Anaheim Ducks Season Preview: 3 Keys To Success
The Anaheim Ducks are looking to win the Stanley Cup in the 2017-18 season. Here’s a quick look at their three keys to success.
Going into the 2017-18 NHL season, the Anaheim Ducks are looking to get over the hump. Their core of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have been outstanding, but only have one Stanley Cup to their name. Since winning the Cup as role players in the 2006-07 season, the duo have not been able to lead Anaheim to the Promised Land as the feature stars.
With an aging core and salary cap relief hard to come by in today’s NHL, the Ducks are looking to win now. They have a well-balanced roster that should at worst finish in the top three in the Pacific Division.
We’ve already looked at their three burning questions that they must answer to bring home the Stanley Cup. Let’s take a look at their three keys to success.
Defense
One of the worst kept secrets in hockey is the Ducks’ reliance on their blue line. And with defensemen like theirs, who can blame them? Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen lead one of the league’s top defenses. John Gibson patrols the net and did an excellent job in his first full season as the number one goalie.
With a less than stellar offense that saw no significant upgrades in the offseason and finished 17th in goals scored last season, the Ducks, as is their tradition, will rely on not allowing goals. This falls on their blue line.
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In particular, their top four defensemen will be under pressure to help shelter what could be a weak third pairing. Josh Manson will join Lindholm to form what has proven to be an extremely effective shutdown line. Vatanen (once he comes back from injury) and Fowler should help lead whichever pairing they are on.
Right Way To Score
The Ducks are going to probably rely on their right wings to provide much of their scoring. Corey Perry, Patrick Eaves and Jakob Silfverberg have scored at least 20 goals in a season over the past two. While the second will likely not score 32 goals again, he can be penciled in for 15 to 20 if healthy. Perry’s hopeful rebound should help make up for Eaves’ likely decline.
It will be fascinating to see how head coach Randy Carlyle deploys his right wings. Once the Ducks acquired Eaves, Perry saw time on the third line. At times, their forward lines got put through a blender. Carlyle has options on the right side and almost all of them are good.
Adjusting For Speed
The Edmonton Oilers might have lost to the Ducks in the Western Conference Semifinals. However, in doing so, they gave a strong blueprint to beating Anaheim. The Oilers overwhelmed the Ducks with their speed and they had trouble stopping them all series.
Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler aren’t spring chickens anymore, as both are over 30 years old. It’s up to them to find a way to counter the speed from not just Edmonton, but around the NHL. More importantly, Carlyle will have to find a way to adjust his system to optimally fit the recent uptick of speed and skill around the league.