Three reasons the Ducks will be taking a big step forward this season
By Jim Lynch
The Anaheim Ducks had a busy offseason bringing in some key players to help fill out their roster. Now they are trending in the right direction because of their moves. The Ducks did not make the playoffs in 2021-22, but that could potentially change for next season if things keep trending in the right direction.
The Anaheim Ducks ended the 2021-22 season outside of the playoffs looking in.
They were seventh in the Pacific Division with a record of 31-37-14, and they were out of the playoff race pretty early after a rather good start to the season. This upcoming season could see the Ducks push for the playoffs into late March or early April as this team is a lot better on paper thanks to some of the additions they made.
Last year the Ducks were led by Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras. Terry had 37 goals and 30 assists in 75 games while Zegras registered 61 points in 75 games, not bad for a young 20-year-old. After their top two stars, the point totals dropped for the Ducks with Adam Henrique next up with 42 points in 58 games.
After that Cam Fowler led the blue line with 42 points as well. Followed by Ryan Getzlaf with 37 points in 56 games.
The Ducks are losing their long-time captain Ryan Getzlaf heading into this season as he announced his retirement towards the end of the 2021-22 season. Losing Getzlaf is not going to be easy for this Ducks team.
While it might take some time to establish who the new voice and leader in the locker room is, the on-ice product should be able to transition quickly thanks to some of the big names the team added this offseason.