Anaheim Ducks Preview

Departures

Chris Pronger, Bret Hedican, Francois Beauchemin, Rob Niedermeyer

Arrivals
Joffery Lupul, Lucas Sbisa, Saku Koivu, Nick Boyton

Forwards
Anaheim looks to have another fairly balanced attack heading into this upcoming season. With the emergence of Bobby Ryan last season as a perennial goal scorer, and the continued improvement of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, this line should once again be a dominant force in the league.

The second line, although aging, should put up a decent amount of points, as the Ducks added Saku Koivu to try and re-kindle some magic with his Finnish counterpart Teemu Selanne.

The rest of the forwards will need to determine their roles fast and step up quickly in order for the Ducks to succeed. Joffery Lupul and Evgeny Artyukhin will be looking to make a name for themselves on their new team. Todd Marchant is getting older, but is another leader within the dressing room to help the young kids along.

Defenseman
This is where the biggest question mark of the Ducks is this season. With the loss of Pronger and Beauchemin, they will need help from the young players to step up and fill the roles. Ryan Whitney, acquired in the Chris Kunitz deal with Pittsburgh last season, and Lucas Sbisa, acquired in the Chris Pronger deal at the draft, will be thrust into major roles behind Scott Niedermeyer and James Wisniewski

Goalies
JS Giguere will be looking to regain his number one spot in goal after Jonas Hiller snatched it away from him halfway through last season. Hiller lead the Ducks into the Western Conference finals, and the healthy competition between goalies could prove to be very advantageous for the Ducks this season.

Strengths
- Top line of Perry, Getzlaf, and Ryan. They should dominate again barring a sophomore jinx from Ryan
- Goaltending situation. Two top-10 goalies on one team should give the team a lot of confidence
- Scott Niedermeyer. Any team with this guy on it has been successful. Not to mention he’s playing for a spot – and potential captaincy – of Team Canada in the Olympics

Weaknesses
- Secondary scoring.  If Koivu ends up being a bust, and Selanne’s age catches up with him, who will score goals after the first line?
- Loss of Pronger.  Losing a guy with the stature and presence of Pronger is bound to hurt any team’s plus/minus.  If the young guys don’t step up, the Ducks could be in for a long year.
- Goaltending situation.  If the competition between Hiller and Giguere becomes un-healthy, controversy could arise and cause problems in the dressing room and on-ice.

Analysis
With the continued emerging leaders in Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, both with Stanley Cup rings, and the added leadership of a former captain in Koivu, the Ducks have a chance to get back into the playoffs and earn a shot at Lord Stanley’s mug. The only thing holding them back from not making the playoffs would be a lack of secondary scoring, and a faulty defensive corps.

Prediction: 7th in the West