CHANGING OF THE CANARD
Crafty drafting and developing help aging Ducks to gradually turn over a new flock
THERE’S TWO WAYS
to look at Anaheim’s roster. They’re one of the NHL’s most experienced teams with a dozen or so well-seasoned veterans sprinkled throughout their lineup. That suggests the window of opportunity is closing, and there’s an urgency to win now. But the Ducks also have impressive youth at every position and are long known as a franchise that drafts and develops exceptionally well. If any team is poised to retool rather than rebuild, it’s this one. IMMEDIATE NEEDS: First Corey Perry, now Ryan Kesler. The disturbing rate at which Anaheim’s big-ticket producers are declining means the second wave of scorers needs to pick it up even more. Good thing Adam Henrique arrived and Ondrej Kase blossomed. The Ducks rank among the bottom five teams in shots on goal. LONG-TERM NEEDS: Anaheim doesn’t just need a couple of capable replacements in the forward ranks in the coming few seasons, they need a good half-dozen or more reinforcements. The Ducks entered the post-season with seven of their 14 forwards on the downward slope of 30. And that doesn’t include injured Patrick Eaves, who is 34. You know what positions they’ll be targeting in the draft. CAP SITUATION: The Ducks will shed more than $10 million in expiring contracts this summer, but Josh Manson, Brandon Montour and Kase are in line for sizeable raises. GM Bob Murray will need cap space in 2019 with John Gibson, Jakob Silfverberg and Henrique requiring new deals and no old money coming off the books. Watch for a vet to be traded. IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19: Marcus Pettersson and Jacob Larsson will almost surely take the spots of UFAs Kevin Bieksa and Francois Beauchemin on the blueline. They’re young, they’re more mobile and they’re much cheaper. But they’re not nearly as tough. There will be a learning curve. DID YOU KNOW: Goalie prospect Olle Eriksson Ek is two-and-a-half years younger than Joel, a rookie center with Minnesota. They both played youth hockey with Farjestad in Sweden, the same organization their father, Clas, played 13 pro seasons.