Last year the Anaheim Ducks traded away an elite defenseman, this year entering a new NHL season an elite defenseman has retired and the Ducks are very concerned about mounting a defense. Last season even with Scott Niedermayer teh Ducks defense was fragile and inconsistent. Now the fortunes for the new season rest on how they will deal with that loss. Lubomir Visnovsky is now this team’s most seasoned defensemen. That will leave a lot of minutes for others to chew up.
Head Coach Randy Carlyle returns for his sixth year behind the Ducks bench. In that time he racked up a 219-139-52 record. He is a no nonsense kind of coach, who is happy to see his team win but is always ready to point out where they could have played better. Rick keeps the bar high, and does not want to hear about excuses. Somehow he will find a way to deal with the lack of a solid defense.
Once again this team’s breakout candidate is right wing Joffrey Lupul. Last season was supposed to be his breakout year, but it ended prematurely due to a back injury. This team is hoping that he comes back, stays healthy, and delivers on his potential.
Key Additions- D Toni Lydman, RW Aaron Voros, D Danny Syvret, D Andy Sutton, LW Ryan Hillier, LW Jason Jaffray, and LW Tomas Zaborsky
Key Subtractions- D Scott Niedermayer, RW Mike Brown, D Steve Eminger, G Joey MacDonald, G Mattais Modig, D Nathan Oystrick, D James Wisniewski, LW Logan Macmillan, and LW Matt McCue
Related Links:
•Joshua Lobdell.com
