The preseason is officially over and it is now time to play some meaningful hockey. The Anaheim Ducks will begin their quest to become the 2018 Stanley Cup Champions on Thursday night at home against the Arizona Coyotes.
With a few "off" days upon us, it is now the perfect time to share some of my predictions for the Ducks and how their 2017-18 will play out.
Here we go...
Dethroned in the Pacific
For the past five years, the Anaheim Ducks have gotten very familiar with the top spot in the Pacific Division. Although they will put up a fight worthy of recognition, Anaheim's time as the best team in the Pacific will come to an end this season. The Ducks will not drop too far as they will finish in second only behind the Edmonton Oilers. The Calgary Flames will be right behind them in third place with the hopes of moving Anaheim further down the standings in 2018-19.
A Bounceback Season
Last season was one to forget for Corey Perry. He saw a substantial drop in his goal total, going from 34 in 2015-16 to 19 in 2015-16. Have no fear though, Perry will enter this season with something to prove which should translate into an increase in his production. At the age of 32, his 30-goal days might be behind him. However scoring somewhere between 25 and 29 goals is a very realistic possibility.
The New Top Dog
With the familiar star players in Anaheim not getting any younger, the Ducks will witness a bit of a changing of the guard. 24-year-old Rickard Rakell demonstrated last season that he has what it takes to be the next elite forward in Anaheim and he will continue to make his case this year. Expect his scoring numbers to continue to increase. He may not score 13 more goals than the 33 he put up last season. However, reaching the 40-goal mark is definitely not out of the question.
Starting Slow
The Anaheim Ducks are for-sure a playoff team in 2018 but it may not appear as such when the season begins. The amount of injuries the team will be facing right off the bat should make it challenging to start off the year on the right foot. Things may look a little doom and gloom until the end of November. No worries though, things will turn for the better before it gets out of control.
An Early Postseason Exit
Finishing in second place in the division will prove to be the beginning of the end for the Anaheim Ducks in 2017-18. They will play the Flames in the first round, which will prove to be the only playoff round Anaheim will participate in. I foresee the Ducks losing in six games to the Flames in round-one, forcing Bob Murray to make some big decisions during the 2018 offseason.