Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2022-23 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team over the course of the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2022-23 Anaheim Ducks.
2022-2023 Anaheim Ducks
2021-2022 Season
The Ducks went into the season in a mid-rebuild mindset. Essentially, they let the rookies develop, and let the veterans play out their final years. The latter being the case, as they said goodbye to long-time captain Ryan Getzlaf.
Some major rookies also took steps this season, with Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras being named to the 2022 all-rookie team. Zegras and fellow Duck Troy Terry surprised many by pulling off goals that were deemed impossible, blowing the minds of practically everybody.
Mason McTavish also got some NHL experience, playing nine games with the team. Although, he was quickly sent back to the OHL where he led the Hamilton Bulldogs to an OHL Cup championship and a Memorial Cup final appearance.
2021-2022 Offense
Zegras made a massive step up, recording 61 points and being the second highest on the team with only Troy Terry being higher than him. Other than that, the rest of the team hovered around the 25-40 point mark. Terry and Zegras kind of became the one-two punch for the Ducks.
Although McTavish had little to no impact in the NHL this season, he was a force to be reckoned with everywhere else. he notched 40 points in 24 games, and 29 points in 19 games in the playoffs. He also was on the gold medal-winning Canadian World Junior team, where he had 17 (!) points in seven games. Drysdale put up solid points in his first full NHL season, recording 32 points in 81 games. Everywhere else though, the offense slowed a ton. So far, the Ducks have laid their offensive foundation with Zegras, Terry, and McTavish, although there still seems to be some growing pains.
2021-2022 Goaltending
The Ducks have been in a bit of a mess in the net. With the fallout between John Gibson and the Ducks taking centerfold this year, it becomes apparent that he may not be spending too much longer in the net, especially considering he spent the majority of this year trying to keep an otherwise bad Ducks team afloat.
As for the backups, Anthony Stolarz started in 28 games this year, recording a 12-8-3 record, a 2.67 GAA, and a .917 sv%. for being a backup, he bounced around from the San Diego Gulls to the Ducks in the past few years, and finally spent the entire season in the NHL. The Ducks also had EBUG Thomas Hodges and Lukas Dostal, although they started only five combined games. Gibson was pretty average this year, recording a worse GAA than usual with a 3.19 GAA, but only recorded a .904 SV% which has been on par with his past few seasons.
2021-2022 Rookies/Youngsters
The rookies were off and on this year. The top three rookies performed somewhat well, with Zegras being second in points. Drysdale was solid for a rookie, notching solid numbers for a defenseman, and McTavish carried Hamilton on a deep playoff run. After that, however, it gets kind of rough. Sonny Milano hadn’t played up to the level that he should, and it wasn’t surprising when the Ducks didn’t re-sign him at season’s end. Other rookies have had the same fate as well, with Brendan Guhle spending another season bouncing from the AHL to the NHL before signing in Germany this offseason.
2022 Offseason
Additions
The Ducks made a fair amount of traction this summer. They signed Frank Vatrano to a three-year deal, signed Isac Lundestrom to a two-year deal, signed goalie prospect Calle Clang, and traded for Dmitry Kulikov. Signing Vatrano is smart, giving the Ducks a solid top-six forward. Lundestrom has been solid for the Gulls the past few years, and it’s good to finally get to see him get a true shot at the top level. Kulikov has been a solid player for the majority of his career, so it’s a solid upgrade for the Ducks considering they paid nothing for him. The cherry on top, though, was getting former Ranger Ryan Strome, giving them a bona fide second-line center behind Zegras.
Losses
The main losses for this season weren’t that extreme. The Ducks did lose Ryan Getzlaf to retirement, but at this point, it was pretty much a given. They did however lose Sonny Milano, which was kind of a surprising move, but also it was somewhat expected considering that he has been underwhelming.
Major Stories
The major stories this year for the Ducks were all over the place. Firstly, there is the retirement of longtime Duck Ryan Getzlaf. It’s the first time since he joined the team in 2005 that the Ducks will play a season without him. There’s also the madness of Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry pulling off goals that no one thought were possible, making the team arguably more fun to watch since the Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya era Ducks.
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Lineup Projections
Forwards
Adam Henrique – Troy Terry – Trevor Zegras
Mason McTavish – Ryan Strome – Frank Vatrano
Maxime Comtois – Isaac Lundestrom – Jakob Silfverberg
Max Jones – Derek Grant – Sam Carrick
Top Six
The top six is leagues better than what it was last year. Their centre depth vastly improved with the introduction of Strome, but you also bring in McTavish and Vatrano on the wing as well. For now, McTavish will bounce between lines two and three, with the possibility to move up to one.
Bottom Six
The bottom six is nothing to sneeze at. Silfverberg is solid, and although Comtois hasn’t lived up to expectations he’s still a decent bottom-six guy. The rest looks pretty bland and mediocre which won’t help the Ducks in the long run.
Defence
Urho Vaakanainen – Jamie Drysdale
Dmitry Kulikov – Kevin Shattenkirk
Top Four and Bottom Pair
Although Klingberg starts over Drysdale in these lineups, it doesn’t mean that Drysdale permanently stays on the second pairing. At some point, he’ll be at the top, but the Ducks are paying Klingberg $7 million, and it’s obvious they want him to be the anchor for the defensive core. Kulikov adds some depth to the third pairing which will help them out, and Shattenkirk can still produce alongside him. It’s not the best in the world, but it’s a solid start for a team that has sat near the bottom for the past three years.
Goalies
Another year, another season of wondering if Gibson will finally be traded. Gibson severely underperformed last year, but Stolarz was solid. Clang will spend another year in Europe but could make the jump to the NHL before the season is over, and will either steal Stolarz’s job or split the starting role with him once Gibson is moved. For now, however, nothing needs to be adjusted. It’s fine for now.
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Players To Watch
Mason McTavish
Considering how well he did with the Bulldogs last year, he is coming into this season looking to make a pretty good impression. Unsurprisingly, he will most likely struggle out of the gate as he adjusts to the pros, but he also could make the jump no problem and notch up a crazy amount of points. Nothing Teemu Selanne esque, but it wouldn’t be too surprising if he notches somewhere in the ballpark of 55-60 points.
Trevor Zegras
The NHL 23 co-cover athlete is entering this season with a lot of eyes on him. Not only is he expected to perform better than his 60-point debut, but he is also expected to be even flashier, and even crazier with the highlight reel stunts. Considering he is one of the players that is dubbed as part of the new “faces of the league”, it would be absolutely stupid to say that people shouldn’t have their eye on him in favour of somebody else.
Prediction for 2022-2023 Anaheim Ducks
Although the Ducks have made a lot of moves, they still aren’t good. They are most likely going to be stuck in the lottery, but it’s unlikely they are going to pull a Montreal Canadiens and finish dead last. They’ll finish middle of the pack. It’s also not too far-fetched however to say that they could make the playoffs depending on if the youth take a step up.
Main Photo:
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