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Anaheim Ducks Season Preview

Training camps are just around the corner and that means it is time to take a look at the upcoming season for the Anaheim Ducks.   Last year the Ducks experienced the proverbial Stanley Cup hangover as well as other distractions that proved tiring by the time the playoffs rolled around.  The Ducks started the season in London, England, they missed key players recovering from late summer surgeries in Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Sami Pahlsson, and most importantly they had to suffer the indecision and prolonged absence of both Scott Niedermayer, who was under contract, as well as Teemu Selanne, who was not.  They recovered from jet lag, recovered from injuries and got both Niedermayer and Selanne back mid-season, but it wasn’t enough to make a strong playoff run in April.  The Dallas Stars made quick mincemeat of the Ducks, who exited the first round with barely a whimper.

As with any new season, there is renewed hope.  This year, there will not be as many distractions.  No championship to defend.  Niedermayer made his decision to finish out his contract in June.  No lingering injuries.  However, there is still the issue of Selanne, who appears to be leaning towards playing one more year with the Ducks.  The problem is salary cap room.  There isn’t any.

The Ducks have their three $6 million defensemen who are making it difficult to sign any other contracts until money is moved.  Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Mathieu Schneider, who was brought in to “replace” Niedermayer last season.  Although GM Brian Burke stated he would not trade Schneider last year to make cap room for Niedermayer, as that would not be fair to Schneider, it does appear that Schneider is the likely candidate to go.  His is the biggest cap hit and would provide the most relief.  A deep defensive corps would render his absence less noticeable.  The question becomes when will he go?  Nothing has happened all summer, but with training camp looming, something has to give.

The Ducks have made roster additions of Brendan Morrison, Steve Montador, Eric Boguniecki, Josh Green, Joakim Lindstrom, and David LeNeveu.  Morrison will be a solid second line center behind Ryan Getzlaf.  The rest of the players will add further depth to the team.  LeNeveu will be in the minor leagues, as goaltending is set with Giguere and Jonas Hiller, but the others will be happily fighting for a roster spot in a couple of weeks.

With additions come subtractions.  One surprising minus is Todd Bertuzzi, whose contract was bought out.  He simply did not perform to expectations that were placed on him based upon the size of his contract.  Bertuzzi now gets another shot in Canada with the Calgary Flames.  Doug Weight also did not perform to expectations and was not resigned at the end of the season.  Joe DiPenta, odd defenseman out after Niedermayer returned in December, has decided to play in Sweden rather than sitting on the bench yet again.  The Swedes inherit a dependable player with a great attitude and work ethic.  Marc-Andre Bergeron was brought in at the trade deadline for a deep playoff run.  He was also deemed unnecessary and handed off to Minnesota.

In spite of their hangover, the Ducks placed 2nd in the Pacific Division and 5th overall in the NHL with 102 points.  It was a respectable finish, but they were unable to compete when April rolled around and seemed to have lost their desire.  If the Ducks are going to get back to Stanley Cup form and go deep in the playoffs once again, they need to find that desire once again.

They also need to find their offense.  While the defense is outstanding and goaltending is second only to the Detroit Red Wing, the offense went inexplicably MIA.  Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry stepped up into their roles on the team and have been good producers. However, no one reached the 30 goal milestone last year and only three players topped the 20 goal mark. The Ducks will need to get scoring from everyone this year in order to be competitive. You have to score to win games and the Ducks are still looking for the right combination that will provide that for them.

If the Ducks can figure out how to put the puck into the net more frequently, they have a good shot at winning the Pacific Division title once again and positioning themselves well for the playoffs. If they cannot figure that out, the defense will have an inordinate amount of pressure to be perfect and the road will be tougher in a division that is already tough enough.  San Jose and Dallas remain competitive and Phoenix has made great strides towards improvement this past year.  Only the Los Angeles Kings will remain bottom-dwellers in the league, but even the Kings can step things up against their rivals down the freeway.

The rookies start off their camp on September 11, with the big boys starting their camp the following week on September 19.   Now is the time to right the wrongs from last season and start off on a good foot.  The Ducks have a good chance this year, but it is truly up to them to put it together.  If they don’t, it will be a long, miserable season, for players and fans alike.

2008-2009 Wild Wingers Kids Club

Applications for this year’s Wild Wingers Kids Club are now being taken. The Anaheim Ducks have had the Kids Club in place for the past three years. It continues to grow in popularity.

This year the Club is sponsored by Red Robin restaurants and Ryan Getzlaf will be this year’s honorary captain. Previous captains have included Chris Kunitz, Andy McDonald and Scott and Rob Niedermayer. Price of membership remains at $20 for the year.

Membership, valued at $300, includes 1 free ticket voucher to select Anaheim Ducks games, a voucher for one free hot dog and soda, a 12-month hanging calendar, beanie, long sleeve shirt, 26 oz. water bottle, light-up slapshot shaker, and a Duck tag with membership benefits. During the year, members are invited to two parties at various locations and an annual end of the year party. Last year one of the parties included a private viewing of the Stanley Cup, newly engraved with the Ducks names, as well as the ability to see George Parros get his annual haircut for Locks of Love. The other was an exclusive watch party at the Honda Center and the opportunity to tour the locker rooms and benches.

“We’re excited about another season of the Wild Wingers Kids Club,” said the Ducks Director of Fan Development, Matt Savant. “The response from local families over the past few years reaffirms that our goals of promoting education and youth hockey in the community is taking hold.”

Last year the Kids Club reached an all-time high of 10,100 members, the most of any NHL club in the United States. It experienced a 66% growth rate from the previous year when membership totaled 6,100. Ducks players personally handed out 100’s of kits during their annual Christmas visit to the kids in CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County), and many more were donated to other hospital facilities and to needy kids.

Applications have already been sent out to previous members. They can also be purchased on-line at www.wildwingerskidsclub.com , at various Wal-Mart locations in Southern California (Foothill Ranch, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Pomona and Riverside), as well as at Hockey Giant in Anaheim, Ultimate Skate at Anaheim Ice and the Ducks Team Store at the Honda Center. For more information, call 714/940-2801.

Ducks Sign Lindstrom

After acquiring winger Joakim Lindstrom from the Columbus Blue Jackets in July for a draft pick, the Ducks have announced that they have signed him to a one year contract. Lindstrom will be fighting for a spot in the line-up when training camp officially begins on September 20. Lindstrom spent most of last year in Syracuse with the AHL, but may finally get a chance to shine with the Ducks.

Ducks Rookie Camp Schedule

As reported earlier, the Ducks will hold their rookie camp at Anaheim Ice with rookies reporting on September 11. Practices open to the public are scheduled for Friday, September 12 at 4:00pm and Saturday, September 13 at 9:00am.

After the initial practices at Anaheim Ice, the rookie camp will move to Las Vegas for the remaining time, culminating in a game against the San Jose Sharks rookies on September 16 at the Orleans Arena. Tickets are now available for this game, priced at $15, $22.50 or $35 and are available at www.orleansarena.com or by calling 888/234-2334.

Featured players on Anaheim’s rookie roster include seven of ten selections from the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, including Nicolas Deschamps, Eric O’Dell, Justin Schultz, Josh Brittain, Marco Cousineau, Brandon McMillan and Stefan Warg. Also scheduled to participate are Logan MacMillan, Eric Tangradi and Maxime Macenauer. All of these players also made an appearance at the prospect camp held by the Ducks in early July.