Steps of Improvement for the Anaheim Ducks
- Updated: January 23, 2020
Over the past two seasons, the Anaheim Ducks have really struggled to find any sort of common ground on which they could improve. Their offense has dropped to the bottom of the league, their defense always finds itself in the middle, and although the goaltending has been stellar, it has not been enough to pull through like past seasons. Whether it is a product of not planning for the future or not taking a rebuild seriously, the main problem is that the Ducks are struggling and need to improve, and there are still plenty of ways to do just that.
The best way to start a much-needed rebuild is by analyzing the situation, but for the Ducks, it does not look like anyone has truly started to even notice a problem yet. As it is, the club is just sliding by and there has not been much improvement. What is the first part of solving any problem?
Starting the Long Road Ahead
The first part of improving in any facet of life is admitting that there is a problem. For the Anaheim Ducks, general manager Bob Murray needs to finally succumb to a rebuild. Retooling is nice and all, but this Ducks team needs major shake-ups. The old core has already been disintegrated by injuries or trades, so in order to make room for the future, Murray needs to build around his younger stars. Players like Sam Steel, Max Jones, Max Comtois, and now Trevor Zegras all need a team around them that can succeed. The team they have now is not necessarily the worst or even bad, but it is not what the younger kids need. Mediocrity might as well be bad, and that is very true for this Ducks team. After Murray finally accepts the rebuild, the next step would be to start trading.
There are plenty of Ducks fans that believe that everyone should be safe, and then there are plenty of fans that believe that no one should be safe. Well, the middle ground of this situation is that there are certain players that could be traded to ensure a better future. Jakob Silfverberg is having a career year and would garner a lot more value than he ever would, Adam Henrique would get the Ducks a sizable return from a contender in need of a solid center, Ryan Miller is in his last year and deserves to have one last dance in the playoffs, and Devin Shore is most likely out the door already. Some of the trades might hurt, but it would be a good choice for the future, and the Ducks finally need to look forward instead of living in the present. Even simply taking on bad contracts while gaining more prospects would work out. Having a mix of experienced players wanting to prove their worth with a talented youth core of scorers just might take the Ducks back into the promised land.
Drafting the Future
The only way to truly be successful in a rebuild is to draft the right people alongside making the right trades, and that could start with this upcoming draft. The most ideal draft pick for this upcoming draft would easily be Alexander Holtz if Anaheim can manage to get into the top five picks. His offensive capabilities alongside Trevor Zegras’ hockey IQ would be incredible, and the situation gets even better with Brayden Tracey tearing up games with his shot. Zegras, Tracey, and Holtz together would be an incredible core, and it would give the Ducks a group to truly build around. Even having bad contracts and experienced players alongside them would help out with the tutoring they would receive.
Once Anaheim assembles their youth core with some experienced players, they should really see improvements on the ice that would complete the rebuild. As for the names of those new players, I can not truly say. Any player that has a long contract that would bring along with them talented prospects would work. The key is just getting those prospects to make the contracts worth it, so whatever works is worth it. In the end, these are more general steps to improvement, not a list for Murray himself.
In closing, the Anaheim Ducks need to finally admit that there is room for improvement and start by making some tough decisions. Trading away fan favorites or taking bad contracts to get talented prospects or experienced veterans and making the right draft choices can speed up the rebuilding process ten-fold. Rebuilding is seldom easy, but it is almost always worth it in the end, and the main hope is that this process will bring the Stanley Cup Playoffs back to Anaheim very soon.
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