The Anaheim Ducks have a prospect pool with an embarrassment of riches down the middle and why it won't matter who shifts to the wing.
“Who’s going to play center and who’s going to play wing?” This is a question that gets asked frequently when looking at the future of the Anaheim Ducks. If one were to look at any sort of depth chart or prospect list when it comes to the Ducks, the sheer volume of players with a “C” as their listed position is an embarrassment of riches. Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras, Isac Lundestrom, B.O. Groulx, Nathan Gaucher, and Cutter Gauthier are just some of the players who are 24 years old or younger in the organization listed as centermen. It’s an incredibly deep and talented list, which may cause one to question who will eventually make the shift to the wing when the time comes for the Ducks to ascend into playoff contention and beyond.
The short answer is that it doesn’t matter all that much. In today’s NHL, listed forward positions increasingly mean less and less as time goes on. The responsibilities traditionally held by the center are now shared as determined by the flow of play. The forward furthest from the opposing net (F3) assumes the center role for his line. As play evolves and develops, the F3 role is constantly being reassigned among the three forwards on the ice. For a good portion of the time, and especially when a team is in defensive zone coverage, it is the listed center that takes on those F3/traditional center responsibilities, but that percentage is divvied up seemingly more and more every year in the NHL as dictated by the evolution of systems.
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In the case of the Anaheim Ducks and how their head coach, Greg Cronin, wants them to play, the responsibilities of a traditional center are constantly changing hands as much as or more than any other team in the league. Because of the team’s high-pressure forecheck, the F3 covers for a pinching defenseman rendering him the first forward back into the defensive zone by default, and therefore he’s the de-facto center. When the Ducks are in their set 1-2-2 neutral zone forecheck, depending on which side the puck enters the defensive zone and how, one of the two middle-layered forwards will find themselves low in the zone and supporting the puck; the center. In defensive zone coverage, the Ducks run a man-to-man system. Whichever of the three forwards finds himself defending an opposing forward low is that line’s center for however long they’re in coverage. Because the center role is shared so much within the system the Ducks are running and because of the way Cronin wants his team to play, the more centers on the roster, the better. Every forward needs to feel comfortable playing every position.
As it stands today, the Ducks have eight players on their roster who can play and/or have played traditional center for a significant portion of their careers. On the horizon, Cutter Gauthier, Nathan Gaucher, and possibly another top draft pick (if that’s the route they decide to go with their first-round pick in 2024) will add to that extensive list. When attempting to gaze into the future, instead of attempting to determine who will make a shift to the wing and who will solidify themselves as a long-term center, a more effectual exercise may be analyzing which combination of players stylistically complement each other to predictively yield the best results. For example; how does player A make player B better? Does player B’s skillset fill the gaps in player A’s game? Can player C finish the opportunities created by players A and B? Etc. Chemistry and fit may be of more importance than who will play where. Having too many players who can play center will prove to be a good thing for the Anaheim Ducks in the future.
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