Q2) Look into your crystal ball, what will the Ducks top six look like, 2 years from now?
If I could really do this accurately, I’d have a prime spot in the Anaheim Ducks offices. I can, however, make an educated guess as to who will be in the mix.
First and foremost is Rickard Rakell. He is the Ducks best offensive player now and he won’t be 25-years-old until May. If his career scoring trend continues, Rakell may be a 75 or 80 point per season player.
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Ondrej Kase is a top-six player in waiting. His current line with Ritchie and Henrique is a quasi-second line now. The Czech Republic native is only 23 and is already half point per game performer. With a little more seasoning, he could be a legitimate scoring threat.
One of Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry will still have an offensive role with the team in two years, not both. Both of them are physical players so a third line checking role is not out of the question. By then they will be 35, but I’d lean toward Getzlaf in the top six due to his playmaking prowess.
Next year both Max Jones and Sam Steel should see significant time with the club. By 2019-20, the pair of 2016 first-round draft picks will be important parts of the team. Or so, the plan is.
That still leaves one spot and I don’t have a clue, but whoever it is probably isn’t part of the organization right now. It could be this year’s first-round pick or maybe he’ll be the player Murray gets for either Silfverberg or Ritchie.