OFF-SEASON PLAYER ADDITIONS
Josh Green, LW (Signed as a free agent, previously with MODO of Sweden)
Ryan Hillier, LW (Acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers)
Jason Jaffray, C (Acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames)
Toni Lydman, D (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Buffalo Sabres)
Trevor Smith, LW (Signed as a free agent, previously with the New York Islanders)
Andy Sutton, D (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Ottawa Senators)
Danny Syvret, D (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Philadelphia Flyers)
Aaron Voros, LW (Acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers)
Tomas Zaborsky, LW (Acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers)
OFF-SEASON PLAYER LOSSES
Bobby Bolt, LW (Unsigned Free Agent)
Mike Brown, RW (Traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs)
Kyle Calder, LW (Unsigned Free Agent)
Ryan Donally, LW (Unsigned Free Agent)
Steve Eminger, D (Traded to the New York Rangers)
Brennan Evans, D (Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues)
Joey MacDonald, G (Signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings)
Logan MacMillan, C (Traded to the Calgary Flames)
Matt McCue, D (Traded to the New York Rangers)
Mattias Modig, G (Traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins)
Scott Niedermayer, D (Retired)
Nathan Oystrick, D (Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues)
Brian Salcido, D (Signed with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Republic)
Aaron Ward, D (Retired)
Shawn Weller, LW (Signed with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL)
James Wisniewski, D (Traded to the New York Islanders)
2009-10 Season Finish: 4th Pacific Division, 11th Western Conference, 89 Pts.
2009-10 Playoffs: Did Not Make Playoffs
2010-11 Prediction: 4th Pacific Division, 12th Western Conference
After a rather disappointing 2009-10 season which saw the Anaheim Ducks finish near the bottom of the Western Conference and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2004, the team will be looking to rebound and make the playoffs for the 2010-11 season. The team's offense remains virtually intact from last season with the most notable departures being checking line forwards Mike Brown and Kyle Calder. With the amount of star power on their forward lines, the Ducks should have a fairly strong and potent offense next season. However, star left wing Bobby Ryan still remains unsigned with one month until the regular season begins. While money hasn't been an issue in the contract negotiations, it's the length of the contract that is holding things up. Ryan wants a two-year deal, while the team wants to sign him to a five-year extension. As the regular season creeps, closer, I'm sure both sides will eventually come to an agreement, as the Ducks will want Ryan in the lineup as soon as possible. Once re-signed, Ryan will likely play on the top line with stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. All three players bring lots of offensive depth, goal-scoring talent, physical play, skill on the power play, and puckmoving talent to the team. Teemu Selanne returns to Anaheim for another season after contemplating retirement over the summer. He will bring lots of speed, offensive talent, and excellent puckhandling skills to the team. Veteran Saku Koivu will bring lots of offensive depth and leadership to the Ducks, while Jason Blake provides some energy and goal-scoring skill to the forward lines despite being an inconsistent scorer at times. Joffrey Lupul is expected to miss the start of training camp while he continues to recover from a blood infection in his back. He brings some goal-scoring talent to the team, and will be missed if he is not ready to return to action by the start of the regular season. In the event that Lupul misses some of the start of the regular season, Dan Sexton could temporarily replace him on the top two lines after a fine rookie season in 2009-10. He has plenty of speed and some scoring upside and should see his play continue to improve in 2010-11. Todd Marchant provides plenty of two-way skill to the checking lines, as well as lots of skill to the penalty kill, while fan-favorite and tough-guy George Parros brings lots of energy, toughness, and grit to the lineup. Kyle Chipchura, Troy Bodie, and newcomer Aaron Voros bring plenty of size and toughness to the forward lines, while Ryan Carter, Matt Beleskey, Trevor Smith, and Jason Jaffray bring some offensive depth to the fourth line. The Ducks have some offensive prospects who will look to make the team at training camp, including Ryan Hillier, Tomas Zaborsky, Nick Bonino, Brandon McMillan, and Kyle Palmieri. Promising youngsters Peter Holland and Emerson Etem will look to impress at training camp as well, but given their age, will likely spend next season in the minors honing their skills.
The Ducks' defense took a major hit this summer with the retirement of star defenseman Scott Niedermayer and was further depleted with the retirement of Aaron Ward and trades of James Wisniewski to the New York Islanders and Steve Eminger to the New York Rangers. Lubomir Visnovsky remains the top defenseman on the team and will bring lots of offensive depth and skill on the power play to the blueline. Newcomers Toni Lydman and Andy Sutton will bring plenty of puckmoving skill and toughness to the blueline, respectively. Sheldon Brookbank will bring lots of grit and toughness to the team, while Brett Festerling and Brendan Mikkelson will look to play bigger roles with the Ducks this season. Luca Sbisa could also make the team this season, and if he does, he will bring some offensive skill to the blueline, while Danny Syvret will look to secure a roster spot as a depth defenseman. Prospects looking to make the team at training camp this year include Jake Gardiner, Mark Mitera, Jake Newton, Mat Clark, and Cam Fowler. Despite having quite a few promising defensive prospects, the Ducks may want to consider signing a free agent defenseman or two to provide sufficient depth on the blueline, as their defense is considerably weaker than it was last season.
The Ducks' goaltending remains stable with Jonas Hiller and Curtis McElhinney as the tandem for next season. Hiller played very strong throughout the second half of the 2009-10 season and will look to continue that dominance to start the 2010-11 season. McElhinney brings plenty of size and sufficient depth as a backup goaltender, but is not very consistent at the NHL level. Prospects Jean-Philippe Levasseur and Timo Pielmeier will look to challenge for the backup role at training camp.
TEAM STRENGTHS
- Very strong team offensively.
- Lots of promising offensive and defensive prospects.
- Plenty of physical players that can help throw off the opposition with physical play.
TEAM WEAKNESSES
- Very weak team on defense. Should look into signing a free agent depth defenseman or two.
- Could use a more proven backup goaltender.
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