Anaheim Ducks: It’s Time to Use the Kids for a “Duckling Line”

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.

Get with the Times

Over the last few seasons, the Ducks have rolled fourth lines that have featured the likes of Nate Thompson, Antione Vermette, Jason Chimera, Derek Grant, Chris Kelly etc. Nothing against any of these guys but they weren’t the most offensively gifted players. By the time they joined the team, their best days were behind them.

You could run a checking only, defensive-minded, give the top guys a breather line and be a good team, in the old NHL. That is not the case anymore. Consider the Sharks last season were using the likes of Timo Meier, Kevin Lablanc, Marcus Sorensen, and Melker Karlsson on their 3rd-4th lines. The four San Jose forwards were an average age of 25. Further, they were a combined 4-8-12 +10 in four playoff games, if that isn’t production I don’t know what is.

This year the likes of Chimera, Kelly, and Grant (Yes, I said it he’s not that good) are gone. Even though Murray has signed Carter Rowny and Brian Gibbons, they can be placed in the AHL or used as a spare forward.

The Ducks have a young 3rd line with Adam Henrique (He’s the same age as SJ’s Karlsson) Ondrej Kase, and Nick Ritchie, should they keep the latter. I think its time to deploy a “Duckling Line” of Kevin Roy-Troy Terry-Sam Steel

Foreshadowing?

I have been asking for a Roy-Terry-Steel line all off-season. Maybe just maybe Bob Murray reads Pucks of a Feather (or at least he should). At the Ducks Beach party, last weekend Murray answered some questions from the fans. According to @DaisyBeach23 on Twitter, Murray stated:

Steel, Terry, and Roy are all close and Murray is looking to make sure they all have a place. Now just to put them on the same line. This line all brings different things to the table but have the elements that all blend perfectly together.

Kevin Roy got his feet wet with the Ducks last season going 6-1-7 in 25 games. He was single-handedly being responsible for a win in St. Louis. Roy is fast, shifty with the puck, can stick handle in tight spaces, isn’t afraid to go in the corners and shoots from everywhere.

So far, he has played two years in the AHL with the Gulls. In 112 games played, the 5’9″ wing piled up 83 points. Roy has proved that he can put up points at the AHL level and showed he has the skills in the NHL as well. He is undersized but his speed makes up for it and a good pivot may be able to help create some space for him.

6’2,” 175lb. Troy Terry has achieved outside of the NHL. He is a Collegiate National Champion, two time World Junior Gold Medalist, and represented the USA in 2018 Winter Olympics. Terry played a total of 115 games for the University of Denver Pioneers. Not only was he an exact point per game player he was also a +56.

His numbers reflect a top center who plays a full 200-foot game. He puts points on the score sheet without ditching his defensive responsibilities. Terry signed this past April but played in only two NHL games.

An interview following the Ducks prospect camp this summer showed Terry has one big target on his mind. When asked how to take the next step, Terry said his goal is to show the organization he’s ready for the jump and to be an impact player. If they roll him on this line he will be.

Last but certainly not least is a name on many Ducks fan’s minds, Sam Steel. The former first-round pick looks poised to rock the new Mighty Ducks throwback come October 8th. Steel has proved everything possible in Canadian juniors by posting 338 points in 253 games with the Regina Pats.

He also captained the team, was named MVP of the Memorial Cup Tournament and has a World Junior Championship Gold Medal. Steel is a dynamic skater, with a shot as lethal as his outstanding passing ability.

The Alberta native is hard on pucks and has unbelievable hands. He forces the game to be played at a break-neck pace and causes havoc with his stride. He could be the Ducks biggest internal option to crank the speedometer up and the rest of his line will follow suit.