2017-18 Anaheim Ducks Season Grades: The Centers
Derek Grant: B-
Only a “B-”? Yes. Grant is the Anaheim Ducks feel-good story of the season. We gave him a “Quackie” award as breakout player of the year, but to be realistic, he is a bottom line center that had some limited success on the power play.
A “B-” grade, translates to pretty good, but not that good. That is a fair assessment of what Grant brought to the Ducks in 2017-18. The biggest reason why he stayed around all year was due to his defensive proficiency.
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If Rasmussen was a surprise to make the team out of training camp, Grant was an outright shock. Nothing in his 86 NHL games over five partial seasons indicated that he was anything more than a glorified spare part that wouldn’t stick with the team past Thanksgiving.
Grant did prove his doubters wrong from his first game to his last. Coach Randy Carlyle was comfortable using him in a variety of situations. Early in the season, he logged some top-six minutes and ended the year with 24 points (12g, 12a), including three on the power-play. Grant was a valued member of the Ducks top-five rated penalty kill, even after the cavalry arrived mid-season.
He is due to become an unrestricted free agent on June 1. His performance in 2017-18 will get him a contract in the league next year. If the price is right, Murray would be wise to bring him back.
Adam Henrique: B+
This was the assessment when Adam Henrique won the “Quackie” award for Newcomer of the Year:
How many players can you point to and say that they saved a season? Start pointing at Adam Henrique. The Anaheim Ducks were floundering until General Manager Bob Murray swung a deal with the New Jersey Devils to get Henrique in exchange for defenseman Sami Vatanen. A trade that helped both teams.
Henrique played in 57 games for the Anaheim Ducks after his November 30, arrival. He scored 36 points (20g, 16a) including eight on the power play. Better than his total of goals was the timing of them. Henrique had eight game-winning scores, an average of one game-winner for every seven games played. That is an unheard of rate for a non-top line player.
He pulled wings, Nick Ritchie, and Ondrej Kase, together and formed an effective second (ish) line. Henrique was also an important part of the second power-play unit, alternating between center and wing, depending on who he was skating with.
Going forward Henrique, along with Getzlaf, and Kesler gives the Ducks three strong players down the middle. That’s a big asset for the team. The pivot power trio may only last for one more season or less. Henrique is signed at very reasonable $4M fofor nextear, but the contract ends at the conclusion of the season. The Ducks have $15.125M tied up in Getzlaf and Kesler for 2019-20, so it will be interesting to see what Murray has planned for Henrique.
Ryan Kesler: C-
It’s heart-breaking to give Ryan Kesler such a low grade. For most of the season, it looked like someone else was wearing sweater number 17.
Kesler endured a painful hip injury during the 2016-17 season. He managed to gut it out through the playoffs, but post-season surgery was absolutely necessary. The recovery time from his procedure to remove bone fragments from his hip was originally four to five months. He returned the day after Thanksgiving.
Anyone who saw his play this season knows that quite often his body wasn’t physically able to execute what his mind was telling it to do. Kesler is normally Anaheim’s shutdown center. He matches up defensively against the opponents best center. Due to his difficult recovery, he was a shell of the RK17 Anaheim Ducks fans had come to expect. The will to succeed was there, but the talent to execute wasn’t.
Kesler wasn’t much help on the offensive end either. He only managed 14 points (8g, 6a) in 44 games after his return. He still managed to play slightly over 18 minutes per night and win 53.3% of the faceoffs he took.
Toward the very end of the season, Kesler started to look like his old self. He has another summer to recover and rehabilitate. By next season, the Team USA stalwart should be back to agitating Anaheim’s opponents and kicking butt the way he has in the past.
Ryan Getzlaf: B+
Getzlaf should have had an “A” but he only played in 56 games. As mentioned earlier, the captain’s season got off to a rocky start as he missed all of November and half of December after he was hit in the face with a deflected puck. The 33-year-old center underwent surgery to repair a broken bone near his eye. The subsequent absence ended his streak of five consecutive all-star appearances.
Although he missed just about a third of the season, Getzlaf was second on the team in points (61), power play points (13), faceoff wins (406), and +/- (+20). In addition, his 0.89 assists per game led the league.
Getzlaf’s importance to the Ducks goes far beyond his numbers. He is the team’s captain and leader both on and off the ice. A position Getzlaf has held since 2010. Additionally, he is the current face of the franchise.
There is no situation on the ice he isn’t suited for. He plays on the top line at even strength, as well as both the power-play and penalty kill units. His type of versatility combined with his leadership is a rare find.
If there was any fault to his season, it was that he couldn’t carry long-time running mate Corey Perry. He did, however, do a heck of a job bringing along young Rickard Rakell who plays the wing opposite Perry.
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Next year, a healthy Getzlaf should regain his all-star form.