As our 2015 grades continue we next look at the Duck that arguably made the biggest contribution to the team, Ryan Kesler. Kesler was acquired last summer for Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa and brought in to make the Ducks tougher down the middle. It would take pressure off 1st line center Ryan Getzlaf and give the Ducks a formidable 1-2 punch as they went through the gauntlet that is the Western Conference. Though the Ducks fell short in their quest for the Cup they advanced to within a game of the Stanley Cup Finals thanks in large part to Kesler.
Kesler had a great first year in Anaheim and the hope is the Ducks can extend him and keep him in Anaheim. The Ducks got everything they could’ve expected and more in Kesler and keeping him and allowing him to get even more acclimated to the Ducks will only make him and the team better.
Highlights:
Kesler played in all but one regular season game and went 20-27-47 in that span. Kesler was absolutely dynamic whether he was scoring goals or making plays. He is tenacious and an absolute competitor. Nothing will ever come easy against him and if you touch the puck when he’s out there he will make sure you pay the price. Kesler developed great chemistry with Jakob Silfverberg and Matt Beleskey. The latter appears that his days in Anaheim are over, but if Kesler and Silfverberg continue to be the potent duo they were and add another skilled winger the second line for the Ducks will be lethal. Kesler improved the Ducks possession numbers with his great face-off skills and was as big for them on the PK as he was on PP. There are very few weaknesses if at all in Kesler’s overall game and the Ducks know with him they can win the whole thing. And when he wants to he can take over a game. Just ask any team how they feel about Kesler, but specifically Los Angeles and Winnipeg and I’m sure their fans especially will have some choice words about him.
In the five Free Way Face-Off games that occurred this year Kesler appeared in all five and went 5-2-7 in those games. Those stats include his 2-1-3 performance and shoot-out winner in the first meeting as well as his overtime winner in the last game of the set. Kesler was a force and an absolute thorn in the side of the Kings. That was the reason he was brought to Anaheim to match up with the tough centers they have down the middle. And he did that and more and you can expect more of the same next season and hopefully many more years to come.
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In the post-season Kesler appeared in all 16 games and went 7-6-13 which is further proof that when the games get bigger Kesler does too. In the opening round vs. the Jets Kesler had just an assist through the first two games. But hearing so much about the “White-out” in Winnipeg Kesler made sure to silence it as much as he could. In Game 3 Kesler had an assist and late goal to tie the game which set up Richard Rakell’s OT winner. And in the clinching game of Game 4 Kesler picked up a pair of goals to sweep the Jets right out of the post-season. Kesler knows what it takes to win and firmly believes the Ducks can and will. During his exit interview Kesler stated, “We need to come back pissed-off, we’re not done, this team is destined for great things and I obviously want to be around for it.” Kesler knows this team has what it takes to win and will be a vital member of the Ducks winning the Cup.
Room for Improvement:
It’s hard to find holes in Kesler’s game. Would it have been better if he scored more goals? Absolutely. More points? No doubt. But it’s hard to complain about 20 goals and almost 50 points. I think he’s capable of more but it’s hard to fault him for those stats. There were some stretches last season where he was a little snake-bit or went on pointless streaks that you want to cut down on, but they’re going to happen over the duration of the season and you have to push through them. He was dynamite for this team and there is no doubt that the Ducks wouldn’t have made it as far as they did without him. The Ducks needed him and need him going forward. Another year of Kesler and Silfverberg has the potential to be explosive. Especially as a second line if Kesler can approach closer to 30 goals and 60-65 points the Ducks are well on their way back to a deep post-season run. And with Kesler even more entrenched in the Ducks DNA and having a year of being a leadership voice the Ducks may be able to get over the hump and capture that second title.