NHS NHL Season Recap Series - Anaheim Ducks
- Brendan Fretwell
- Jun 18, 2018
- 2 min read
The Anaheim Ducks had a season plagued by injuries and inconsistencies. Starting the season with a large chunk of their best players recovering from offseason surgeries or injuries, including one Patrick Eaves who would soon be diagnosed with the extremely rare Guillain-Barré Syndrome, the Ducks came out of the gates limping. Considering the personnel that would be out for an extended period of time, the rookies and AHL regulars for Anaheim would have to step up in a big way allowing the Ducks to get a good look at their future roster.
As the season went on, the Ducks regained their regular stride as more and more players returned to their lineup. However, the inconsistencies when it came to winning were still evident. Up until the last week of the regular season, it was a big question mark whether the Ducks would even make the playoffs or if the postseason would pass them by for the first time since 2012.
Surprisingly, the Ducks made the playoffs as second place in the Pacific Division right behind the remarkable and eventual Western Conference Champion Vegas Golden Knights. The Ducks were swept out of the playoffs in the first round by their Northern California rivals the San Jose Sharks. A lack of speed and offense was the main fault for this four game series that ended with Anaheim not winning a single game.
If the Ducks want to be successful in the future, the "veteran grit" style of play has to cease. The NHL is becoming a game of speed and skill and slower teams like Anaheim are not going to be able to keep up. In this offseason, no one is safe which is precisely the reason that even one of the faces of the Ducks franchise, Corey Perry, is in trade rumors. Fortunately for the Ducks, players like Rickard Rakell, Adam Henrique, Ondrej Kase and Cam Fowler are all well equipped to play the faster style of hockey. In addition to that, many of the Ducks best rookies and draft selections are all fast players who pride themselves on the run and gun style of hockey.
Here is Anaheim's infographic for the 2018 season.
