Ready or not, the Anaheim Ducks have 33 days left until the puck drops at the season opener in San Jose. The reality that hockey season is a little more than a month away is finally starting to sink in.
Can you believe that hockey season is only a mere 33 days away? The slate has been wiped clean, last season is in the rearview mirror, and I am hopeful that the 2018-19 season is going to be one for the Anaheim Ducks history books. Maybe I am jumping the gun, but I am way too excited and I can’t contain it any longer!
With the 25th anniversary in full swing, the Anaheim Ducks have a lot of excitement in store for Ducks Nation. We have the nostalgic new third jersey’s to look forward to. The October 8th home opener against the Detroit Red Wings will give us plenty of opportunities to reminisce about the Ducks inaugural game in 1993. The jersey retirement for Paul Kariya and Scott Niedermayer will only add to the highly-anticipated celebration.
The Anaheim Ducks will certainly be contenders for the Cup if they give it everything they’ve got this next season. However, there is one question that remains unanswered. Will the Anaheim Ducks need to make some major changes?
Several ideas that have been thrown around include: firing Randy Carlyle, trading Corey Perry, or shaking things up a bit by bringing in a player like Erik Karlsson. All of these scenarios are highly unlikely. Randy Carlyle might have a short leash this season, but his friendship with GM Bob Murray will most likely keep him comfortable behind the bench for one more year. Corey Perry’s contract would probably be too much of a headache to deal with. Chris Bushell explained earlier in the week about why acquiring Karlsson is off the table and the trouble it could cause for Anaheim down the road.
There is, however, one rumor that has been swirling around Ducks Nation and it is still a big possibility. I’m not privy to all of the reasons it was started in the first place. Nevertheless, Jakob Silfverberg’s name has been on the chopping block since before the playoffs even ended. The possibility of him being used as a trading piece has been a hot topic all summer. Although I respect the heck out of the “Silfverbullet”, I can see how trading him could potentially benefit the Ducks.
For the sake of celebration, I’m taking his name off the trading block for just a second. Forget the rumors and the possibility of bringing in more “affordable” players to take his place. He had a great year filled with a lot of accomplishments that Ducks Nation should be proud of. In honor of there being only 33 days left until the season opener, here are some of Jakob Silfverbergs greatest moments of the 2017-18 season.