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

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