Pool Outlook for Anaheim

The Anaheim Ducks were good this season, really good, in fact.  In the regular season, they were the best team in the Western Conference, finishing with 116 points in the standings, four points clear of the Colorado Avalanche for the top seed in the playoffs on this side.

In the playoffs, the Ducks ran into a Los Angeles Kings team that wasn't going to be denied playing in the Western Conference Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Ducks lost in seven games to those Kings, in a hard fought series.  The Ducks won three straight games to take a 3-2 series lead, but fell off the pace, losing at home in Game Seven, 6-2, in a drubbing from a team filled with Game Seven legends.

Even though the Ducks were so good in the 2014 season, there are some changes abound for the team, but they come from growth within, more than the absolute need to change to get better.  The Ducks are a healthy franchise and one where us hockey poolies should be looking on a regular basis for some extra points here and there.

It was one of Ryan Getzlaf's best seasons in quite some time, as the Saskatchewan native finished 6th overall in pool scoring, thanks to 87 points (31 goals & 56 assists) in 77 games for the Ducks.  Scoring at 1.13 points-per-game was a very steady pace and he did it in somewhat of a quiet manner, where he didn't spend too many games blowing the doors off arenas to get there... almost Ron Francis-like.  This sort of season has earned him the respect of the hockey writers with a Hart Trophy finalist nod and his peers with a Ted Lindsay Award finalist nod.  I don't think Getzlaf will come away with either, but if I had him on my hockey pool team, I would have been very pleased with his season and that's all that really matters here.

The Ducks also had another potential 1st round pick in pool scoring this year, as Corey Perry wasn't too far behind, finishing 10th overall with 82 points in 81 games, finishing a touch over a point-per-game as well.  No major award nods though.  Nick Bonino led the way for breakout players on the team, finishing 3rd among forwards with 49 points in 77 games, while Mathieu Perreault finished with 43 points in 69 games.  How about a mention for Andrew Cogliano?  He finished in the same neighbourhood, 42 points in all 82 games.  After those four, scoring stayed fairly even across the board, as the team had all kinds of depth scoring in 2014.

The Ducks blueline is the shining example of why the franchise is in such good shape, as their top three scoring defenders were all under the age of 25.  Cam Fowler (22) led the way with 36 points in 70 games, followed by rookie Hampus Lindholm (20), who scored 6 goals and 24 assists in 78 games.  Only playing half the year was 23-year old Sami Vatanen, who had 21 points in 48 games, rounding out the top three.  The point totals didn't amaze anyone, by any means, but just the collective of these three leading the way is a marvel in itself.

The 2014 version of the Ducks crease was an curious story as well.  Jonas Hiller, who finished 29th overall in pool scoring after a 29-win year and 70 points, was 11th among all goalies and he now appears to be on his way out of Anaheim through free agency.  The Ducks don't mind, as they have both Fredrik Andersen, who they thought so much of to make him the number one going into the playoffs and then John Gibson, who took over as number one in the playoffs, when Andersen went down with injury.  Having two young goaltenders, both also under 25, squeezed out Hiller, who will make a good keeper somewhere else.

2015 Pool Outlook

There are very few reasons why the Anaheim Ducks may not repeat the successes of the 2014 season, all of those successes that poolies benefited from in the season as well.  If there was one, it might be the retirement of Teemu Selanne, but his twilight season wasn't overly productive, but at the end of the day, everything helps.  The depth of this team is quite good and they are expecting to add some talent in the off-season with the extra cap space they will have, without a Selanne or Hiller on the books.

I think between the top line of Getzlaf/Perry/Bonino, the depth on the blueline and the new goaltending tandem, the Ducks will be a team that you could confidently pick from and do well with.

Looking for some good young players that could provide some serious pool bargains in 2015?  I think that starts with John Gibson in net, as the 20-year old showed some quality stuff in the last couple weeks before the playoffs and in his appearances in the playoffs.  If Andersen falters, there will be no hesitation to put the youngster in.  I am also looking at a kid like Max Friberg, who may get a good look in camp, as his stock was starting to go up before the season started.

Free Agency and the Salary Cap

Having already touched on Hiller already, we'll move on from him and turn our attention to Saku Koivu, who may or may not retire.  If he does come back for one more, I would imagine it would be with the Ducks again.  Daniel Winnik and David Steckel could be two interesting players on the market, if they make it, but I would have to think the Ducks will make a push to get Winnik on the books, while Steckel, who was sparingly used, could go.  With the depth on the blueline, I couldn't see Stephane Robidas coming back, unless it was a 1-year deal and on the cheaper side.

RFA's to work on in the off-season include Mathieu Perreault, Jakob Silfverberg and Devante Smith-Pelly up front, Sami Vatanen on the blueline and Igor Bobkov in net.

Another large glowing neon sign pointing to how good of shape the franchise is in is their cap numbers.  I have their projected roster for 2015 in at 18 players already, signed on for an annual cap hit of $45 million, leaving about $26 million left for five players.  I don't think the Ducks will go overbidding on the market, but no one says they can't this Summer.

The Ducks also have two picks in the 1st round of this year's entry draft, taking Ottawa's 1st round pick, the 10th overall selection, acquired in the deal that sent Bobby Ryan to the Senators and then they will pick again with their own pick, 24th overall, thanks to their 2nd round exit in the playoffs.  With the 10th overall pick, the Ducks come away like bandits with forward Michael Del Colle, who falls in the draft by a few selections and right into their lap.  Del Colle ends up being the best available player at the spot, according to how my mock draft plays out and he does rank well on most lists as a dynamic point producing forward.  At the 24th spot, I could definitely see the Ducks going again with the best available player, since they are fairly stocked with young talent emerging in the NHL already, which takes away the need to fill certain spots at the moment.

The Ducks may have had an early exit from the playoffs this year, but as you can tell, I think they are one of the best franchises in the league today and with that, I fully expect them to put together the same kind of run that we have seen from the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks from the past few years.  There isn't much room for error in the Western Conference, but if there is a team to do it, it will be the Ducks.

I would like to predict a 2015 Stanley Cup Championship for the Ducks, based on all the evidence provided, but I will offer up a Conference Finals match-up as my concrete prediction, with the Ducks being my favourite for a Cup next season.  A full year for one of those two young goalies and a confident bunch in front of either one, should make for a big year for the Ducks.  They are truly scary right now and they are poised to get even better, barring some brain damage in the team's management.