The Anaheim Ducks enter into the 2019-20 season with more questions than answers. But, hope springs eternal and this training camp could be one of the more intriguing ones in recent memory.
Anaheim finished 13th in the Western Conference, ten points out of the playoffs last season. They'll start this season with a new head coach in Dallas Eakins, and the opening night roster will look nothing like the one iced last October.
In 2018-19, an aging, veteran-led team guided by a dinosaur in Randy Carlyle, couldn't keep up with its competition. They managed to stay relevant because of their pedigree, experience and an elite goalie in John Gibson.
Outside expectations are pretty much tempered for the Ducks this season. Anaheim is not expected to compete for a playoff spot in the West and the Pacific Division appears to be a three-horse race with Vegas, Calgary and San Jose a cut above the rest of the division.
But, I'm not willing to send this team south for the winter just yet. Last season, we could easily argue that Anaheim played some of their most exciting hockey when youth was inserted into the lineup. I could argue this season will feature more of the same and it's going to be glorious - or at the very least, more watchable.
Max Jones, Max Comtois, Sam Steel, and Troy Terry are expected to compete for roster spots. All four saw NHL action last season and all contributed on the score sheet. Eakins coached these kids in San Diego and that familiarity should help ease some of the pressure that comes with a fulltime NHL job.
Could they surprise us? Like I said, hope springs eternal.
That said, what should we be looking for as camp opens this weekend?
1. Will the real Rickard Rakell please stand up? Rakell posted 18 goals and 25 assists in 69 games a season ago. His performance was subpar, to say the least. Coming off of back-to-back 30+ goals seasons, Rakell was and is expected to be one of the teams most dangerous offensive weapons. His lack of production coincided with the Ducks offensive struggles as a whole, but a lot will be expected of him this season. Will he rise to the occasion or crash and burn again?
2. How much does Ryan Getzlaf have in the tank? Limited to just 67 games last season and his lowest point production since his rookie season, Getzlaf is still the heart and soul of this team. But how much does he have left to give?
Getzlaf's definitely lost a step or two or three, and he's been plagued by injuries over the last two seasons, but it's not time to give up on him just yet. If healthy, the captain can still fill the net and his leadership qualities are invaluable, especially when it comes to mentoring the next wave of Ducks.
3. Will he or won't he? Will Ondrej Kase be a Duck this season? The rumors are still swirling, but something tells me he's not going anywhere... right now. If that's the case - I'm all for that. I love Kase and when healthy, he's as lethal a weapon as this team has. The case for Kase is strong and I'm not ready to quit him.
Let me know what you're looking forward to in the comments below.
Here is the training camp roster. Any surprises? Forwards:
70 Alex Broadhurst 56 Sam Carrick 53 Max Comtois 58 Chase De Leo 20 Nicolas Deslauriers 57 Alex Dostie 55 Brent Gates, Jr. 83 Luke Gazdic 15 Ryan Getzlaf 38 Derek Grant 50 Benoit-Olivier Groulx 14 Adam Henrique 49 Max Jones 25 Ondrej Kase 81 Justin Kloos 59 Jack Kopacka 48 Isac Lundestrom 45 Andreas Martinsen 77 Johno May 54 Antoine Morand 43 Andrew Poturalski 67 Rickard Rakell 37 Nick Ritchie 24 Carter Rowney 64 Kiefer Sherwood 29 Devin Shore 80 Deven Sideroff 33 Jakob Silfverberg 11 Daniel Sprong 34 Sam Steel 61 Troy Terry 56 Brayden Tracey 85 Corey Tropp 88 Chase Wouters
Defense:
86 Simon Benoit 75 Dawson Davidson 44 Michael Del Zotto 72 Hunter Drew 4 Cam Fowler 2 Brendan Guhle 28 Jani Hakanpaa 74 Zack Hayes 73 Mathew Hill 5 Korbinian Holzer 32 Jacob Larsson 47 Hampus Lindholm 76 Josh Mahura 42 Josh Manson 84 Scott Moldenhauer 90 Conor Riley 66 Steven Ruggiero 63 Patrick Sieloff 23 Chris Wideman
Goalies: 40 Kevin Boyle 1 Lukas Dostal 68 Roman Durny 78 Olle Eriksson-Ek 36 John Gibson 30 Ryan Miller 31 Anthony Stolarz
Thanks for reading, Steve