4 Anaheim Ducks Preseason Storylines
Mar 10, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward
Ryan Kesler(17) skates against the New York Islanders during the third period at Rogers Arena. The New York Islanders won 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Yes the first storyline is that simple. The Ducks were finally able to land Ryan Kesler over the summer and give them a 1-2 punch at center as Kesler will slot in right behind Captain Ryan Getzlaf. Kesler is a star and has said all the right things since arriving in Southern California.
Kesler has said he is here to do one thing and that is to win. Win that Stanley Cup that has eluded him so far and he believes this is the place to do it. This move had a lot of hockey minds pushing the Ducks even further up in contenders lists on paper. But that is just what it is at this point, on paper.
Kesler needs to be a big-time performer for the Ducks and provide a secondary scoring punch. The Ducks haven’t had this good of a 1-2 punch up the middle since the days Andy MacDonald was in Anaheim and this may be even better than that.
The Ducks were very tight-lipped about who would flank Kesler until we saw him go through training camp with Pat Maroon and Jakob Silfverberg. That line could work well as Maroon is a big body that throws his weight around but also has soft hands and can score goals. While Silfverberg won’t crush people he isn’t afraid to muck it up in the corners and has a quick release and can score plenty when healthy. Add an All-Star like Kesler to those two and that line combination could be lethal. This line isn’t set in stone but look to see them in action tonight at least and potentially the next game before any tinkering goes on.
Kesler knows what his role is and how counted upon he will be both offensively and defensively and a great deal of the Ducks success will hinge on how well Kesler plays and gels with the team.