Anaheim Ducks season preview
Let’s face it, the Anaheim Ducks had a pretty miserable year last season. That said, this is an organization that is committed to building toward the future. They’ve hired a new head coach in Greg Cronin and brought in some veteran players, but expectations shouldn’t be very high for this team that finished last in the division in the 2022-23 campaign.
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Offense
To say the Ducks struggled mightily when it came to scoring goals last season would be a massive understatement. As a group, they tallied the second-fewest goals, finishing with a total of 209, while skating to an average of 2.51 goals per game. Even with young stars like Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry, the Ducks also had the worst expected goals percentage (39.98%) in the entire NHL.
This team didn’t get any stronger in the offensive categories during the offseason. They added Alex Killorn upfront, and he may have won a couple of Stanley Cups, but he doesn’t make this forward group that much scarier. The offensive struggles will continue for the Ducks, but you can always count on Zegras and Terry to throw in some dazzle.
Defense
If you thought Anaheim’s offense was the team’s biggest flaw, you might be mistaken. The Ducks were far and away the worst team in the league in their own end. They allowed the most goals against per game (4.09) and the most shots against per game (39.1). As a team, they also skated to the worst expected goals against per 60 minutes and allowed the most scoring chances against per 60.
They added Radko Gudas and Robert Hagg this summer to help out Jamie Drysdale, who is a bright spot on this blue line. The 21-year-old had his season shortened due to injury last year, but if Drysdale can stay healthy, he’ll be able to boost this team on both ends of the ice.
Goaltending
John Gibson has been minding the goal for the Ducks for what will now be a decade. The American-born goaltender didn’t have his best year last season, but that was largely due to the team in front of him. Gibson skated to a .899 save percentage and a 3.99 goals against average. He only secured 14 wins in 52 starts. Lukas Dostal will back Gibson up, but I don’t expect him to improve this team. Gibson was elite in the blue paint at one point in his career and hopefully for this team, he can find that in him again.
Player To Watch – F Leo Carlsson
The second-overall pick in the most recent NHL draft comes in with a ton of hype around him. It may have been a surprise to most that Leo Carlsson was picked at No. 2, but he could be the second-line center on this team if all goes well. It isn’t guaranteed that he’ll make the roster for opening night, but there is no doubt in my mind that the 6’3 forward from Sweden will get his chance with the Ducks.
Outlook
I am very confident that this team won’t come close to making the playoffs. The odds back that up, considering the fact that they are +1700 on the DraftKings Sportsbook to reach the postseason. Zegras will give the league some highlight-reel plays, but the Ducks will find themselves towards last place in the division yet again.
