The Anaheim Ducks are set to say goodbye to one of the best players to ever put on a Ducks sweater.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf announced on Tuesday that he will be retiring after the 2021-2022 season. While he has meant a lot to the Ducks organization, this is the right time for the veteran to step away.
Anaheim is in a position to let go of the old era of Ducks hockey and usher in the new era that revolves around young stars like Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras. The emergence of Anaheim’s young talent is encouraging in terms of wanting to contend sooner than later, which means that moving fully in that direction would be wise.
To do so, Anaheim must move on from veteran players, including Getzlaf, who has been a member of the team since 2005. He has been useful this season, posting 31 points (three goals and 28 assists), which is the sixth-best mark on the team.
Now is the right time for Getzlaf and the Ducks to go separate ways.
However, he is the oldest player on the roster at age 36, and he has one of the highest salaries on the payroll. Plus, with the exception of a peak this season and one back in the 2016-2017 season, Getzlaf has experienced a steady decline in offensive output.
From a team perspective, the Ducks have not won a playoff game since the 2017 Western Conference Final, and they are currently positioned in 12th place in the conference. It’s clear that this is the time for a fresh approach for this team.
Further, Anaheim sold several players at the trade deadline in order to acquire picks that will be used to gear up for that next era of Ducks hockey that I mentioned. That tells me that the organization has already acknowledged that it’s time to evolve.
It’s simply the right moment to go in a new direction for Anaheim, as the franchise’s all-time leader in points (regular season and postseason) and games played steps away. Getzlaf has played 1,150 games while recording 1,013 points, all with the Ducks. He helped guide Anaheim to a Stanley Cup title in 2007.
Watching a player like Getzlaf hang up the skates is never an easy thing to do, but this is the right time for both sides to say goodbye.