Anaheim’s bottom-6 has provided secondary scoring as the team continues to search for offensive consistency.
Anaheim’s bottom-6 has provided secondary scoring as the team continues to search for offensive consistency.
Scoring has come in waves for the Ducks this season. It's been a process trying to find the connectivity that many of the players have spoken about. In the meantime, they’ve discovered offense from some of their depth players.
Brock McGinn has been one of those players providing offense from lower in the lineup. He is currently tied for fourth on the team in goals scored.
A ferocious forechecker, McGinn is relentless in his pursuit of the puck. His strong work on the penalty kill feels like it was sorely missed after his 2023-24 season was cut short due to back surgery.
McGinn has played on almost every line imaginable already this early in the season, as head coach Greg Cronin has searched for ways to drum up offense. McGinn's regular linemates have been players like Isac Lundeström, Brett Leason and Ross Johnston, names who have typically been slotted into Anaheim's bottom-6.
“He's big, he’s strong and he's fast," McGinn said of Leason. You could see his speed and skill on that (goal against Vegas). I love playing with him. I think he works very hard. I think we read off each other very well and hopefully, we can continue to grow.”
Unfortunately, McGinn suffered a lower-body injury in their game against the Dallas Stars and could be out for a considerable amount of time.
Leason, who had his first career multi-point game as an NHLer against the Stars, has been in and out of the lineup. With Robby Fabbri out for the next 6-8 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, Leason will now be given an extended look in the lineup.
“It feels nice (to be back in the lineup)," Leason said. "I struggled at the start (of the season) and to get back in (and) get a quick goal (against Columbus) definitely helps with the confidence. When you’re a confident player, you make plays and just get opportunities. I made some in the last few games and was able to get some points."
"Just play as hard as I can every day. Just do the simple things, do everything correctly, just do everything that Coach asks. Just giving it my all."
“Give him credit," Cronin said. "There’s a guy who didn’t play for consecutive games. (He's the) first guy on the ice when there’s optional skates, first guy on the ice when there’s extra skating. Positive attitude. He’s a quiet kid. Very unassuming kid, but he’s competitive. He cares.
"That assist he made (against Vegas) was incredible, the way he pulled (the puck) off the board and (put it) right onto Frank’s tape. That’s a big-time play. He almost scored to make it 3-2 on the turnover (too). I’m happy for him. He’s a good player, he’s still a relatively young kid. I think the staff here did a good job pulling him off of waivers when he was available a couple of years ago. Hopefully, he can build on it and we can build off of him.”
Leason said that regardless of what line he plays on, his role doesn't change too much. "I think we all kind of know what everyone's role is here," he said. "Mine is to play hard, finish checks and get the chances when they come. Working hard defensively and just making the right plays."
Leason had been playing alongside McGinn and Lundeström, but Cutter Gauthier swapped spots with McGinn midway through the game against the Red Wings. Previously, the Lundeström line was being used to match up against the opposition's top line.
"(Cronin) told us before the (Vegas) game that we’ll be matched up against (the Barbashev-Eichel-Holtz) line," Leason said. "When that’s said, you’ve got to take more of a defensive responsibility and I think we did a good job shutting them down.
"We were out there for one goal against, but I think if you look at the game, our line generated a lot of chances forward. I think we controlled most of the play when we were out there against other lines and Eichel’s lines. When you're playing top players, you’ve got to be dialed in and I think we were that game. (We) just didn't get the outcome we wanted."
One player that Leason has rotated with is Ross Johnston, who has become a staple on the Ducks' fourth line. A hulking presence on the ice, Cronin points to Johnston's physicality and simplicity as a recipe to follow.
“Ross is never going to be an analytical darling," Cronin said. "He's not a big offensive zone producer, but he's got a presence on the ice. That fight he had with (Kurtis) MacDermid (in the New Jersey game) was impressive. I don't think anybody's going to want to fight him. He's got the ability to keep the game safe for our players. He's worked on his ability to handle pucks. (Leason) is a penalty killer and he's more offensive than Ross, but he's got to get some consistency to his game.”
While offense isn't Johnston's forte by any means, he has collected points in two of the last four games and has created several scoring chances.
"I kind of changed up my whole training routine (this past summer) and that was from suggestions from the coaching staff," Johnston said. "The guy I worked with at home, Morgan Campbell, was with the Charlotte Checkers last year and he had a great program. It was mixed with (becoming more) explosive and a lot more (resistance) band work than (there) necessarily (is) with traditional weight training and core activation and all that stuff. Without getting into it too much, I feel better on the ice and the lateral movements just feel more graceful.”
“I'm straight lines and physicality," Johnston continued. "I think the more you play and the more ice time you get, the confidence naturally comes and that's kind of where the offensive plays come into the mix. I'm just trying to be physical and create space for my linemates and hopefully, when that's done, we can create some offense on the other side of it too."
"He has been terrific," Cronin said. "He generated six scoring chances (against Minnesota). Ross just checks the boxes on a fourth line guy. (He's) physical, goes to the netfront and puts pucks in the zone. He has that predictability variable. So, whoever he's with is going to be on the fourth line."
Both Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier––two players who are expected to take up long-term spots in the top-6––have seen time on the fourth line with Cronin wanting them to simplify their games. Having Johnston with them has helped them get back to basics.
"When you're playing with me, it kind of removes... I don't want to say it removes the offensive expectation, but it simplifies the game and you can get back to your straight lines," Johnston said. "You can chip the puck in, you can get the basis of your game and the foundations back to where hopefully, you can grow confidence and then move back up the lineup.
"So, those guys have come to the line and they've been positive. (McTavish has) been awesome. He's been playing hard. He played very hard every game he's been with us, so I can't speak enough about those two guys. Just simplify the game of hockey again, get back to the basics and then hopefully, flourish on the offensive side."
"(Our fourth line) plays a very simple game, they don't like to confuse it," Gauthier said. "Once they get the puck, it's to the red (line) and they get it deep and hard on the forecheck. I think with that simplicity of the game added to mine, it was nice to kind of slow it down. You didn't need to think too much, you knew where everyone was going to be. It was an adjustment for the last couple of games, but it was nice to learn from those guys."
“The best thing about Ross is that he verbally reinforces the message from the coaches," Cronin said. "He doesn’t care who he’s saying it to. He’s not a jerk about it. He’s just reinforcing messages that are a staple part of our team identity. If you come off the ice and you don’t make a play that he thinks is consistent with our team identity, he’ll let you know. You need that with a young group.
"He’s fearless and he can add a fighting element to it. Here he is, he gets rewarded with an assist on the first goal (against Chicago). If we had six or seven guys with Ross’ leadership in terms of the way he does it on the bench during the game, I think we’d be a little more committed to (our plan).”
"Sometimes, we've got to play some ugly hockey," Johnston said. "And by ugly, I mean just keeping it simple. Straight lines, getting the puck in deep and getting our chances by throwing pucks at the goalie's feet. When we do that, you set up a ground game. When those start, bounces start going in. I think your confidence grows. Then the skill plays start happening."
Olen Zellweger and Jackson LaCombe have provided from the blue line in recent games, but players like Trevor Zegras, Frank Vatrano and Alex Killorn have underperformed offensively. With just one player in the double digits for scoring (Troy Terry with 12 points), the Ducks will take offensive production from wherever they can get it.
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