Anaheim Ducks: Are Camp Lines a Sign of Change?
Rickard Rakell-Sam Steel-Corey Perry
This was the line I was expecting to see Ryan Getzlaf on. His usual wingers of Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry are here but the center is highly touted prospect Sam Steel. Rakell is coming off a break-out season that saw him eclipse 30 goals and an election to his first All-Star game. Rakell was a huge reason the Ducks stayed afloat early last season and he seemed to only get better as the season went along. He has a knack for the big moment and scores in all different ways you can think of. He controls the puck on a string, makes great passes and knows how to get to high scoring areas. He pushes the pace of play and likes to do everything fast. A trait he shares with his center and a center that could push him to move even faster and rack up quite a few assists.
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Sam Steel plays the game of hockey one way, fast. If you were lucky enough to watch him in person during rookie camp or streaming the rookie showcase that was made evident. He gets the puck and whether he’s skating it, making plays or getting to scoring areas he does it fast. He puts defensemen on their heels with his speed and then his hockey IQ kicks in. He has the skills and smarts to either fly past them or allow things to develop and make plays with the space his speed creates. He and Rakell could have some magical plays between the two of them. And he will have one of the best scorers in this league on his other wing. A wing that is looking to redeem himself and have a return to form season. To put a mark on his legacy as a Duck and Steel could help him do that.
Corey Perry needs to play faster. The fans know it, the team knows it, the league knows it, and he knows it. Perry has had a rough last few seasons and has finally been called out by the front office multiple times this summer. Perry has the hands and hockey sense to still be a top end NHL scorer. And if he is placed on this line he better have been improving his speed this off-season. Rakell and Steel will play this game fast and put the league on notice doing it. They can bring Perry along for the ride and he will have a center that like Getzlaf, gets him the puck in prime scoring areas. Perry, in turn, will create time and space for Steel and Rakell giving them room to move while opponents worry about Perry.
This is a line comprised of two players who are first line players and one of the biggest prospects the Ducks have. If that doesn’t excite fans I don’t know what will.