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Anaheim Ducks: Early Season Report Cards, Forwards Part 2

By Ciara Durant

ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 21: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Anaheim Ducks before a faceoff against the Buffalo Sabres at Honda Center on October 21, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 21: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Anaheim Ducks before a faceoff against the Buffalo Sabres at Honda Center on October 21, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 14: Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Kesler (17) during an NHL game between the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues on October 14, 2018, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. The Ducks beat the Blues, 3-2. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 14: Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Kesler (17) during an NHL game between the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues on October 14, 2018, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. The Ducks beat the Blues, 3-2. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Ryan Kesler

Grade: B+ 

Ryan Kesler entered his fifth season as an Anaheim Duck this year. He has been nothing less than a consistent and key player for the team. Nevertheless, after the issues with his hip became almost too much to bear, it was speculated that Kesler may sit out the entire 2018-19 season.

However, he has come back early in the season with a vengeance. His goal? To prove everyone who doubted him wrong. He made his season debut on October 10, 2018, against the Arizona Coyotes.

Although he only produced 5 points in the span of 10 games, he is looking so much better than he did during the 2017-18 season. His first point came during his first game. He scored the very first goal off of a rebound after Antti Raanta lost the puck.

He also scored two goals that helped the Anaheim Ducks win their contest against the New York Islanders. An assist in the game against the St. Louis Blues snatched the Ducks another win.

Kesler has been one of the most consistent players in the faceoff. With a 58.7% success rate, he won 118 out of the 201 faceoffs he participated in. This gave the Ducks plenty of opportunities, that without Kesler, they would not have had. Nevertheless, the current state of the team kept them from capitalizing on these opportunities.

Since his return, the entire team has been struggling to be a cohesive unit. Kesler, on the other hand, has had a decent performance. Especially considering that he has been bounced around between the first and second line due to the injury of Ryan Getzlaf.

We have been given a glimpse of the defensive, strong-willed, gritty leader that we all have come to admire. With, hopefully, more consistency from the entire team, and the opportunity he has had to reunite with the shutdown line we should see him producing more in the following months.

His hip is definitely a concern, but the good news is, it seems as though he’s listening to his body this season. Let’s hope he doesn’t overwork himself and sits out when he needs to rest. I hope that the state of his team doesn’t cause him to jeopardize his own health.

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