The Anaheim Ducks will look to put this season far behind them come next month, but to succeed next season the Ducks need specific players to step up.
The 2018-19 season got away from the Anaheim Ducks a long time ago. There were several reasons this happened, and we could go on and on until next season analyzing them all. One of those issues was goal scoring. In the 74 games the Ducks have played this season they have only scored 173 goals.
The top team in the league, the Tampa Bay Lightning have over 100 more goals than the Ducks. 173 over 74 games equates to 2.3 goals a game. In 2019 two goals a game will not win you many games, and when you only score 173 goals your individual player goal totals take a hit.
Jakob Silfverberg leads the team with 23 and there is a realistic chance the Ducks don’t have another 20 goal scorer. Adam Henrique could possibly eclipse the mark and Ryan Getzlaf would need 7 goals to reach the mark with only 8 games to go.
Needless to say, you want many of your players to eclipse 20 goals in a season and for some to eclipse 30 or 40. So, what do the Ducks do next season? The likes of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry will be back but are their best offensive years behind them? They both still contribute and are leaders of this team but the time is now for the next wave to take the mantle.
Make no mistake, the Ducks need Getzlaf and Perry to be at their best and contributing their 50-60 point seasons. Nevertheless, the changing of the guard is coming and these three players, specifically, need to take the next steps next season under the guidance of the Getzlaf-Perry old guard.