3. Brendan Guhle Will Lead the Defense in Points
Last year, Brendan Guhle’s season with the Anaheim Ducks was cut short due to the dreaded injury bug. The sample size was small, but he seemed to click with Cam Fowler, which is something we can’t really say for very many of the other defensemen who have been through the Ducks system. It was great to see that Fowler may have finally found a partner he really jived with, yet, we all approached the situation with caution due to the limited time we had seen Guhle perform at an NHL level.
Nevertheless, he came into the preseason with something to prove; he is NHL ready! For the foreseeable future, it seems like Fowler will be switched to the right side and Guhle will continue to play on his left. The two built on their chemistry from last season, and have been a rather impressive duo.
Of course, there are still flaws in both of their games that need to be ironed out throughout the duration of the season. But, the Anaheim Ducks blueline is looking less questionable the closer we get to the regular season. While he may be on the second pairing, I believe he’s going to be a lot like Brandon Montour with a little less risk, leading the defense in points during the 2019-20 season.
The 22-year-old defenseman had three points during his preseason campaign, including one goal and two helpers, which had him tied for second in points during the preseason with Ryan Getzlaf; both players just one point behind Jakob Silfverberg. If he can continue to build on his success with the club, there is no doubt that Guhle is going to be one of the Ducks go-to defenseman for the next few years.
Prediction: Guhle will continue to improve playing alongside veteran defenseman Cam Fowler. He will lead the blue line in points, registering between 30-35 points.