ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Anaheim Ducks’ run of five consecutive Pacific Division titles ended last spring. Their fall was then punctuated by a humiliating first-round playoff sweep by the San Jose Sharks.
Faced with the severity of that verdict on their half-decade quest to reach the Stanley Cup Final, the Ducks didn’t mope. They also didn’t blow up a roster that has been agonizingly close to ultimate NHL success.
Instead, they decided to use their extra-long offseason to get faster and fresher.
”We’re trying to put in a new system and different line combinations, and that takes time,” said forward Adam Henrique, whose midseason arrival was one of the highlights of last year. ”It takes some time to adjust to everything we’re being asked to do, but we’re already seeing flashes of it, for sure. For us, it’s a matter of just trying to get it into our games.”
The Ducks intend to push the tempo and move the puck with uncommon speed when they return to the ice this season. Although any concrete description of tactics is tricky in this heavily improvisatory game, Anaheim’s focus will shift from bullying checks and defensive rigidity to aggressive offense and fluid attacks.
”Going out there and trying to think through the new system, it takes a little bit,” said Henrique, who returns with a lucrative five-year contract extension. ”Things just aren’t fully in sync yet, but everybody sees what we’re trying to do.”
Much of the NHL made this transition years ago. The Ducks were having ample success playing their own way, but coach Randy Carlyle is ready to speed it up with his talented veterans alongside another influx of youth from Anaheim’s remarkable farm system.
”It’s a test to play that way at this level,” Carlyle said. ”We’ve got the guys to do it.”
The change comes in the historic 25th season for the Ducks, who won the 2007 Stanley Cup and haven’t been back to the Final since. They’re a contender in the Pacific again, but their division is even more stacked with talent upon the arrival of San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, the emergence of Vegas and the continuing threat that the Edmonton Oilers will finally get it together – to say nothing of the perennial threat of the Kings across the Los Angeles metroplex.
The Ducks welcome the chance to try a new tactic in the same quest they’ve been on for years.
”We’ve got to find the way we can all play this way together,” defenseman Josh Manson said. ”We’re working on it. If you want to play at this level, you have to pick up a system when your coach teaches it. If you play with a good structure, you’ve got a better chance to win a game.”
HEALTHY LEGS
Right wing Patrick Eaves is expected back early in the year after missing all of last season with a prolonged, complicated health scare. The Ducks also hope to get a solid campaign out of center Ryan Kesler, who was limited all season by his arthritic hip. Both veterans are proven NHL talents, but their absence played a major role in Anaheim’s slow start to last season.
GIBBY IN GOAL
The Ducks feel a level of comfort in trying a new style because they’ve got John Gibson behind them. The stalwart goalie is back after agreeing to an eight-year, $64 million contract extension in the summer. Gibson overcame his early-career injury problems last season and turned in a stellar campaign. Gibson is still just 25 years old, and the Ducks believe he has even more room to grow into one of the game’s greats.
DEFENSIVE DEPTH
Francois Beauchemin’s retirement and Kevin Bieksa’s departure opened spots on the Ducks’ blue line, and Swedish youngsters Marcus Pettersson and Jacob Larsson would love to fill the roles. Anaheim’s biggest offseason free-agent addition was veteran defenseman Luke Schenn, and he’s likely to be the third-pairing partner for the winner of that competition. Pettersson and Larsson both have the potential to be the next breakout talent from a farm system that has produced the departed Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen along with all four of the Ducks’ top blueliners: Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Manson and Brandon Montour.
WHERE’S RITCH?
The Ducks’ top 11 scorers from last season are all back, but the 12th – power forward Nick Ritchie – still hasn’t reported to camp. The 22-year-old restricted free agent is holding out and working out with the OHL’s Guelph Storm as he seeks a more lucrative new deal despite his modest 27-point performance last season. The Ducks and Ritchie have kept things civil in public, but his absence isn’t helping his prospects to contribute.
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