and veterans Shawn Horcoff and Mike Santorelli, each acquired because fourth-line center Nate Thompson is recovering from shoulder surgery.
Right wing Chris Stewart was signed as a free agent for his size (6-foot-2, 231 pounds) and scoring touch, and Anaheim has several prospects at forward.
Anaheim did not re-sign veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin. They did trade for longtime nemesis Kevin Bieksa, who is reunited with former Vancouver Canucks teammate Kesler. The Ducks lack a true, elite-level puck mover, something that has defined recent Cup champions. Hampus Lindholm could be that player, but the unit is largely the same. In other words, Shea Weber or Duncan Keith isn't about to walk through the door, and why would they to Anaheim?
The Ducks acquired goalie Anton Khudobin from the Carolina Hurricanes for depth after John Gibson missed six weeks with a groin injury. Frederik Andersen remains the starter. One of Anaheim's off-ice moves was the dismissal of assistant coach Brad Lauer, who could not improve the power play. He was replaced on Bruce Boudreau's staff by former Ottawa Senators coach Paul McLean, who has made three trips to the Stanley Cup Final in his career. The Ducks had all summer to think about getting there, and that lingering feeling of regret has gotten old.Anaheim either traded or did not re-sign wings Matt Beleskey, Kyle Palmieri and Emerson Etem. They combined for 41 goals last season, including nine on the power play. Returnees Jakob Silfverberg, Patrick Maroon and Jiri Sekac, with newcomers Carl Hagelin and Chris Stewart, are expected to collectively fill that void. Silfverberg came on late in the regular season but consistency will go a long way toward improving on his 13 goals. Maroon had nine goals and an NHL career-best 34 points last season while contributing size (6-foot-2, 231 pounds) and strength. Sekac and Stewart figure to get bigger roles on the bottom two lines. Hagelin, acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers, adds speed and is coming off back-to-back 17-goal seasons.
It's difficult to believe that a team with as much skill and firepower as the Ducks isn't more productive with the man-advantage. But Anaheim's power play actually got worse last season, dropping to 15.7 percent (28th in the NHL) from 16.0 percent in 2013-14. The power play has finished in the bottom third of the League in three of the past four seasons. Predictability is a big reason for its ineffectiveness, and general manager Bob Murray was bothered enough to bring in former Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean as an assistant, replacing Brad Lauer, to try to improve the power play.
The Ducks found themselves facing this question for the third straight season after another Game 7 home loss, this time to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final. They say they need to learn from it and come back with more of a chip on their shoulder. That's the same kind of talk heard in the Ducks dressing room after the past two playoff disappointments. Perhaps the best solution is not to let a series get to a Game 7.When Anaheim signed center Ryan Kesler to a six-year, $41.25 million contract extension July 15, it further underlined that the Ducks' championship window has their cornerstone players in their prime. Kesler, 31 on Aug. 31, drastically changed the dynamic for Anaheim in his first season by giving opponents matchup problems at center, and as an agitating force to deal with after forward Corey Perry. By all accounts, Kesler was a good fit in the dressing room. With 736 NHL games, Kesler's remaining best years are sooner, along with 30-year-olds Perry and captain Ryan Getzlaf, and not later when their contracts expire in the next decade.
Hampus Lindholm last season morphed from a skinny, teenage-looking boy into a muscular force who looked like the defenseman of the future for Anaheim.
Lindholm's partnership with Francois Beauchemin might have been the Ducks' most reliable. Lindholm continued to display the puck-moving and skating skills that approach those of one of his idols, Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Coyotes.
Lindholm's plus-54 rating in his first two NHL seasons led defensemen and ranked fourth overall. Lindholm, who turns 22 in January, must go on without Beauchemin, who signed with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent.
Carl Hagelin essentially fell into Anaheim's lap when the Ducks acquired him in a trade with the New York Rangers at the 2015 NHL Draft. Hagelin, one of the NHL's fastest players, was second on the Rangers with 16 even-strength goals. He's an excellent penalty-killer who can play the left side, so it's likely coach Bruce Boudreau will try him on the first line with center Getzlaf and right wing Perry. Matt Beleskey filled that role last season and finished with an NHL career-high 22 goals, but the Ducks lost him to the Boston Bruins in free agency and have had little success auditioning others there. Maybe Hagelin can finally fill that void long term; he sounded eager after signing a four-year, $16 million contract on Aug. 14.
Anaheim redefined resiliency last season by winning an NHL-record 18 games when trailing at any point of the third period. It also set an NHL record with 33 wins in one-goal games, and their 50 comeback wins during the past two seasons led the NHL. The Ducks repeatedly said coming from behind was not their preferred method of victory, but poise became their identity and it's a big part of their regular-season success.Anaheim could be able to blood some of their prospects this season. Goalie John Gibson looks to be the pick of the bunch.
John Gibson, G
How acquired: 2nd round (No. 39), 2011 NHL Draft
Last season: Ducks: 23 GP, 13-8-0, 2.60 goals-against average, .914 save percentage; Norfolk, AHL: 11 GP, 6-3-2, 2.07 GAA, .935 save percentage
Gibson, 22, was never really able to challenge Frederik Andersen for the Ducks' No. 1 spot after a groin injury in November. But the 6-foot-3, 216-pound goaltender is capable of elite-level play when he's healthy, and he could eventually take the job if Anaheim has trouble re-signing him and Andersen; each becomes a restricted free agent after this season and will be due for a big raise.
Projected NHL arrival: 2015-16
Nick Ritchie, LW
How acquired: 1st round (No. 10), 2014 NHL Draft
Last season: Peterborough, OHL: 25 GP, 14-18-32; Sault Ste. Marie, OHL: 23 GP, 15-15-30
Ritchie, 19, is an intriguing prospect given his power-forward size (6-foot-2, 226 pounds) and Anaheim's perpetual need for a left wing to play with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. A midseason trade after he helped Canada win the World Junior Championship didn't slow his scoring; he has been nearly a point-per-game player for his junior career, with 210 points in 212 games.
Projected NHL arrival: 2016-17
Shea Theodore, D
How acquired: 1st round (No. 26), 2013 NHL Draft
Last season: Seattle, WHL: 43 GP, 13-35-48; Norfolk, AHL: 9 GP, 4-7-11
The 20-year-old spent parts of last season practicing with Anaheim and is likely to make his NHL debut sometime this season. Theodore (6-foot-2, 178 pounds) projects as an offensive defenseman who can run the point on the power play.
Projected NHL arrival: 2015-16
Stefan Noesen, RW
How acquired: Trade with Ottawa Senators, July 5, 2013
Last season: Ducks: 1 GP, 0-0-0; Norfolk, AHL: 27 GP, 7-9-16
Injuries have set back Noesen for the past two seasons, but the 22-year-old, acquired in the trade that sent forward Bobby Ryan to Ottawa, remains Anaheim's best right wing prospect. The Ducks recalled the 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward late last season for his NHL debut as a reward for persevering through a torn MCL/ACL in October 2013 and an injured Achilles in October 2014.
Projected NHL arrival: 2015-16
Nicolas Kerdiles, LW
How acquired: 2nd round (No. 36), 2012 NHL Draft
Last season: Norfolk, AHL: 51 GP, 9-17-26
Kerdiles, 21, is a good hometown story as the first Ducks' draft pick raised locally, in nearby Irvine, Calif. At 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, he's a solid two-way forward who completed his first professional season after two years at Wisconsin.
Projected NHL arrival: 2015-16
Predicted Lines
19 Maroon - 15 Getzlaf - 10 Perry
# Hagelin - 17 Kesler - 33 Silfverberg
7 Cogliano - 67 Rakell - # Stewart
# Horcoff - 44 Thompson - 46 Sekac
47 Lindholm - # Bieksa
4 Fowler - 24 Despres
3 Stoner - 45 Vatanen
31 Andersen - # Khudobin
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