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Anaheim Ducks: Five Players Who Will Make a Comeback in 2019-20

By Ciara Durant

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Ryan Getzlaf #15, Rickard Rakell #67, Troy Terry #61 and Josh Manson #42 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate Terry's first-period goal during the preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings at STAPLES Center on September 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Ryan Getzlaf #15, Rickard Rakell #67, Troy Terry #61 and Josh Manson #42 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate Terry's first-period goal during the preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings at STAPLES Center on September 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Anaheim Ducks
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – JANUARY 19: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Anaheim Ducks plays against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on January 19, 2019, in Newark, New Jersey. The Ducks defeated the Devils 3-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Rickard Rakell

After ending the 2017-18 season just one point shy of 70, Rickard Rakell was the player everyone hoped would step up and save the Anaheim Ducks from themselves. Nevertheless, just like the rest of the team, Rakell seemed to have disappeared during the 2018-19 season, posting only 43 points at the conclusion of the season.

While he still tied Jakob Silfverberg for second on the team in points, the player who had become accustomed to scoring 30+ goals and improving his point totals each season had digressed, taking several steps back. This earned him a lot of criticism.

It didn’t help that Rakell was put into a leadership role and given a lot of responsibility that he was not quite ready for. In the absence of Ryan Getzlaf, he was paired with several rookies and this really hindered his gameplay. Granted, none of the rookies really thrived under Randy Carlyle, and it wasn’t fair to Rakell that he was tasked with being in charge of them.

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Although he had played under Carlyle for the past few seasons, the style RC tried to execute was not one that really pushed Rakell to be his best, especially with the odd hybrid he tried to implement at the start of the 2018-19 season per Murray’s request.

Things really seemed to pick back up for him after Bob Murray took over as head coach, especially during the last month of the regular season. Dallas Eakins is much more accustomed to coaching his team in a style that is very similar to how Rakell played growing up in Sweden, and that was confirmed in an interview with fellow Swedish teammate, Hampus Lindholm.

After taking the offseason to breathe and allow his body to rest a little bit, there is no doubt we will see the Rickard Rakell come back in 2019-20 and be better than ever. He has the makings to be a franchise player and with a new coaching staff that is willing to implement speed, scoring, and a style that is conducive to success, he has all of the tools in his tool kit to be the best player for the Anaheim Ducks next season.

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Who are you hoping makes the biggest comeback in 2019-20? Did they make our list? Let us know by leaving a comment for us in the comment section down below.

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