The Anaheim Ducks currently have plenty of pieces to set a rebuild in motions with homegrown parts.
The pseudo-playoffs are over and the COVID-cup playoffs are approaching round 2. It’s noticeable and lamentable that our Anaheim Ducks are not part of it. There are a number of “why’s,” as to why this is the case, but let’s not worry about that. That concern is for the worrywarts amongst us. After all, that’s all in the past, and baby, I’m all about the future.
In order to move forward to the glorious utopia that is perennial cup contender-ship, we need to take stock of what the Ducks have in hand at this very moment. What the lay of the land is, so to speak. At present, the Anaheim Ducks, according to rosterresources.com, have the 10th oldest list in the league, with their top 20 players ranked as the 9th oldest group in the league. Only two other teams have an older forward group.
Further, when breaking the playing group into age brackets, the Ducks have no current players younger than 20 years of age and only three aged between 20 and 24 years of age, which ranks them =17th for teams in this age range. At face value, this suggests that the Anaheim Ducks have not embarked upon a true rebuild just yet.
If anything, that the Ducks currently have 10 players aged between 25 and 29 years of age suggests that they are in the heights of their current powers. Only 11 teams have more players in this age range and each of them is currently playing hockey.
That the Ducks are presently aged to be a successful team and that they are not, may suggest that the players in this age range are not good enough, or that there is a disconnect between coach and player group. Whichever it is, it should be clear from the roster construction, that a shakeup is needed. A transition to a younger team is needed.
It should be noted here, before we go too deep down that rabbit hole, that the defensive group is in a better place than the forward group in terms of age and potential growth. As of the final regular-season game this year, the Anaheim Ducks blue line is the 2nd youngest in the league.
Certainly, players like Cam Fowler and Josh Manson are getting older, yet they aren’t in Zdeno Chara or even Shea Weber territory. They have years of play left in them and likely won’t be greatly affected by the ravages of age just yet.