Rickard Rakell Has Arrived for the Anaheim Ducks
On a night that began with the celebration of the greatest player to ever play for the Anaheim Ducks in Teemu Selanne, it was the Ducks’ youngest forward, Rickard Rakell, that made sure the night ended perfectly for the Finnish Flash. Rakell had a monstrous outing, recording a point on all four of the Ducks’ goals in regulation. His second goal of the game came with 2:03 remaining in regulation to force overtime. He then scored on a filthy toe-drag and backhand to extend the shootout, which allowed Selanne’s fellow countryman Sami Vatanen to win it for the Ducks. Not a bad time to have his first multi-goal and multi-point game.
Toward the end of last summer I wrote an article stating that the Ducks needed Rakell to step up and be a force on this team. He started the year off in a battle with William Karlsson for the team’s final center spot, and with “Wild Bill” scoring points early, it looked like Rakell would eventually find himself in the AHL again. Initially, neither player ended up winning that spot. Rakell’s play was not impressive at the early point of the season, while Karlsson suffered a bout of stomach flu and did not return from AHL Norfolk. Devante Smith-Pelly ended up being the team’s fourth center for a short while. However, Rakell eventually earned another call-up because of a knee injury to Corey Perry.
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Rakell has made a strong impression in his second stint with the team this season. His play has been terrific, and his ability to get offensive chances, despite playing a bottom-six role, has enamored the coaching staff to keep him here. He brings energy on each shift and has quickly become one of the Ducks’ most consistent forwards and solid two-way performers. Rakell’s roster spot was still in question early, but the team waived veteran winger Dany Heatley, opening up a place for Rakell to play everyday in the lineup.
Without having to worry about being reassigned to Norfolk, Rakell has rewarded the Ducks’ vote of confidence. He scored his first NHL regular-season goal on December 22 against the San Jose Sharks. That goal was interesting, since Rakell scored his first NHL goal last year in the postseason last year (Game 5 against the Dallas Stars). It took Rakell 47 games to score his first regular-season goal, but he now has three in his last eight games. The scoring touch has not always been there, but the chances and opportunities he creates for teammates have. If he continues to play the way he has been, while chipping in some points, the Ducks have another added weapon.
Rakell took over Sunday night’s game. On an emotional night where all the usual routines were thrown out the window, Rakell never looked rattled by the moment. Every time he was on the ice, he seemed to make an impact, and the coaching staff has to be encouraged by what they have seen. Rakell’s strong play has earned him a spot on the team’s second power-play unit with Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Kesler.
Rakell knocked home his first goal of the night on the power-play, crashing the net to pop home a rebound. In the NHL, it isn’t about how, but about how many goals are scored: a clean-up goal or snipe looks the same on the scoreboard. His forechecking ability and fortitude created opportunities for Tim Jackman in the second period and Palmieri in the third period (on the power-play) to pot goals of their own. His second goal of the game and game-tying goal was a thing of beauty. As the puck was dumped into the Winnipeg zone, Jakob Silfverberg pressured Dustin Byfuglien into a turnover, which allowed Patrick Maroon to pick up the loose puck and feed a streaking Rakell in the slot. Rakell went backhand to forehand and beat Ondrej Pavelec to his left side. Rakell would get Pavelec one more time in the shootout to allow the Ducks and Vatanen to win it in the sixth round.
When Kesler was acquired early last summer, there was no doubt that he and Ryan Getzlaf would be the top two centermen on this team. But with the trade of Nick Bonino in the Kesler deal and the departure of Mathieu Perreault, there was a need for another centerman to emerge from the Ducks, and Rakell has seized that opportunity. The impact has not been immediately noticeable, but Rakell has cemented his place on this roster. Rakell has three goals and nine assists and is creating great chemistry with whoever is on his line, whether it is Silfverberg, Maroon, or Andrew Cogliano. Rakell, again, brings such a consistent effort with each game and seems to always have the puck in the offensive zone whenever his line is out for a shift. The Ducks have two scoring lines, anchored by Getzlaf and Kesler. But with Rakell, the Ducks can roll out a speedier line, while employing a physical, grind-centered line around Nate Thompson.
In today’s NHL, the ability to roll four lines is so important: winning a championship is almost impossible without it. If all four lines can be at the top of their respective games come playoff time, this team will have a much better chance of going on a deep playoff run. With Rakell playing the way he is now, that could very well become a reality, and the Ducks could very well be holding a 30 pound trophy over their heads at the end of the season.