It's been 113 days of whining and complaining, but with the lockout over and the 2012-13 NHL season set to open in less than two weeks it's time to get down to brass tacks (whatever that means) and get those skates sharpened and sticks taped.
The Anaheim Ducks (as many of you have so eloquently pointed out) have been notoriously slow starters and have made it nearly impossible for themselves to make up enough of the wasted points late in the year to make a legitimate playoff push. Had the season started on time I could have easily expected much of the same.....
BUT...
The shortened season may in fact favor a team like the Ducks who have a a couple of aging, yet invaluable, vets such as Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. The shortened work-load and a closer finish line could have these two 40-somethings playing more like 20-somethings - at least for a bit and when it matters most.
If this is going to be Selanne's last stand, I have to imagine he is going to play some of his best hockey in years. That in itself would be enough for me to make the one-mile trek to the Honda Center.
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Anaheim will also debut Sheldon Souray on the blue-line. His booming shot and presence on the point should help to bolster a power play that finished 21st in the league with a 16.6% success rate. Something the Ducks haven't had since, well, last season.
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Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan tend to play their best hockey after the new year. Luckily for them the lockout wiped away all those nasty games beforehand. I feel like these guys will make the most of the shortened season. Remember Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are in a contract year and it would behoove them to have an excellent audition for potential suitors.
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The Ducks will have to get out of the gate hot. In a shortened season full of conference and divisional play there are no points to let slip away. The Pacific Division is one tough cookie. Three of the five teams (PHX, LA, SJ) made the playoffs and finished with 95 points or more. Two of those teams made it to the Western Finals and of course the Kings won the Stanley Cup. Dallas hung in until the end and the Ducks game in a distant fifth and 13th in the Western Conference.
Even with the shorter schedule I don't think the Ducks have done enough to improve. Anaheim does have over $14 million in cap room for this season and GM Bob Murray may need to use some of that cash on a vet or two with an expiring contract to keep his team competitive.
Jonas Hiller will have to have a strong bounce back season and prove he can still be a top-end NHL starter. If Ducks fans aren't already salivating at the thought of American John Gibson between the pipes - imagine what a few shaky starts from Hiller would do? *shudder*
Regardless, I don't think the Ducks can hang in the Pacific. What do you think?
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I don't think enough damage was done by the lockout to hurt Anaheim's attendance any worse than the losing has - nothing a few wins a playoff birth couldn't fix. Right?
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