4 Big Questions for the Anaheim Ducks in 2020-21

3.  What to expect from Kevin Shattenkirk?

The Anaheim Ducks sent shockwaves through the NHL when they went out in Free Agency and signed top-four defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to a three-year, $11,700,000 contract.

It was a shock because the Ducks are meant to still be in the middle of a rebuild, while Shattenkirk’s stock was high after rebuilding his reputation with the Tampa Bay Lightning and winning a Stanley Cup.

So to say this was a bit of an odd marriage would be an understatement.

I mean, I can only compare it to that absolute stunner in High School who decided to date the class nerd for a couple of years despite the obvious gulf between them looks and personality wise – it just didn’t make a lot of sense.

However, the Ducks seem pretty adamant that they can be competitive in 2020-21, and the addition of Shattenkirk will certainly help towards making that goal a reality.

After all, after enduring an absolute nightmare of a homecoming with boyhood team the New York Rangers, Shattenkirk went to Florida not to retire, like a lot of New Yorkers, but instead to resurrect his career with the juggernaut that is the Tampa Bay Lightning.

And, boy, did it work a treat.

Shattenkirk was a completely different player in Tampa, averaging 18:54 of ice time a night while putting up 34 points (8 G, 26 A) in 70 regular season games with a plus / minus rating of +22, in addition to recording 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in 25 postseason games as the Lightning finally got their hands on the Stanley Cup.

He was a man reborn and he should be a perfect fit in Head Coach Dallas Eakins‘ system, who likes his defensemen to jump up in to the play and support the offense.

That’s what Shattenkirk does best and he’ll also be a lethal weapon to quarterback the power play for the Ducks, which ranked 30th (14.7) in the entire NHL in 2019-20.

Granted, you would never accuse Kevin Shattenkirk of being the best in his own zone, but he will help the defense compose beautiful music with the offense and that’s what the Ducks want in order to boost a struggling offense that really let them down last year.

Overall, expect Shattenkirk to be the go-to guy for the Anaheim Ducks on the backend, driving play, chipping in with offense and quarterbacking the power play with perhaps either Cam Fowler or Hampus Lindholm as his partner.

But the Kevin Shattenkirk revival story should only continue in 2020-21, and that will be very good news for the Ducks.

2. Are the Ducks ready to compete?

This is perhaps the biggest question facing the Anaheim Ducks in 2020-21, although we are leaving it second on our list for a good reason – you will see why in a minute.

It is clear that Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray feels as though the Ducks can be competitive in the West Division and, in truth, anything can happen in a shortened 56-game schedule.

I mean, you don’t go out and sign a player of Kevin Shattenkirk’s ilk unless you believe that you can be even half good, so it is clear what the mindset and the mentality will be in Ducks Training Camp.

However, are the Anaheim Ducks ready to compete?

They were one of the worst teams in the NHL in 2019-20 and were one of the famous seven – yep, that’s what we’re calling them now – to miss the postseason and Kevin Shattenkirk was their biggest offseason addition.

There’s still a boatload of question marks surrounding this team, including whether or not this current defense group is good enough to give John Gibson the help he desperately needs, with the two-time All-Star enduring a down year in 2019-20 with a 3.00 Goals Against Average and a .904 Save Percentage.

The offense is cause for concern too given that it ranked 29th (2.56) last year, which wasn’t helped by a down year by Ryan Getzlaf and the fact that the likes of Max Jones, Rickard Rakell, Sam Steel and Troy Terry haven’t really unlocked their potential yet.

Plus, stuck in a Division with heavyweights in the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights, not to mention the likes of the Arizona Coyotes, the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks who are probably all better than the Ducks right now, making the Playoffs will be far from easy.

Another concern is that there isn’t a lot of star quality on that roster as it is currently constituted, and I don’t think there is enough pieces on this team yet to be really competitive. The front office may be wise trying to focus on having another productive year at the Draft instead in order to really set this team up for a year or two down the road.

Speaking of which…

1. Is this the year of Trevor Zegras and company?

If, like me, you have been watching the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, then you will no doubt have been incredibly impressed by the play of Trevor Zegras.

Especially Anaheim Ducks fans.

Taken with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Zegras has absolutely lit it up for Team USA and he will be crucial to their hopes of beating Team Canada for the Gold Medal tonight (9:30 p.m. ET).

Zegras is an elite forward with incredibly high upside and, while he’s playing left wing now, he has all the intangibles and the skill set needed to morph into a top-line center for the Ducks down the road.

And, with Anaheim in desperate need of a scoring punch, it wouldn’t be surprise if Zegras joins the Ducks for the last few days of Training Camp and finds himself on the Opening Night roster.

Blessed with speed, a hard-fought competitive side and an ability to both create and finish chances, Zegras could be an ideal fit on Ryan Getzlaf’s wing and that combination could lead to a more potent offense for the Ducks in 2020-21.

Another prospect worth keeping an eye on is Jamie Drysdale, who was taken with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, and he will be going up against Zegras for Team Canada tonight.

Drysdale has impressed for Canada with a plus / minus rating of +13 and, while the Ducks are pretty set on the backend, he could be a breakout star to keep an eye on throughout the season.

Forward Jacob Perreault is another potential prospect that could make the leap to the NHL with Anaheim in 2020-21, and all three have the ability to make an instant impact on the biggest stage.

And, for a team that is still likely a couple of years away from being truly competitive despite their inner-belief, it might be worth giving the likes of Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale a shot and seeing what they are made of so that the front office can make an accurate assessment of what they have in the pipeline.

Because, if the Anaheim Ducks don’t make the jump that they want to in 2020-21, then it could be back to the drawing board in terms of blowing up this roster even more.

But that can be a question for the 2021-22 season.

So, that is the first of our 2020-21 Season Previews and we will have a lot more coming out over the coming days.