TEAM PREVIEWS: THE ANAHEIM DUCKS

Introduction:

Wait what... I never finished these... ah crap. I blame you Anaheim. I was trucking along nicely and then there was all this uncertainty about Mathieu Schnieder and where he was going to go and if they'd be able to free up enough cap space to lure... er sign Teemu.

OK well lets get started then. We've still got two days until the season starts and I had done a preview for all of the teams that started in Europe (Editor's Note: Except Ottawa)(Writer's Note: Shut up Editor in my head) so maybe if I start sprinting and stop posturing this will prove to be not fatal.

Key Departures:
Mathieu Schnieder
Todd Bertuzzi

Schnieder was lost here particularly after Niedermayer's return. He's getting on in age but he wasn't brought here for his D. Its a shame that Burke had to waste so much time and money on what amounted to a placeholder.

Speaking of placeholders... Todd Bertuzzi never figured out how to fit in here, and he certainly was never going to be Teemu Selanne. This team is better off trying to get their young talent to step up to the next level then dealing with old relics of the pre-lockout NHL like Mr. Bertuzzi.

New Faces:
Brendan Morrison

Bertuzzi must have had nicer things to say about the organization than I did to say about him because Morrison completed the exodus of the Canucks former top line when he signed with Anaheim in the offseason. He'll provide the second line center that Anaheim lacked since trading Andy MacDonald to St. Louis.

The Offense:
With the addition of Selanne and Morrison for a full season there is some excitement about this group of Ducks forwards and with good reason. Selanne elevates everyone around him and Morrison gives The Ducks a reliable second line and some veteran presence on their second powerplay unit.

You want to Draft:
Teemu Selanne
Corey Perry
Ryan Getzlaf
Chris Kunitz

About the only thing Selanne is better at then scoring goals is procrastinating. To the great benefit of fantasy hockey players everywhere Teemu made his decision before the puck dropped this season. In fact early reports indicated that Teemu wanted to play as far back as July, but it took Brian Burke a long time to clear cap space for the Finnish Flash. Teemu is instantly the number one player on this team. Getzlaf and Perry are great but Teemu is legendary.
FACT: Since rejoining Anaheim after the lockout Teemu has scored 207 points in 188 games.

Corey Perry missed the final 12 games of last season, but in the first 70 he had 29 goals, 25 assists and 108 PIM. Those last 12 games were when the Ducks offense was really clicking as well. He's only 23, so I think that Selanne's arrival will help rather then hinder his development. He'll get quality minutes and scoring chances regardless of whether he lines up with Getzlaf or Morrison.
FACT: Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf played 36 games together in the minors, scoring 67 points.

Ryan Getzlaf is Shane Douglas. For those of you not familiar with early 90's ECW that means he is "The Franchise." The team is going to be building around Number 15 for at least the next 5 years, after his near 27 million dollar 5 year contract extension last season. Getzlaf turned himself into a setup man last season, significantly improving upon his assists. I expect his goal totals to go up this year as he will be less responsible for running the point on the powerplay with the return, full-time, of Niedermayer and Selanne. Because he, like many of the ducks, excels in all areas of the game he should be on of the first centers off the boards after those two guys from Pittsburgh are gone.
FACT: Getzlaf was the leading scorer for the Ducks in their Stanley Cup winning 2007 playoffs, with 17 points in 21 games.

I think Kunitz makes it back to and exceeds his 60 point pace of 2006-2007. As a left winger who also gets PIM and takes a good number of shots this makes Kunitz draft worthy. He's fast, physical and defensively responsible and will benefit, like the rest of the squad, from the certainty that Burke has created at the beginning of this season.
FACT: Kunitz was an undrafted player, signed and waived by the Ducks in 05-06. He played two games for the Thrashers before being waived and re-signed by Anaheim. After all of that Kunitz played 67 games with his original club and scored 41 points in his rookie season, a club record. We have not yet seen his full potential.

You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Brendan Morrison
Bobby Ryan

Morrison could see some very talented linemates, in fact he's almost guaranteed that. The only thing keeping me from recommending him more strongly is that his strongest season ever was a 72 point season in 02-03. Anything less then that for a non-physical center isn't really worthy of a roster spot except in deep leagues. Keep your eye on him but be cautious.
FACT: Like most products of the New Jersey Devils system Morrison is an undersized former college standout.

Bobby Ryan is... a hunch. He's not yet up to the NHL standard when it comes to footwork but the kid can score. The Ducks are light at Wing, and if he got the call up he could find himself on one of the top two lines. Anaheim has had great success with young players.
FACT: The second overall pick in the 2005 entry draft, Bobby Ryan hails from Cherry Hill, New Jersey and is viewed as part of a resurgence in young talented American born players in the NHL.

The Defense:
Even with the loss of Mathieu Schnieder this is one of the strongest defenses in the game, with only teams like Detroit and San Jose as rivals. Burke has been committed to shoring up his own end with top flight talent by any means necessary and building the offense from within. It led to the teams first Stanley Cup in 07 and should have them competing for one again this season.

You Want To Draft:
Chris Pronger
Scott Niedermayer

Pronger is one of those does it all guys that you just have to have on your fantasy roster. On D he is only beaten in this category by Dion Phaneuf and is the d-man I would take third behind Phaneuf and Lidstrom. Pronger is consistently excellent. I would expect his point totals to be back over 50 this season and his PIM to be down under 90.
FACT: When Chris Pronger won the Hart Trophy after the 1999-2000 season he became the first defenseman to win the award since Bobby Orr. He is one of only 8 defenseman to receive the honor. The others: Billy Burch, Herb Gardiner, Eddie Shore (4 times), Ebbie Goodfellow, Tommy Anderson, Babe Pratt, and Bobby Orr (3 times).

Scott Niedermayer. Draft him. He is good. How good?
FACT: The ducks, a struggling non-playoff team through the first 34 games had the best record in hockey in the 48 games after Niedermayer's return last season.

You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Francouis Beauchemin

Is he your Beau... chemin? No probably not. Somewhere in there there is an offensive d-man waiting to breakout. He's got two major road blocks in his way in the shape of Pronger and Niedermayer. Keep your eye on him, particularly if there are any injuries to the big two.
FACT: Beauchemin, beyond being a great scrabble word, is a village in Northern France.

The Powerplay:
Teemu Selanne
Ryan Getzlaf
Corey Perry
Scott Niedermayer
Chris Pronger

Teemu really makes this unit dangerous. He had 48 points on the powerplay the season before. He'll take a lot of pressure off of Getzlaf. This is going to be a deadly unit.

The Goalie(s):

J.S. Giguere starts the season firmly entrenched as Number 1, with his stellar backup Bryzgalov being shipped off midseason to the Coyotes. Giguere put in his best "numbers" season last year, establishing franchise marks in GAA and Sv %. If he can stay healthy he is your best option in net besides Martin Brodeur.
FACT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeIfffJDJU0 I didn't have to search for that, it was the first thing that popped up when I typed Giguere in youtube. Do you think he loves or hates this song?

The Verdict:

There was a lot of chaos as training camp began this year and Anaheim had a lot of work to do to get themselves under the salary cap, but kudos to Brian Burke for providing certainty for this Anaheim team heading into the regular season. More than Niedermayer, more than Selanne, that certainty is what is propelling them to the top of many experts' lists.