The Ducks' new fourth line makes life easier on teammates and harder on opponents.
The Ducks' new fourth line makes life easier on teammates and harder on opponents.
Both during the post-trade deadline "Ducks Migration" event and his exit interview, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek stated his desire for more production from the bottom half of his forward lineup.
"I’m looking for more speed (and) a little more grit to add to our lineup in the bottom half," Verbeek said during his exit interview in April.
Several factors contributed to the lack of production from the bottom six forwards in 2023-24: health throughout the lineup, players slotted in the lineup higher than they otherwise would have been, lack of consistency within the roster, adapting to a new set of standards, or adapting to new systems introduced by then new head coach Greg Cronin.
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Verbeek took some significant swings on the opening day of free agency to no avail but swiftly pivoted, trading for Robby Fabbri in an attempt to add that needed speed and grit to the Ducks' lineup.
Though Fabbri marks the only addition to the forward group from 2023-24, deploying a healthy roster for the first time since Cronin was hired has appropriately slotted players in roles within the lineup to increase their chances of success.
"I think we became a deeper team," Verbeek said during his training camp press conference when asked about his forward group. "(By) adding Fabbri, we can push players, players (who) we don't have to give all the hard minutes. We can allow them to transition into roles (that) are a lot easier, and they don't have to face the hard and tough competition every single shift when they go out there."
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Through the Ducks' first two games of the season, three players, in particular, are benefiting greatly from the roles they've received: Brock McGinn, Isac Lundestrom, and Brett Leason.
The new-look fourth line has played just under 16 minutes together at 5v5 through their first two games and has displayed traits required of a successful modern fourth line in the NHL.
In their two games together, they were mostly matched up against the San Jose Sharks' listed second line of Klim Kostin, Will Smith, and Fabian Zetterlund and the Vegas Golden Knights' listed third line of Brett Howden, Nicolas Roy, and Victor Olofsson.
In those games, they hold a 9-5 shot advantage, 48.5% of the expected goals share, and contributed one of the only two goals the Ducks have scored this season at 5v5.
"They hunted," Cronin said following the Ducks' 2-0 season-opening victory against the Sharks. "They didn't change their game from the first shift. They were putting pucks deep, they were getting them back, (and) they were getting zone time. They were very efficient at the offensive blueline, and they had very few turnovers. They deserved the goal. They were our best line."
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Though they don't represent an outstanding scoring threat, the energy they display when on the ice and defensive attention to detail renders them tough opponents to build sustained offense against.
Leason and McGinn have shown to be disruptive forecheckers, often killing opposing breakouts or at least increasing the difficulty of the first pass. They've proved effective F1 and F2 forecheckers.
Since the start of his career, Lundestrom has always conveyed a defense-first mindset, leading him to stick in the NHL so early. It may have ultimately hindered his offensive ceiling, but as a fourth-line center where the offense isn't necessarily expected, and he's playing against relatively lighter competition, the characteristics of his game can flourish.
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Lundestrom is consistently on the defensive side of the puck, has shown he can play in any defensive zone coverage scheme, and is a quality complementary F3 forechecker. His powerful stride and puck protection skills allow him to often skate pucks out of the defensive zone and exploit open ice in the neutral zone.
"I think we just have to keep skating," Isac Lundestrom said following the season opener against the Sharks. "I know we can all skate pretty good and get pucks to the net."
The combination of speed, defensive acumen, and layered tenacity in all three zones are factors that lead to successful fourth lines in the NHL. McGinn, Lundestrom, and Leason provide all those elements, and their games seem to complement each other well enough early in the season to where they can ultimately capitalize and contribute to the scoresheet.
Health will always remain a factor when considering a team's roster depth, but if the Ducks can keep these three players together, they may have found a formidable fourth line, something they've desperately lacked over the last several years.