The Anaheim Ducks are entering a re-loading season. If the front office/coaching staff have the guts to employ a “Duckling Line,” it could lead to fantastic results. Not only this season but many more down the road.
The 2018-19 Anaheim Ducks season has their fans feeling mixed emotions. Injury concerns, interesting signings, and players performing up to their contracts are cause for concern. Additionally, can they wash the bad taste remaining from the 2018 playoffs out of their mouths?
A black cloud seemed to hang over Honda Center for most of April and May 2018. The team and their fans alike felt the gut punch of a sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. There was no arguing that the 2017-18 Anaheim Ducks had their flaws.
Anaheim’s slow start was erased by the six-week tear they went on to get into the playoffs. Their unlikely run created a sense of hope the Ducks could do some damage in the second season. That hope vanished as there were few if any points in the four-game series where it looked like the Ducks even belonged on the same ice surface.
During exit interviews, General Manager Bob Murray made it clear, the Anaheim Ducks needed to get and play faster. Gone are the days of dump and chase, and overvaluing physicality just for sake of physicality. Playing heavy and physical is in the Ducks DNA. While I think they should always embrace their physical roots, it has always been the truth that you can’t hit what you can’t catch.
The Ducks need to find a way to blend the two, and a line I’ve been harping on all summer can achieve that.