2013 Anaheim Ducks Season Review

May 12, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks celebrate after a goal by right wing Emerson Etem (65) against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period in game seven of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Well folks, it was a fun 2012-2013 Anaheim Ducks season. After last season, I guess you could say morale was not very high. However, there was added excitement when Teemu Selanne announced he would be returning. Hopefully, we can see him for ‘One More Year,’ but that’s for a later time. To start with the review, here are the Ducks’ records for each month of the season and their corresponding overall record:

January: 3-1-1

February: 11-2-0          Overall: 14-3-1

March: 9-4-4                  Overall: 23-7-5

April: 7-5-1                     Overall: 30-12-6

Now for the Team Leaders in major categories:

Games Played:

1. Francois Beauchemin – 48 GP
2. Andrew Cogliano – 48 GP (Still hasn’t missed a game in his career!)
3. Daniel Winnik – 48 GP
4. Saku Koivu – 47 GP
5. Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne – 46 GP

Goals:

1. Ryan Getzlaf – 15 G
2. Corey Perry – 15 G
3. Andrew Cogliano – 13 G
4. Teemu Selanne – 12 G
5. Bobby Ryan – 11 G

Assists:

1. Ryan Getzlaf – 34 A
2. Corey Perry – 21 A
3. Bobby Ryan – 19 A
4. Saku Koivu – 19 A
5. Francois Beauchemin – 18 A

Points:

May 8, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (15) during a stoppage in play against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period in game five of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

1. Ryan Getzlaf – 49 P
2. Corey Perry – 36 P
3. Bobby Ryan – 30 P
4. Saku Koivu – 27 P
5. Francois Beauchemin and Teemu Selanne – 24 P

Plus/Minus:

1. Francois Beauchemin – +19
2. Sheldon Souray – +19
3. Ryan Getzlaf – +14
4. Andrew Cogliano – +14
5. Daniel Winnik – +13

PIM:

1. Corey Perry – 72 PIM
2. Matt Beleskey – 56 PIM
3. Sheldon Souray – 52 PIM
4. Ryan Getzlaf – 51 PIM
5. Brad Staubitz – 41 PIM (in just 15 games played!)

Have to give credit where credit is due and give the goalies some love for their excellent seasons:

• Viktor Fasth – 25 GP, 23 GS, 15-6-2, 2.18 GAA, .921 SV%, 4 SO
• Jonas Hiller – 26 GP, 25 GS, 15-6-4, 2.36 GAA, .913 SV%, 1 SO

Also should list our rookies who made their NHL debuts this season:

• Emerson Etem – 38 GP, 3 G, 7 A, 10 P, +7, 9 PIM
• Peter Holland – 21 GP, 3 G, 2 A, 5 P, +4, 4 PIM
• Patrick Maroon – 13 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, -1, 10 PIM
• Sami Vatanen – 8 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 2 P, +3, 0 PIM
• Rickard Rakell – 4 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, -2, 0 PIM

After the successful regular season, there is plenty for Ducks fans to be proud of. Sure you can look at the change in team record, but just the way the team played this season compared to last season is just incredible. Last year, I had a tough time watching the Ducks not just get beat but beat badly almost on a nightly basis. This year, with the new attitude the team had and the new style of play, I had a tough time getting pulled away from watching this team play.

April 27, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks goalie Viktor Fasth (30) defends the goal against the Phoenix Coyotes during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

It was so great to see Hiller rebound after last season. He was back to his old, pre-‘vertigo’ self. Then, there was ‘unknown’ Viktor Fasth who came and blew the league out of the water. Fasth was also playing with a lower abdomen strain late in the year. This tandem is going to go down as arguably the best the Ducks have ever had. It may only last one season, with the possibility of Hiller being traded away, but it was a joy to know that on any night the Ducks were going to have a goalie in net who was playing well and could steal a game for us. Of course Hiller was solid in the playoffs, but as the series went along, he began to make more and more errors. He was good enough to keep this team in for 7 games, but I’m sure there will be people who will say, “Should’ve started Fasth.” To that I say, Hiller played well enough for this team to win the series, don’t be blaming Jonas.

The forward group proved this season that they can score on all four lines. Something this franchise isn’t used to. The extensions to Getzy and Pears were an added bonus during the season. Andrew Cogliano enjoyed his best season as a member of this franchise. Daniel Winnik was phenomenal in his first season here. The ageless wonders, Koivu and Selanne, both had very good years. Matt Beleskey was his usual, hard-hitting, tough self, but added in 8 goals and 5 assists. Youngster Kyle Palmieri enjoyed a very nice first full season in the NHL. The same could be said with Emerson Etem, who looked twice as good in the playoffs. Nick Bonino, if not for a long stretch on the DL with a torn hamstring, would’ve enjoyed his finest season in the NHL as well! David Steckel was brought in late to help in the faceoff circle and did just that and adding a goal and 5 assists. Radek Dvorak was also brought during the season to add some depth and he contributed 4 goals. Meanwhile, Matthew Lombardi was also brought in for some depth, but he was slowed down after he fell to a shoulder injury.

The defense was another big issue coming into the season. Francois Beauchemin had arguably his best season ever and was even tossed around in Norris Trophy contention, but not enough to land him as a finalist. He also played the final month of the regular season and the playoffs with a torn ACL! Sheldon Souray surprised me with his fine play in both ends for much of the season. However, his played really tailed off in the end, especially the playoffs. I bet Bob Murray is regretting that 3-year contract right now. Cam Fowler got off to a bad start with his offensive game, but came around late in the season. He’s still a very promising young defenseman. Ben Lovejoy may have been an unsung hero of sorts. He was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins and did a very solid job during the regular season. Then, in the playoffs, he might’ve been the Ducks best back on the blueline. I wasn’t the biggest Toni Lydman fan last season, but this year he proved me wrong and had a very solid season. He was certainly missed in the playoffs after he was knocked out of the series against Detroit by Justin Abdelkader. Honestly, I thought Luca Sbisa could’ve been better. Now he is another guy, like Hiller, who could be thrown around in trade rumors. The lone rookie to play for the Ducks on the blueline, Vatanen, was especially influential in his short time on the ice. He displayed his offensive instincts when he was out there for the powerplay. I’m looking forward to seeing him get more ice time. Maybe if the Ducks could find a way to get rid of Souray, but probably not.

May 12, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin (23) moves the puck against the Detroit Red Wings during the third period in game seven of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

As far as the coaching staff, they were just fine, until the playoffs. I was extremely nervous when I found out the Ducks would have to face a Mike Babcock Red Wings team. He’s arguably the best coach in the league. Yeah, Bruce Boudreau is a solid coach, but nowhere near Babcock’s level. That became extremely apparent in the playoffs. Boudreau has never won ‘the big game.’ Is that going to haunt this team as long as Boudreau is here? You could definitely say yes, at least until Boudreau proves he can win ‘the big game.’

It might not have ended the way either we or the franchise wanted it to end, but it was a run ride. There are going to be some questions about the way this team’s going to address the salary cap next year. They are going to have 9 UFA’s and 4 RFA’s and with the big contracts of the big two kicking in next season, the brain trust have to pay a little more attention to the salary cap and how much is left to spend on re-signing guys and bringing new guys in. The most important thing is to build off of this successful season and get right back at the top of the Western Conference. The young guys are going to just keep getting better. I can’t wait for next season. Hey, three days down already, that just means we’re three days closer to opening night!

We’ll make sure to have plenty of interesting material to read during the offseason. There will be plenty of posts about the upcoming draft, free agency and all that jazz. So, sit back and try and enjoy the remaining playoff hockey. It’s still the greatest sports spectacle!

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