From Plucked to Plucky
In December, the Anaheim Ducks were all but plucked. They were three points out of the last place in the NHL, and they were not doing anything to make fans think they could pull themselves out of it. They were in a tailspin.
Their high priced front lines were faltering out of the gate with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler all coming a bit late to the party. Bruce Boudreau was beyond the hot seat because it had been consumed by a five-alarm fire. His face was in a perpetual state of mauve as the strain of each loss mounted.
By all accounts, there were only two things working in their favor. General Manager Bob Murray was keeping his trigger finger at bay, and rookie netminder John Gibson was playing out of his mind.
Job Security
Bob Murray even went so far as to proclaim Bruce Boudreau’s job safe. Even though fans, media and other teams around the league were scratching their heads wondering what it would take to lose your job in Anaheim.
With the Ducks rolling now, it's a good time to credit Bob Murray for not taking easy way and firing Bruce Boudreau back in December.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) February 17, 2016
At three points out of last, with a roster loaded with top end talent and having bowed out in a pivotal game 7 after having a series lead for the third year in a row, most would have pulled the pin on a grenade, not fired a single shot.
In a lot of ways, it would appear that Murray has a fortune teller on his payroll because there are not a whole lot of GM’s who would have maintained that kind of patience. However, Murray simply put his head down and went to work on the roster.
All the Right Moves
He didn’t make any earth-shattering changes, or ship off core players, he simply kept tweaking until something seemed to click right after the new year. He sent Jiri Sekac to Chicago for Ryan Garbutt. A gritty bottom six forward who can annoy the opposition and create some space in the offensive zone, or win puck battles in the corners.
He also jettisoned Carl Hagelin, a speedy offseason acquisition who was supposed to slot into the top six. He just never quite fit into the Ducks bruising style of hockey. In return, he grabbed David Perron from the Pittsburgh Penguins, he gave up some of Hagelin’s flashy speed, for a player who would hopefully be a difference maker for the struggling Ducks.
The moves paid off as the team chemistry started to turn.
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Rookie on the Ready
Another key factor from the beginning of the season was the play of rookie netminder John Gibson. He had made a few appearances in the last two years, but he is still considered a rookie by the league’s standards. Out of the gates, he grabbed the starting job from Frederick Andersen who had seemingly locked it down last season. So, his emergence was a good sign, even when nothing else was going right for the Ducks.
In 24 games played (22 starts), he recorded a .917 save percentage, 2.11 goals against average, and four shutouts. While most of his numbers are not flashy, much of that can be attributed to the play of his team as they imploded around him for much of the 2015 portion of the season. He was recognized for his outstanding play as a member of the Pacific Divisions All-Star team.
Gibson did everything he could to keep his team in games, but they continued to sit at the bottom of the league in terms of goals scored. In fact, in their first 35 games, they only recorded 14 wins. and most of them were by very small margins. What many might consider goalie wins.
Stars Came Late to the Party
For the Ducks the most glaring holes in the team came from the players who define the team. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler. While they were responsible for the teams early underachieving, they are also largely responsible for their resurgence.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf got off to an absolutely horrid start. It took him five games to record his first assist, 18 games to record his first goal and 34 to record his second. Another alarming stat, until November 25th the team had lost every single game that Getzlaf was blanked in. For the record, that equated to a 6-8-4, not a great record to start the season for the favorites to come out of the Pacific.
Corey Perry was similarly afflicted with frosty paws. He took five games to record an assist, and 12 games to record a goal. And their top dollar gamble on Ryan Kesler was looking like it could come back to haunt them as well. Kesler took six games to crack the score sheet with an assist, and 15 to net his first goal.
To be blunt, this team was snake bitten. They were looking more like Captain Cold, Mr. Freeze, and the Joker than All-Stars. All three of their top scorers were struggling badly, and the Ducks were nowhere near mighty.
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New Year, New Life
Then the calendar year flipped, and the Ducks turned the page. In the last ten games, Getzlaf has accounted for three goals and nine assists, Perry has contributed six goals and six assists, and Kesler has added three goals and seven assists. In that time frame, the Ducks are 9-1-1, a far cry from the way they started the season.
They have also been getting stellar play from Rickard Rakell, who is having a breakout year with 14 goals, 16 assists, and 30 points. Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm are also coming into their own on the blue line, though both have been linked to a number of trade rumors. Each has contributed to the Ducks third best 27.7 shots against per game stat.
Can The Ducks Sustain the Mighty?
The big question still looming over the Ducks is can they stay the course and hang onto the playoff spot. Currently, they are just two points off the Los Angeles Kings who have sat atop the Pacific for the majority of the season. So, barring a major slide, they should be able to hang on to a spot in the top three.
However, it is not going to be easy. The numbers indicate that the team still has some work to do.
Ryan Getzlaf is the only player on the plus side of the +/- with a +12, no one else ranks above a zero and most of the team falls on the negative side. Also, when you look at how the Ducks top scorers in Getzlaf (44), Perry (41), Rakell (30), and Kesler (29) stack up against the top playoff contenders, they are sorely lacking, which could be problematic if the trend continues into the playoffs.
In the Pacific, they are lucky as the division as a whole is the weakest in the NHL, which made it possible for one of the worst teams in the league to factor into the playoffs in the first place. The Los Angeles Kings top Scorer is Anze Kopitar (51) while San Jose has three players that outscore the Ducks top guns with Joe Pavelski (53), Joe Thornton (50), and Brent Burns (48).
From there, it gets tougher. The Dallas Stars have three players that grossly outscore the best the Ducks have to offer in Jamie Benn (64), Tyler Seguin (63), and John Klingberg (48).
The Chicago Blackhawks are also a high octane offensive team with Patrick Kane (83) just annihilating the league, and his wing man Artemi Panarin (57) following his lead. The Blackhawks also have five more players with 30 or more points.
Finally, you have the Washington Capitals with Evgeny Kuznetsov adding 57, and the Pittsburgh Penguins with Sidney Crosby adding 53, keeping in mind that his start was also cringe worthy.
It is likely that the Ducks will have to face some of these teams in the playoffs, if their scoring woes continue, there is little doubt as to what the outcome of the series might be. They should make it out of the first round, unless they draw up against the Kings who could be problematic.
Holding On Or Letting Go?
The Ducks can certainly hold onto a playoff spot; However, they are going to need their stars to align to make it back to the Western Conference finals. After all, you don’t win hockey games without scoring goals, no matter how adept Gibson is at standing on his head.
Another early exit, no matter how miraculous their comeback has been could mean some tough decisions are on the horizon for Murray as Boudreau’s hot seat might become an inferno, and who knows who else could wind up with their head on the chopping block. At that point, even the captain might start to sweat his position, and certainly Perry (among others) could have reason to be concerned.
One thing is certain, the status quo mentality will not withstand another early elimination. The clock is ticking on Getzlaf, Perry, and Kesler as their use by dates grow closer with each season. If this season’s decline for all three players means their best days are already in the rearview mirror, this could be the last hurrah for the Ducks as we know them.
