After a record year in 2017-18, Rickard Rakell’s production went on the decline during the Anaheim Ducks 2018-19 season. We know he can do better.
Rickard Rakell has often been praised as one of the best players currently on the Anaheim Ducks roster. The former first-round selection steadily improved with each passing season, topping almost 70 points during his 2017-18 campaign.
Nevertheless, in the midst of a rather difficult season, Rickard Rakell’s progress stalled and he took several steps back. The player who had become one of the Anaheim Ducks most consistent goal scorers had virtually disappeared during the 2018-19 season. Is this a result of poor coaching or is Rickard Rakell not the player we all thought he was?
What Led to Rickard Rakell’s Demise?
The Anaheim Ducks former coach can be credited with the demise of the entire team as a whole. When you look at the score sheet, you see Rickard Rakell’s name a lot more often under the leadership of Bob Murray than you ever did under the reign of Randy Carlyle. Nevertheless, if you do the math, had Rakell played a full season under either coach, he would have been on pace to have a 53 point season under Carlyle and only a 54 point season under Murray.
There are, however, several other circumstances that factored into his decline that was beyond his control. He experienced a lot of inconsistency on the first line, spending time away from both Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry due to a slew of injuries the veteran players dealt with. He was also trusted with the care of several rookies early in the season, which was a task he was not quite ready for.
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With Carlyle behind the bench, playing a weird hodgepodge of dump and chase paired with a more “speed-driven system” (that wasn’t really speed-driven) really confused a lot of players on the roster. Especially someone like Rakell who did not grow up playing the old style of hockey Carlyle liked to implement on his teams, as proven in a recent interview with fellow Swedish teammate, Hampus Lindholm.
He Was Still One of the More Consistent Players on the Team
Despite having a down season, Rickard Rakell was still one of the more consistent players on the team. He tied with Jakob Silfverberg for second on the team in points, ending the season having registered 43 points. He also tied with Adam Henrique for second on the team in goals, with 18. His Corsi For percentage definitely took a hit this past season too (48.1%), but he had one of the better CF% of the players to spend a majority of the year with the team.
Compared to the rest of the team, he didn’t have a terrible season. Nevertheless, we know, beyond a shadow of the doubt, that Rickard Rakell can do better. It wouldn’t be a far off assumption to say that he was one of the players who adopted the losing attitude.
With a lot more consistency, a new coach, and hopefully a better season ahead, it is a reasonable argument that Rickard Rakell will have a comeback in 2019-20. He is one of the players that probably wants to forget last season. However, there are several lessons he can learn from a down season that will make him an even better player and promote growth going into the new season.
Final Grade: C-
What grade would you give Rickard Rakell for the 2018-19 season? Let us know by leaving a comment for us down below, and while you’re at it, why not join the Pucks of a Feather team by applying with the application above!