Young players may start inheriting some bigger roles on the ice.
Slowly but certainly, the Ducks’ least experienced players have earned enhanced roles this season, and given their results when contrasted with those of the team’s veterans, is it about time to give the youngsters the keys to the franchise and let them drive it around for a while?
Max Comtois, a 22-yearold left wing, leads the last-place Ducks with eight goals and 14 points and has a plus-3 defensive rating, tops among their forwards, in 22 games this season. Center Isac Lundestrom, 21, is second with five goals, and he also has a plus-2 rating.
Left wing Trevor Zegras, 19, hasn’t recorded a goal or an assist in four games since he was recalled from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. But, given his adventurous play with the puck, it would seem like only a matter of time before he breaks through in spectacular fashion.
Center Sam Steel, 23, is the Ducks’ sixth-leading scorer with seven points (two goals, five assists). Left wing Max Jones, 23, has scored two of his three goals on the power play, which ties him for the team lead, and has generally made a pest of himself around the net in 13 games.
“Yeah, absolutely, they are moving in the right direction,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said after Lundestrom had a hat trick in a 5-4 loss Monday to the St. Louis Blues. “All those guys have taken steps forward, some bigger than others, so that’s encouraging for the whole organization.”
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With only a couple of noteworthy exceptions among their skaters, especially defense partners Cam Fowler and Jani Hakanpaa, the Ducks’ best players in this coronavirus-shortened season have been their youngest players. Many of their veterans have struggled mightily.
Center Ryan Getzlaf, 35, has two goals and six assists, both goals coming via power plays.
Right wing Rickard Rakell, 27, has two goals and nine assists.
Left wing Jakob Silfverberg,
30, has four goals and five assists and is tied with center Adam Henrique, 31, with a team-worst minus 12 defensive rating. Henrique has four goals and one assist and was placed on waivers Feb. 20. He rejoined the team last week after he was unclaimed.
Fowler, 29, leads the Ducks’ defensemen with two goals and nine assists, including one goal and five assists in his past four games. Hakanpaa, 28, has one assist while playing a more defensive role in his partnership with the more offensive-minded Fowler.
The Ducks’ defensemen are their leaders in average ice time, which is to be expected since that’s usually the case with most NHL teams. Rakell is the lone Ducks forward logging 18 minutes or more per game. Steel is tops among their youngest forwards, averaging a little less than 16 minutes.
Eakins said there is a balancing act that must be followed when it comes to ice time, especially for a teenager like Zegras, who is averaging 14:33 per game. Zegras has played extensively on the power play and his wizardry with the puck on his stick has been evident through four games.
“We’ve got to bring him along at the right pace,” Eakins said. “You don’t want to overload him too much. You want him to find his way and find some kind of comfort level. If you play him too little, that’s a problem. If you play him way too much, that’s an even bigger problem.
“So, he’s coming along just fine. Again, (Monday), you see his creativity. He actually made some good, strong plays along the walls. He just seems to get a little bit more comfortable every night. If he keeps playing like this, you’ll see it (his ice time) slowly go up.”