Anaheim Ducks: Rise of the New Guard In 2019-2020
The 2019-20 season is fast approaching. How can the Anaheim Ducks get back to their winning ways?
We have finally have made it to September, and that means we are one month away from the Anaheim Ducks taking the ice once again. The agonizing months of sitting on last year’s titanic collapse are over. Some players have moved on to other pastures, while most have stayed within the flock. Seeing some of the new skaters perform last year gave us some pictures to imagine the success this team might have seen if injuries didn’t ravage them.
Coming into this year, there are a lot of possibilities for this team’s success. The most important parts to look at are the younger prospects and their production, John Gibson‘s Vezina worthy play, and how they will fare against the rest of the Western Conference teams. One thing is for sure though, the puck drops in October and I want to give you as fans reasons to believe that this year can be something positive that leads to future success.
To start off, one of the main focal points to any team would be the production of the team. If there’s a lack of scoring or defense, they’ll most likely end up like the Ducks of last year. They suffered most from a lack of team chemistry, which lead to them being dead last in the league for goals for. So for this upcoming season, they’ll have to find that chemistry by getting the younger and older players to finally mesh together.
Old and New Must Fly as One
As Jan pointed out in D2, old Ducks and new Ducks must fly under one banner. The young guys on the team can’t all be superstars, but they will be relied upon to infuse new energy to a team whose fan base is starving for another Cup run deep into June. No matter when or where they struggle, the young guys’ roles have one common denominator: learn as much as they can and energize the team with their play, their passion, and their exuberance.
The prospects I’m most looking forward to are Sam Steel, Troy Terry, Max Jones, and Ondrej Kase. While the first three skaters I mentioned are in their first full-time year with the club, I added Kase to the mix due to his spark-plug attitude and the clutch plays he brings along with him.
What about the older guys though? How can they play their best role on the team? The answer is simple, teach the younger guys how to “fly”, as Hans said it best in the original Mighty Ducks movie. Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, and Josh Manson have to lead the defense as co-captains in order for the rest of the defense to really flourish. Lindholm and Fowler bring the vision and finesse to the defense, but they need to step up their offense as well, particularly on the power-play. Meanwhile, Manson can be equated to one of the bash brothers of the veteran D core. He brings the brute strength and physicality to the equation. Together, those three defensemen must carry the freight while the younger guys find their different styles of play. If they can play like they did when they made it to the conference finals two years ago, these Ducks will be a force to be reckoned with in the west.
Meanwhile, on offense, you have the loss of Corey Perry who was traded to Dallas. Outside of his departure, the Ducks offensive core is still relatively strong with Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg, and Adam Henrique providing their veteran skill sets.
However, the leader on the team is still none other than a somewhat more distraught Ryan Getzlaf. Getzlaf regressed last year on the emotional side while maintaining decent numbers, and the passion to play to the best of his abilities left him last year. Then again, when everything snowballs out of control, things can go sideways. The lone original Duck from the ’07 cup team, Ryan has the knowledge of winning the Stanley Cup, but he has to return to being the cool and calm captain who can combine his physicality and passing ability with his wisdom on how to mentor the younger guys, as well as relying on his new line-mates to provide scoring chances.
All in all, the message is clear. If the old and new mesh well, this season won’t go without adversity and triumph. If this franchise has taught us anything, it’s that when in doubt, fly together and rise above the doubt. With a new head coach in charge behind the bench and expectations not as high, the Ducks may be able to fly under the radar. An underdog role that suits them just fine.
The Wall of Gibby
Anaheim’s starting goalie in John Gibson is without a doubt a top-five goalie in the NHL. However, whether it’s injuries, a down year like last year, or other goalies playing in bigger markets stealing the spotlight, Gibson hasn’t gotten all the credit that he has deserved due to many unfortunate circumstances. As bad as last season was, it could have been much worse considering the number of goals he prevented.
John Gibson was one of the most consistent goalies in the NHL last season as far as effort goes, but this year, I believe he’ll improve his efforts even more. With the combination of a healthy defense and an injury-free year, I believe Gibson won’t have to shoulder the weight he has had in past seasons. Yes, there will be bumps in the road, but that can be expected with a younger defense core learning how to play in the NHL. However, Gibson having to be the hero every night will be a thing of the past.
If I could give Gibson some advice heading into this season, it would be on two things. First, have patience with the younger guys, there will be mistakes, but as the season goes on, they will get better. As they get better, they will produce much better results and you won’t have to remind them of certain things as much as you used to. Second, go back to your roots and remember how you became the top five goalies that us Ducks fans know you are. If he brings that kind of confidence that Ducks fans bring him, the team can find ways to feed off that and play to a better capacity.
Do I expect him to win almost every single game he plays in? Not at all, but with a new coach and the defense meshing together as the season goes on, I think Gibson can return to his all-star form that helped the team fly to the Conference Finals two years ago.
Keep the Faith
This segment belongs mostly to the fans. We’ve been waiting for the Anaheim Ducks to get back to the promised land, and to experience what other teams have experienced in winning the Stanley Cup. Last year was hard for all Ducks fans, experiencing other teams being able to easily sweep past us when we were most vulnerable. We were wondering when this nightmare would end, and we don’t want to relive that. All us fans are hoping that with the new talents stepping onto the ice, things can look up. But, with those aspirations, I must caution all Ducks fans of one thing.
This season isn’t going to be an easy one, and that’s the unfortunate truth. The younger skaters will have their slumps and will have to find ways to break through in order to play to the best of their abilities. When that happens, don’t give up on them, keep the faith that they will find a way to break out and get back to finding their style of play.
It also comes back to the veterans as well. They’re facing a lot of pressure as well to make sure last year is a thing of the past. They will fall, they will grow weary, and they’ll grow tired, but when those times arise, stay with them. Be the hypothetical wind beneath their wings by supporting them in order to keep them moving.
This team will have plenty of struggles and doubtful experiences, but they have the potential to rewind the clock to 2003. They have that potential to go back to when they weren’t expected to go on the run they did. But thanks to the mixtures of youthful exuberance along with vets to lead the way, they got all the way to the last game of the year. This group of Ducks reminds me of that 2003 group, and with them being doubted, that doubt might be the spark that gets this team to fight back and reclaim what has eluded them for so long.
The Cardiac Quack Attack Comeback
One of the staples of this franchise is their knack for coming back to win games they had no business in even keeping close. They sometimes would fall short by a goal or two, but then there were times such as the Comeback on Katella or Paul Kariya‘s “Off the Floor” moment where the Ducks faced adversity but found ways to rise above it. In quite a few recent seasons, there were stretches where the Ducks came from behind to win games that piled up to earn them long winning streaks. Their moxie and never-say-die attitudes that wouldn’t allow them to quit provided us Ducks fans with some of the most memorable moments in the franchise’s history.
If the Ducks are going to return back to where they were, that attitude has to return. They have to show why they were a force to be reckoned with in the first place, and why multiple teams had to fight tooth and nail to beat them in the playoffs. They have to give us reasons to believe, and early on as well. If they give us some early glimmering moments to at least coax us to hope things can change, it might be a consistent theme all season long. It doesn’t mean they will always win the close games, but this year, I believe the hope and the miracles that were plentiful in seasons passed will return. If so, Ducks fans can be assured that this team will be very special.
Another reason why I believe that this team will return to their comeback ways is the fact that they got a lot younger, which means that they will have the speed to match most opposing teams. If their speed is better than their opponent’s, that will determine a lot of important games. I can see guys like Rakell, Silfverberg, and Henrique finding their grooves once more.
The Final Verdict
So with all that I said, what do I believe will be the Ducks’ outcome this year? Do I believe we’re contenders? Not yet, but there are still things that could change that might switch that belief for me. Do I believe that they will be bottom dwellers again? Not a chance. In the end, there are three reasons why the Ducks will be a playoff contender and make some waves.
Health is the first and foremost important factor for a successful season. I think whatever plagued this team over the last few years finally gets broken and finds another team to haunt. I think the main stars play the majority of the season without seeing IR time, and we won’t be reading a long list of injured players again.
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The younger guys are another big factor for another playoff run. They showed why they belong last year in many different ways. Some with their offensive flair, others with their physicality on both sides of the ice. In any case, If those skaters improve even more from last year, they will find spots in the big show all year long.
The last reason as to why the Anaheim Ducks will be better as a whole is a weakened Pacific Division. I think as you look at the division, the three main threats at the top are the San Jose Sharks, the Calgary Flames, and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Sharks are one of the main threats to consider, but Pavelski leaving San Jose, combined with Thornton getting older, the Sharks may have to go younger as well with a prospect pool that isn’t as deep. The Flames are great in the regular season, but last year they really got burned out in the playoffs to Colorado, pardon the pun. As for the other main threat in Vegas, they’ll have to hit the wall of being an expansion franchise and have a losing season. Plus, I don’t know how they have recovered from last year’s epic game seven collapse to San Jose.
As far as Arizona, Edmonton, and Vancouver, all three franchises are young, but I think are too far behind San Jose, Vegas, and Calgary to contend for a top 3 spot in the division. Even our biggest rivals in the Kings are getting better and younger, but much slower than the rest. As a result, I think the Ducks may be able to squeeze into the playoffs as the fourth team in the Pacific. They could be a true sleeper team come April.
In the end, this Ducks team has a future that is very bright, but there will be bumps along that road to the future. No matter what, I believe that with a weakened Pacific Division, a fantastic youth pool, and a healthier team, they can shock everyone with a playoff berth Those reasons are why I believe that this season is one that could be very special.
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