Anaheim Ducks: Are They Bruce Banner or The Hulk?

The Anaheim Ducks are almost 30 games into their 2018-2019 campaign. While they currently sit atop the Pacific Division do we really know who and what this team is?

The Anaheim Ducks season, to this point, is more confusing than any in recent memory. Starting the season with a bunch of young talented kids playing prominent minutes due to injuries to the likes of Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, and Corey Perry. It was those kids who led the Ducks to a 5-1-1 start, but fans and prognosticators alike could see the writing on the wall.

This team was bleeding shots and, although John Gibson and Ryan Miller were up to the task, there was no way they could continue winning while giving up 40+ shots a night. Despite the return of Kesler as well as Eaves for a bit, the Ducks went into a virtual tailspin for a good stretch of late October and early November

Following their 5-1-1 start, the Ducks would go 3-8-4 between October 20th and November 20th. This caused panic in Anaheim and the mobs with pitchforks and torches were waiting at the gates of Honda Center.

As Thanksgiving approached the Ducks got Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie back while losing Hampus Lindholm for a time and Cam Fowler indefinitely. However, since Thanksgiving, the Ducks record is 6-1-0 and as of writing this, they sit atop the Pacific Division, one point clear of Calgary.

Needless to say, this team has been Bruce Banner and The Hulk all season.  The question is who and what are they?

Are they a team that can rattle off 5-6 wins in 7 games or a team that wins just 3 times over a 15 game span? The team is still dealing with the significant injuries of Eaves, Perry and Fowler. None of them seem to be suiting up for the foreseeable future. Somehow they are second in the division and if the season ended today they’d find themselves in the post-season once again.

Would it be a repeat of last year? This team has shown its capable of going toe-toe with the best as they have taken down the likes of Nashville Tampa Bay and Washington but then struggled against teams like Philidelphia and Arizona.

If you need more evidence for how upside down this season is the Calgary Flames who are one point behind the Ducks for the division lead, have a +14 goal differential on the season. The Ducks have a -13 differential. That’s a 27 goal swing and yet the Flames are still one point behind them in the standings. That is not sustainable and something will need to change if the Ducks want to accomplish anything.

What Needs to Happen?

First, the Ducks need to find their identity. They need to commit to one style and stick with it. For the hope of them, I hope it isn’t the dump and chase but if it is they need to commit to it. Not have half the team playing it while the other half plays a more speed game. They need to work and move as a cohesive unit.

Secondly, they need to cut the “dead weight”. As evidenced by moves in the last month majority of Bob Murray‘s signings haven’t worked. Luke Schenn is gone, Ben Street is on waivers, Andrej Sustr was called back up for a short time, only because of injuries, and Brian Gibbons should be dumped anytime. I’ll grant that Carter Rowney has worked out and Pontus Aberg has been huge, but 2 for 6 aren’t great odds.

The Ducks need to trim the remaining fat and bring up some of the kids that played pivotal minutes early on. Troy Terry has seemed to rediscover his confidence as he has 16 points through 14 games. Max Jones has 9 points in 14 games and Sam Steel has 8 points in 10 games. Bringing them into the fold will make the Ducks faster, more skilled, and more dangerous.

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Lastly, and this cannot be stressed enough, the high shot totals need to stop!! Shot counters can be misleading. If all the shots you allow come for the blue line or bad angles the counter will go up but they aren’t dangerous chances. However, the Ducks are giving up high volume dangerous chances overall and it needs to stop.

You will not go anywhere in the post-season giving up the shot totals the Ducks are bleeding right now. Regardless of the Ducks current division standing, if Randy Carlyle‘s system doesn’t stop this the Ducks need to move on from him.

The Ducks were in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving and still find themselves there. They wrapped up a 5 game road trip with four wins and now come home for four as Christmas approaches. We should have some answers on Fowler after Christmas and Perry returns in March. Nevertheless, the Ducks may need a move to get over the hump.

For the first time in the last few seasons, the Ducks weren’t picked as Cup contenders but they are showing they can play and beat the best. You just have to get in and anything can happen but this team needs to find out who they are sooner rather than later or the past is destined to repeat itself.