Anaheim Ducks: 5 Reasons to Look Forward to the 2019-20 Season
The Anaheim Ducks 2019-20 season is filled with a lot of unknowns, but there is still plenty of reason to get excited.
As we enter August, we’re one month away from Anaheim Ducks preseason hockey. Although we’ve had some excitement for the draft and free agency, we don’t have any games to look forward to until September, which means there are a few months of wondering, fantasizing, and praying before the real games begin. However, despite the unknowns, we’re going to lay down 5 reasons why we should hope for better days ahead.
Youth Springs Eternal
Though the Ducks didn’t get to the playoffs, there were definite signs that the future was looking bright. Troy Terry and Max Jones and Sam Steel brought in some youthful energy that the Ducks faithful were looking for. With Trevor Zegras and co. added to the mix, the Ducks’ youth movement looks very favorable.
Add in young coach Dallas Eakins, and this coming season looks very promising. Don’t be surprised that there will be some ups and downs. However, although there may be some setbacks, it can also lead to a special season, a la 2003.
As we look at the Anaheim Ducks young forwards, the ones that jump out to me that I would keep my eyes on outside of the obvious (Steel, Terry, Jones, etc.) are Max Comtois, Kiefer Sherwood, and Daniel Sprong. Comtois added his scoring touch last year and impressed the fans with his skill. Six feet two, Comtois is a tall guy, but if he can add some muscle to his game, he would live up to his nickname, “Mad Max.”
Sherwood was another young Duckling who slipped underneath the radar. Bouncing between Anaheim and San Diego, Kiefer had his moments, particularly against his home state team, Columbus. The question with him is with several candidates such as Kase, Eaves, and Rowney, can he stick out above the rest?
As for Sprong, he struggled a little bit last year but picked it up near the tail end of the season. When he’s on his game, I think his impact is a big plus because though he’s small in frame, he makes sure his presence is felt on both sides of the rink. If he can continue his success from last year, Sprong might be one of multiple fifteen to twenty goal scorers, but more importantly, he can be a vital cog for a team that’s looking to go young.
A New Sheriff Named Dallas
There’s been a lot of talk about Dallas Eakins being the new coach for the Anaheim Ducks. Though he had a disastrous start to his coaching career, he has resurrected it by bringing the Gulls to the Western Conference Finals in the AHL, and more importantly, coaching most of the younger players that might be brought up to the big show. With his new style of coaching, Dallas must figure out a way to bring the veterans and the youth together if they want to spread their wings and fly.
One of the complaints from most fans is that Randy Carlyle couldn’t go along with the times, only going with the old school way of playing, which was always “dump and chase”, and playing with physicality. With Dallas as the new coach, the hope amongst all Ducks fans is that they’ll finally be able to match up with the other contenders in the hotly contested Western Conference.
I personally hope that Dallas follows in the footsteps of Mike Babcock in the ’03 season. He took the bull by the horns and was able to mesh the veterans and the youngsters and push them to within one game of the title. Though their styles are different, Dallas is young enough where he’ll have to show that he can learn from his past mistakes and lead a team hungry for another banner year.
Rejuvenated Gibby
John Gibson. Wall of Gibby. The Gibbonator. Whatever you want to call him, he’s been the most underrated and underappreciated goalie in the NHL up to date. His name should have been up for the Vezina as a top goalie, but Ben Bishop, Pekka Rinne, Marc-Andre Fleury, etc., have been getting higher praise than him.
Part of it has to do with the fact that not a lot of people watch him perform his goaltending prowess, but last year, he was the sole consistent light on a team that could’ve been worse than they were. He stood on his head night after night, allowing the Anaheim Ducks to pull off wins they should not have been otherwise.
This year, Gibson bounces back, and if he does bounce back, I predict that finally, someone on the NHL voting panel looks past the usual suspects and gives this man some love. Gibson may sometimes ruffle some feathers, but his play is anything but subpar. With some new additions on offense and a rejuvenated defense, Gibson may finally have the year that he gets national attention.
For Gibson to maintain his prowess, the Ducks must protect him against himself from time to time, whether by resting him periodically and by playing solid defense. It will be interesting to see how Coach Eakins plans to protect his star goalie.
Will the Vets Rep?
A lot of talk has gone towards the rookies; however, the veterans have a huge part in deciding how far this team can go. On defense, you look at Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler as the steely vets, looking to get rid of the stench that was last year. Them, along with Josh Manson must step up on both sides of the puck, delivering solid hits on defense and protecting John Gibson at all costs. On offense, they must produce with assists and timely goals. If their play rises to the occasion more times than most, the Anaheim Ducks will return to the bad bullies on the block.
On offense, the possibilities are endless. The youth are accounted for, so where does that leave the rest. At right-wing, there aren’t a lot of players who can be relied upon for a veteran presence. Although he is still relatively young, Ondrej Kase, who has improved as the years have gone by, may be relied upon to carry their weight in that capacity. There’s always the possibility of Patrick Eaves returning from his injuries, but one might surmise that he may be used in limited situations unless they go on a deep winning surge midway through the season.
On the other side, the one Duck that might be on the fringe is Nick Ritchie. While his play has improved significantly, one wonders if his stay is numbered with all the younger guys coming up. The other veteran stalwart is Jakob Silfverberg who has been a consistent scorer as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. If they want to stay on this team, their play must be out of this world. There’s also having to figure out who will replace long time left winger Corey Perry, who was part of the one-two punch with Ryan Getzlaf.
Speaking of Getzlaf, he along with Adam Henrique are the best centers on the team and paired with Rickard Rakell at the wing, the trio could be unstoppable. With Rakell, it’s his speed and grace, though last year he struggled, expect Rakell to bounce back to his normal self and maybe score thirty goals. For Henrique, it’s his shooting ability, creating opportunities for himself as well as his line-mates. His expertise will have to raise to a higher level if he wants to make the cut.
Then there’s the wily, strong like an ox, El Capitan, Ryan Getzlaf. His play will dictate whether he can lead the team into the future, and while he has finally unleashed his cannon-like slap-shot, Getzlaf likes to lead through his passing abilities as well as using his strength to bully people around. With time running out, however, people wonder whether Getzlaf will get back to another Stanley Cup final before his time is through. Either way, if he does return to form, look out NHL, he’ll be gunning for everyone.
And as for the Rest…
As we look forward into the upcoming season, there’s been a lot of changes for the Anaheim Ducks’ rivals. San Jose lost Joe Pavelski, their captain. Joe Thornton is on his last legs as well. Vegas lost Erik Haula, one of their more dominant forwards. They also must wonder about the ever so looming wall, aka, missing the playoffs or at least fighting for their lives.
Calgary is another rival the Anaheim Ducks must look out for, and while they didn’t lose anyone big, their finish in the playoffs might cause their fans to wonder whether they’ll shake off their “flame-outs” pun intended. Their core will remain intact on offense, with Johnny Hockey, Matthew Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund on offense, but their goaltending must be improved if they want to be considered a huge threat in the West.
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As for the others, the Coyotes have improved yearly, almost making the playoffs last year, and now with an addition of Phil Kessel, the Yotes may have some big bite heading into this season. Time will tell however if they’re able to take the next step and push the other divisional rivals out of the way.
The same can be said for Edmonton, Vancouver, and the LA Kings. Their young rosters are filled with talent, but questions abound with either player having to deal with huge injuries (Connor McDavid), or guys must show that they’re no one-year wonders (Brock Boeser) The Anaheim Ducks may have a chance to reclaim the throne of Pacific division champions, but even if they don’t, a return to the playoffs looks bright. No matter what happens next year, there’s bound to be fireworks and that is something that all Ducks fans can look forward to.
Next. Open Letter to Dallas Eakins. dark
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