Three Areas the Anaheim Ducks Must Address Before the Postseason

Feb 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) skates with the puck around Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm (47) in the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

2. Strengthen the Blue-Line

Entering the offseason, the Ducks had two areas of concern after their second-round playoff exit: center depth and the blue-line. To address the former, the Ducks made a blockbuster trade for Kesler, who has been everything the Ducks could have hoped for and more. He has been of tremendous help for players such as Matt Beleskey, who is having a career year (21 goals) playing alongside a bona-fide top-six centerman. The Ducks also traded for Thompson, who has been a stalwart on the penalty-kill, and Rakell has grown seemingly with each game. The Ducks have gotten the improvement down the middle that they were seeking after May.

However, the Ducks have not really addressed their issues on the blue-line nearly as much. The Ducks’ one move in the offseason for the defense was signing Clayton Stoner to a four-year, $13 million contract in free-agency. The Ducks did make a commitment to going younger after letting go of players such as Saku Koivu, Jonas Hiller, and Daniel Winnik in the offseason, but that meant that the Ducks would have to depend on major steps forward from a mostly young blue-line group.

However, the young-guys have mostly been spectacular. Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, and Sami Vatanen have all been great this season, and the young trio have taken those steps forward that the team envisioned they would need to for the Ducks to have success. As long as Vatanen’s injury from Sunday is not season-ending and as long as the three of them stay healthy, the trio should be major contributors in the postseason. Instead, it is the veteran defensemen that have not been great for the Ducks.

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Ben Lovejoy, Francois Beauchemin, Stoner, and Eric Brewer have all had their issues. Beauchemin has battled mumps and a broken finger this season. He leads the Ducks in ice-time, but he is far from being the number-one defenseman that anchors a championship-caliber blue-line. Lovejoy was a -4 in three games on the Ducks’ most recent five-game trip and was made a healthy scratch in the other two games. Stoner has been okay, but there is not much of a difference between him and Bryan Allen from last season. Brewer has been mostly a disappointment, and not only because the Ducks had to give up the Oilers’ 3rd round pick in this year’s draft to acquire him (an asset that the Ducks could really use at the upcoming March 2nd trade deadline, especially to upgrade defensively).

The Ducks have been linked to defensemen in trade rumors. Tyler Myers and Cody Franson seemed to be the names most linked to the Ducks, but both are now off the market, with Myers in Winnipeg and Franson in Nashville. Marc Methot just signed a four-year, $19.6 million extension with the Ottawa Senators. There are still plenty of other available defensemen, and more will become so as teams begin to fall out of the playoff picture.

General manager Bob Murray needs to acquire someone on the blue-line. The team’s recent defensive performances have not been encouraging, but honestly, the defense was always the biggest issue even before the season started. It’s an area that has to be addressed, and I trust that Murray will do so in a move that both helps the team and does not empty the asset cupboard for the Ducks.

The most recent Stanley Cup champions (the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins) were all strong and deep on the blue-line. Even the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, who lost in those Stanley Cup Finals, were strong defensively. After center, defense is arguably the most important position in the game, and the Ducks would be wise to address the area as best as possible before the deadline passes and the playoffs begin.

Next: 3. 20 Best Players