Anaheim Ducks: Three Musts At Training Camp

The Kids Are Alright

The Anaheim Ducks are a somewhat of a crossroads. Albeit not your typical cross-roads. They are in a rare position where if played correctly it won’t be a re-build. It will be a re-load.

The Ducks still have a leadership/veteran core that any team would be jealous of. Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry, Patrick Eaves, and Adam Henrique up-front. Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm on the back-end. These guys have won Stanley Cups, been to Cup Finals and gone on many deep playoff runs. They know what it takes to win and how the game needs to be played that time of year. While they will be the driving force to a Ducks second Cup they would all tell you the same thing.

The team needs young skill guys and the right mix of depth to get it done in the post-season. As evidence of that, think of then young skill guys Getzlaf and Perry with the Hall of Fame veteran core that led the Ducks to the Cup in 07′.

History may be repeating itself finally as Sam Steel, Troy Terry, Kevin Roy, and Marcus Pettersson are looking to make the full-time NHL jump. Sprinkle in Jakob Silfverberg, Ondrej Kase and Brandon Montour and the Anaheim Ducks have all the tools to do some real damage.

But the Ducks need to use these kids. In the past they could make the case they weren’t ready, they didn’t want to throw them to fire, or whatever other spin stories they wanted to sell. Now, these kids are ready and it begs the question if not now when?

Short of being a season-ticket holder for the San Diego Gulls no one in Ducks Nation should want to see these kids playing south of Anaheim. They need to come up, make their rookie mistakes, and start the steps to great NHL careers. There is no mistake these kids will make that Derek Grant, Chris Kelly, or insert over the hill veteran here wouldn’t make. The kids will learn and be better for it.

Training camp needs to have these kids around and playing in meaningful roles. If the intra-squad scrimmage has them on lines with fringe guys or if they get cut from the roster with Carter Rowney and Brain Gibbons still here, then management needs a good long look in the mirror. Because they aren’t putting a team out there capable of bringing a Cup home.