Third Line Problems

The past few post-seasons have been rather disappointing for Duck fans. I also have higher expectations for the regular season. With top players such as Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne on the roster, we should expect a great season.

So why have the Ducks struggled? A prime reason would be our third liners, offensively and defensively. I obviously am not the only one who realized this, considering all the off-season moves Murray made this summer.

The Ducks first and second line had a ton of offensive success, but it comes down to the third and fourth lines to create some offensive pressure, and to keep the other team from scoring. This was severely lacking all of last season.

This off-season the Ducks added speedy center Andrew Cogliano, enforcer Jean-Francois Jacques and tough guy Brian McGrattan. The Ducks third lines offered little to no depth, which caused Carlyle to have to play our first and second lines often.

Cogliano is known for his speed and his grittiness. The Ducks are hoping to see an improvement from his terrible face-off percentages the last few seasons. He will also look to set up some of the rookies on his line. McGrattan and Jacques are not known for their offensive capabilities, but they do have some advantages. Their toughness will bring energy to the team as well as shut down the other teams offense.

Another big problem was our lack of secondary defense. Andy Sutton and Andreas Lilja had awful seasons last year, and it was left up to the top two lines to save the game. With the additions of Bryan Rodney and Kurtis Foster, the Ducks will have some more reliable defense on the third line. Speaking of defenseman, check out our latest poll.

Hopefully these third line problems have been solved with the new additions.

Home/Ducks News