It’s commonly agreed amongst people who have watched all 3 Mighty Ducks movies that D3 is the worst of them. This season is the Anaheim Ducks D3 year. I thought that they were bad, but I didn’t think that they were 30th place bad. However, this season did have some bright spots. Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale look like they have a very good future ahead of them, and I can’t wait to see them on a decent Ducks team. Anaheim fans probably aren’t happy with Bob Murray’s asset management. Rakell and Manson could’ve been moved this past trade deadline, but it looks like he wanted too much for them and couldn’t get a bite on his hook. They have 1 year left on their contracts now, and Anaheim is not getting anything near what they could’ve if they were moved this trade deadline. If he can get them to resign that’s another story, but right now it looks like Murray messed up big time.
This is now the Duck's 3rd season in a row missing the playoffs, but I can see them being in the playoffs very soon in the easier Pacific Division. I feel like they’re on track for a speedy rebuild, and hopefully, they can try to at least compete next season. The Ducks have the 3rd overall pick in this draft, and there’s a lot of options for them. They could use a forward or a defenceman, and there’s plenty of both to pick from at the top of this draft.
Like Buffalo, this team does have some bright spots. Jamie Drysdale was one of them. Drysdale was picked 6th overall in the 2020 draft and was 1 of the 4 players from that draft who played this past season. His 8 points in 24 games are pretty promising for a 19-year-old defenceman who was on the 2nd worst team in the NHL. He wasn’t very good in his own end, but I’m not worried about it under the circumstances. Anaheim, you have a good one. Don’t mess this up.
Trevor Zegras did not disappoint in his Ducks debut either. After his electrifying performance in the 2020 U20 IIHF WJC, his NHL appearance had a lot of hype around it. He lived up to it. His 13 points in 24 games look very good on the surface already, but he was exceptional. He wasn’t bad defensively, and his skating and hands already look very good. Both he and Drysdale will be mainstays on this team next season, and that’s exciting for ducks fans.
Maxime Comtois also took a surprising jump this season as well. I always knew he would going to be a solid top 6 guy, but I didn’t expect him to lead the team in points this season with 33 in 55 games. I think a line of him, Zegras, and Rakell or Silfverberg would be a decent top-line next season. He has a very bright future in a Ducks jersey.
I also thought that Troy Terry had a really good year. The points weren’t exactly there, as he had only 20 points in 48 games, but that comes partially from his 14:42 TOI per game. He has decent advanced stats, and I think that he deserves a shot in the top 6 next season. He is very good in his own end, and I think that this was the year that you could’ve gave him a top 6 role with some penalty kill and powerplay time. There have been rumours that he may get dealt, but I think trading a 23-year-old defensive versatile player with some offensive upside is a bad idea.
Yeah, Anaheim is in a very good spot. As of today, the Ducks will have $22,555,000 available cap space this offseason. They’re in a great place for a rebuilding team. They can bring all of their RFA’s in on affordable contracts because they haven’t broken out into stars yet. Ryan Getzlaf will surely come back to Anaheim on a much cheaper deal, and that will give the Ducks a lot of room to bolster their offence. In a season where the Ducks finished last in GFPG, you’d like them to target a few younger forwards in free agency to help speed up this rebuild.
Most of the great younger players on the Ducks had a very good season this year, but not everything was sunshine and rainbows in Anaheim. Starting with someone who underperformed, Jakob Silfverberg. He has had very solid advanced stats for the past couple of seasons, but something just seemed very off in his game this season. 16 points in 47 games just aren’t enough for how good he has shown he can be. He’s going to be 31 around the start of the 2021–2022 season, and with him having 3 seasons left on a $5,250,000 cap hit, I think you have to move him soon. If he has a good start to the season and the Ducks aren’t in the playoffs, you must think that shipping him out at the deadline is the right move. Silfverberg just doesn’t fit Anaheim’s timeline, and we’ll see what they decide to do with him.
Kevin Shattenkirk is all of a sudden looking like a terrible signing for Anaheim. I thought that it was a great move for them to pick him up last season, but now it’s looking like a mistake. The contract has 2 seasons left and I don’t expect him to finish both of those as Duck. He looked fantastic in Tampa Bays' 2020 Stanley Cup Run, and I thought he proved himself as a solid top 4 NHL defenceman. He went to Anaheim and proved that he needs talent around him. He is very good on the powerplay, but his production on the man advantage hasn’t been as good as I thought that it would be. I’d expect him to get better as the Ducks roster gets better, but like Silfverberg, he just doesn’t fit their current timeline.
We talked about some great young players on this team in their rookie season, but now it’s time to talk about a couple who have taken a step back. First up we have Max Jones, whose development has seemed to come to a halt. I don’t know if he has been rushed into the NHL, or if his peak is actually being an unproductive bottom 6 forward who you would want on your fourth line. His 11 points in 47 games this season is the best of his career, as he scored 12 in 59 in 2019–2020. I don’t think he’s going to develop into much of anything at this point, so we’ll have to wait and see. I had high hopes for him, and I’m still holding out that he can be a productive middle 6 winger, but I just don’t see that right now.
Sam Steel also had a disappointing season. After an impressive rookie season, Steel’s development has flatlined over the past two years. 22 points in 65 games in 2019–2020 and 12 points in 42 games this season just isn't good enough. Maybe with some help next season he’ll be able to produce more, but right now it looks like all he may amount to be is a middle-six centre. That’s not bad, but you would probably like some more development from your young guys in a really bad season.
I think adding a few 24–28-year-old forwards in the offseason could really help this team, and I think the playoffs are a possibility. They’ll be in a division with Vegas, Seattle, the Western Canadian teams and the other Californian teams. If Seattle isn’t very good and the Ducks make some huge changes, I can see them possibly sneaking in. I’d never predict it, but you never know with the NHL. Also, please change your main jersey to your orange or blue alternates full-time. Please. These black jerseys are possible the worst in the league.