Anaheim Ducks: Flight to the Finish Pt. 1

The Anaheim Ducks have truly been a tale of two teams this season. And while they are currently in a playoff spot they will need to make some changes if they hope to still be there come April.

As we head into 2019, our beloved Anaheim Ducks are in a tight playoff race, seventh in the Wild West and fourth in the Pacific division. This team has fought to survive to get this far, but right now the Ducks are in a midst of a six-game losing streak, losing the last two games in overtime. During the six-game losing streak, the Ducks have been outscored twenty to nine, giving up more than three goals in five of the six games.

After losing five of the six games on the road, the Ducks hoped to use the home ice to snap out of the slump, but back-to-back overtime losses against Arizona and Tampa Bay leave the Ducks entering the 2019 portion of the season on a long sour note. Fans and players alike are asking one another one simple question: How do they break out of a slump and make a huge push to the Playoffs?

With ten games this month before the All-Star break late this month, it’s time to diagnose what ails this team and how to fix them. Here are the main points of emphasis for the Ducks to focus on getting back on track.

1.      Offense, Where Are You?

Scoring just over one goal in the six-game slump is why the Ducks have struggled lately. Though the new additions have helped a lot (Daniel Sprong and Pontus Aberg), the Ducks have been stymied as of late, whether by the opposing teams’ stellar goaltending or not being able to sustain offensive pressure in the other teams’ zone. Either way, the Ducks must go back to the drawing board and figure out different ways to attack the opposition.

Areas that they must clean up are the turnovers in the neutral zone as well as clean entrances into the offensive zone. One of the reasons why the Ducks haven’t controlled puck possession lately is a combination of not consistently making smart plays along with lack of communication as to where people should be when they go on the attack. While opposing teams’ goaltenders can be spectacular, the Ducks’ inconsistent lack of net presence along with the reasons stated above must be corrected swiftly if the Ducks want to fly high into April.

2.     Time to P.U.T.T.

To quote Coach Orion from D3: The Mighty Ducks, “If you want to win, you got to pick up the trash.” Hence the acronym: Pick Up The Trash or P.U.T.T. for short. The Ducks have had defensive lapses from time to time, forcing John Gibson to bail the Ducks way too much. At some point, the Ducks must return to their principles of sound defensive hockey, which could relieve Gibson from having to bail the team out for the remainder of the season.

Part of the reason why the Ducks may have struggled on defense lately is due to Cam Fowler’s absence due to injury. Though not a scoring threat like Brandon Montour, or a physical presence like Josh Manson, Fowler does bring in experience on the back end. With him being gone, the Ducks have had to rely on the young guys to step up and though they have tried to fill that void, Fowler’s return could bolster the team.

As I said before, communication is key and when you go up against teams in the West who thrive on speed and skill, the Ducks must eliminate the odd-man fast breaks so that Gibson doesn’t get left high and dry. It doesn’t stop with just the defensemen, the forwards also need to do their part as well, by being careful with the puck and not just throwing wayward passes leading to those odd man breaks.

Correcting those mistakes would be a huge boost, considering how the Ducks are struggling to find ways to score. The fewer mistakes made on the back end will determine how far the Ducks can stay in the game and more importantly lessen the load Gibson will have to carry.

3.     Stay Healthy

The last few years have been rough on the Ducks on the injury front, suffering massive injuries to their key players. Rickard Rakell, Ryan Miller, Patrick Eaves, and Corey Perry, just to name a few, and because of that, Bob Murray has made some moves to bolster the offense. So far, the additions have been positive as Daniel Sprong and Pontus Aberg have done their part to contribute on both sides of the ice.

That said, if the Ducks want to be a serious contender, staying healthy is a key ingredient. Thankfully, Rakell returning soon can be an energy boost for the offense, as he has been a super-star in the making while wearing the Ducks logo. That said, Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves aren’t expected to return until late in the season, if not at all in Eaves’ situation. Though both might not be huge scoring machines, both have roles that aren’t easy to replace, Perry as an irritant towards the opposing team and Eaves was another option the Ducks could rely upon before he went down.

While the hobbled and wounded are battling their way back to rejoin the flock, the rest of the team will have to find a way to weather the storm, avoiding injuries at all cost, to stay in the race. With the injuries hitting the veteran players, it also could be an opportunity for the younger guys in the minor leagues to return to the OC, like Troy Terry. Terry, one of the Ducks’ prized young guns, showed he could hold his own last year, playing in a few games with the big boys, so having speed infused to the lineup could jump-start the Ducks, while at the same time, giving guys like Ryan Kesler and others a chance to relax.

4.     Special Teams – Not Special

According to NHL.com, the Ducks are thirteenth on the penalty kill, but they are in the bottom five on the power-play. Those stats alone should worry Ducks fans and players alike, because going up against teams like Vegas, San Jose, Colorado, Nashville who have MONSTERS on the power-play like Joe Pavelski, Nathan Mackinnon, Fillip Forsberg, etc. who can snipe at any time, the Ducks can’t afford to commit penalties and stupid ones at that against them.

Another staggering fact that has Ducks fans and players frustrated has been how many times they Ducks have been called for penalties and not the opposing team. According to ESPN.com, the Ducks have been called for 188 penalty minutes compared to 148 penalty minutes at home. As for the road, nearly 200 penalty minutes to only 150 minutes. That is a trend that must change if they’re going to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Now with that said, another factor that Ducks fans and players scratching their head is the fact that the refs have called certain penalties against the Ducks, but if the opposing team does the same thing, the refs don’t call the same penalty. It’s one thing if the penalty being called is completely obvious, but what has everyone upset is when the opposing team does that same thing, the refs miss those calls.

What is also frustrating is that sometimes, the refs don’t let certain things slide. Like if both players are fighting to get the puck, sometimes there’s going to be physical contact between the players, and while I get you can’t let everything slide, one of two things need to happen: either you call it both ways and not just against the Ducks or let some of that stuff be non-calls. If you’re consistent either way, Ducks fans and players would complain less towards the refs.

All in all, the Ducks must do their share not to put themselves in those precarious situations, particularly on the road in hostile arenas like Nashville or Los Angeles or Colorado. If the Ducks commit fewer stupid penalties, hopefully, the refs take that into account and start allowing them to play their physical style as well as being fair and calling penalties against the opposing team.

Now, to the other side, the power-play: The Ducks for a lack of a better word, stink. Again, back to ESPN, the Ducks have only seven PPGs, tied with Philadelphia and Detroit, and only above Columbus who have six. The Ducks have GOT to take advantage of those power-plays when they get the opportunity with the extra man.

One glaring aspect as to why they struggle is who they put out there on the power play units. Ryan Kesler is one guy who has been struggling as of late. Coming back from injuries from the previous year, he hasn’t been effective as of late. Only six points to account for so far, Kesler hasn’t been a key cog like in years’ past and that might hopefully lead to him getting some rest when Rakell returns or even beforehand.

Not all the problems are on the Ducks’ end, certain goaltenders have been nightmares for the Ducks: Pekka Rinne from Nashville, Ben Bishop from Dallas, Marc-Andre Fleury from Vegas, just to name a few have made ridiculous saves against the Ducks when they have gotten those grade A chances.

The Ducks have got to get back to making lives difficult for the opposing goalies by standing in front of them, so they can’t see. Another issue is not handling the puck well when they enter the zone. Lately, the Ducks have been losing those dump and chase battles, which cost them precious seconds on the power-play, so maybe switching who is in when they get those chances could change things up.

5.     Time to Wheel and Deal

If the Ducks are going to be going all in to win the Cup in their 25th year, Bob Murray is going to have to make some moves before the trade deadline. So far, Sprong and Aberg have been revelations for the Ducks, but with the offense struggling, Murray needs to be on the phones to give the Ducks some help. With limited cap space, the Ducks can’t go for the moon and back, but there are several options they can go for and these are the ones I believe they should go after:

1.     Jaden Schwartz (St. Louis)

–         A young guy who can help on the wing and give the Ducks more speed along with Aberg and can give the Ducks another scoring option. Plus, he doesn’t have a trade clause and is a UFA at seasons end. An option that the Ducks could look at and could possibly trade Nick Ritchie and a prospect for him.

2.     David Perron (St. Louis)

–         Former Duck for a couple of years and would be a welcome addition for the Ducks. Though 30 years old, Perron has scored 25 points for the Blues. He can be a help on the wing like Schwartz. The only question is can he take some of the load off Kesler and provide that physical presence Kesler used to bring?

3.     Conor Sheary (Buffalo)

–         Cup champion twice over, Sheary is another winger that the Ducks need to look at. Could play either wing position and would be a bottom six forward and an option on the power-play and 3 on 3 overtime. Getting him in a trade would be a steal by Murray.

4.     John Klingberg (Dallas)

–         If the Ducks want to shore up the back end, Klingberg is an option to look at because he’s top 3 on his team in points and leads the team in points per game. He’s young but shows a lot of experience. He’s tall but can use his speed and with his offensive prowess, can be used as a quarterback for the power-play.

5.     Aaron Ekblad (Florida)

–         Another defenseman that the Ducks could look at. He’s big and can throw his body around. If he joins the Ducks, he could bring a “Bash Brother” presence along with Manson, and that could send shivers down the opposing teams’ forwards’ spines.

6.     Shayne Gostisbehere (Philadelphia)

–         One of Philadelphia’s young guns on the D core that I would consider giving a few prospects for. He leads the defense in points, points per game, and his style of play could fit well in Anaheim. Though he is minus fifteen in plus/minus, that could be attributed to how the Flyers have been struggling. So maybe a fresh start in the OC could give Shayne and the Ducks a jolt on a young and coming defense.

7.     Aleksander Barkov (Florida)

–         He’s one of the most highly-sought guys as the trade deadline looms so closely. He could be another guy who can center a line, but with Rakell coming back, would the Ducks look at him? I would consider it because you could use him to give Kesler time to rest and have him center a forward line along with Ryan Getzlaf, Rakell and either Ben Street or Brian Gibbons to center the fourth line. He could also be an asset on the power play and in OT.

8.     Jake Gardiner (Toronto)

–         My last target for the Ducks to go after. He’s one of the young talented defensemen for the Maple Leafs, second in points on their defense, second in points per game on their defense, this guy might warrant giving up a few of our young defensemen for him.

Though these are viable options for the Ducks to go after, the main question is who the Ducks are willing to part ways with. Me personally, on defense, Manson and Montour are untouchable for me. They have shown their value to stay on the team and be mainstays for years to come. I would be willing to part ways with Fowler, but it would have to be a deal that brings us someone who help right away like a Gardiner or a Gostisbehere.

Some of the young D-men I would use as trade bait, but I do like Josh Mahura on our team. He’s played well, even though he has struggled at times. The rest of the guys are expendable and with how we’re looking in the minor leagues, I think we could trade away someone for a quality D-men who can score and make their presence felt.

Meanwhile, on offense, a lot of people are looking to trade Ritchie to Dallas because of his brother being there, but I’m not one of them, he’s played very well this year, and hasn’t taken a lot of stupid penalties as he used to in times past. While I don’t want to get rid of anyone on the offense, if I had to choose, I would have to say Street just because he hasn’t produced a lot while he’s been here.

As far as one of the veterans to trade, I’m not trading Andrew Cogliano because his style mirrors a Travis Moen or Samuel Pahlsson, and that is hard to find these days. I would say though, a Silfverberg trade is not something I would be against since we have some young guys in the minors who are waiting in the wings to have their turn in the big leagues.