The defense will be a point of emphasis for Anaheim this season.
The defense will be a point of emphasis for Anaheim this season.
As the new NHL season gets underway soon, the Anaheim Ducks will be looking to right the wrongs of last season. Anaheim finished with the worst record in the league, so there is nowhere to go but up this season.
One part of the team last year that made them so bad was their defense. The Ducks couldn’t stop anyone on the defensive end of the ice, and it consistently saw them getting blown out in games. It was a historical performance from the Anaheim defense and not one that the organization ever wanted to be a part of.
-“There have been bad Ducks teams. There were never any as bad defensively as the 2022-23 club. Last season’s group set a team record by allowing an average of 4.09 goals per game, the worst mark of any NHL club in the salary-cap era.”
So one area of focus this year will be improving on the terrible defense from a year ago. The Ducks have a ton of young players on their roster, but veteran defenseman Cam Fowler is also still there.
He will be the one leading this unit this season, and Fowler is ready to help step up in whatever way that he can. But it remains to be seen if the rest of the guys can follow suit.
Luckily, Anaheim should be getting defenseman Jamie Drysdale back into the mix this year. He was limited due to injury last season, so having him back will be a sight for sore eyes. The team also signed veteran Radko Gudas over the offseason, so he brings more veteran experience to the table.
General Manager Pat Verbeek has put together a roster that should be better than last season. But that doesn’t mean Anaheim will just throw all of their young guys into the starting lines. They want to make sure that they are putting out the best possible product rather than just throwing the young players into the fire.
-“While there might be an argument to having one learn on the job, and be an apt pupil under experienced hands like Fowler and Gudas, Verbeek has consistently stated that he’d lean towards overcooking his best prospects in the minors instead of rushing them to the big leagues. If everyone is healthy, the Ducks have enough on the blue line to give their up-and-comers some seasoning in the AHL they don’t have.”
This will be a learning season for the Ducks, and one that could go a long way in terms of their rebuild. Anaheim needs to learn how to win games before they can truly compete in the NHL. Things should improve this season, and it all starts with how they play on defense.