| Jonathan Volpe. 25th February, 2008 - 5:34 pm
 The Ducks were good, but now they’re damn good.
Prior to Teemu Selanne’s inevitable return, the Ducks were riding a six game losing streak and seemed to be fading, and fast. But with Selanne in the lineup, the Ducks have gone nine and one and find themselves sitting in fourth place in a very competitive Western Conference.
Any team that adds Scott Neidermayer and Selanne without giving up anything in return will improve, and luckily enough for the Ducks, that’s them. These additions are much to the dismay of league Commissioner Gary Bettman, but you can’t blame Ducks' General Manager Brian Burke for playing within the lines.
Burke understands the cap and its limits and may be the best general manager in the league right now as he has assembled a very strong Anaheim team.
In between the pipes the Ducks have one of the best in the game with Jean-Sebastien Giguere who boasts a 28-16-5 record with a .919 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against average.
Although Giguere has been good, it’s not very often you find a team loaded with depth on the backend. The “big-four”, consisting of Chris Pronger, Neidermayer, Mathieu Schneider, and Francois Beauchemin easily make the Ducks the best in the league in terms of rearguards.
At all times of the game one of the big four, if not two, will be on the ice frustrating opposing teams' star forwards. This asset will become very valuable come playoff time as matching lines is a major part of the quest for Lord Stanley.
Let’s not forget about Kent Huskins who has been one of the biggest surprises on the Ducks. The native of Almont, Ontario, has 4 goals, 16 assists, and a plus-21 which ranks him second behind Ryan Getzlaf.
It’s no surprise that the Ducks match up very well against every team in the Western Conference because of their depth, and they could find themselves defending their title.
Up front, the Ducks have a good mix of veteran and young forwards. Corey Perry and Getzlaf gell very nicely with Todd Bertuzzi, Doug Weight, and Chris Kunitz while Samuel Pahlsson, Travis Moen, and Todd Marchant give the Ducks a wealthy supply of checking forwards.
With the trade deadline fast approaching, who knows what Burke will do. There were rumors he was interested in Toronto Maple Leafs' center Mats Sundin, but with Sundin refusing to waive his no-trade clause, Burke may set his eyes elsewhere. We will find out tomorrow. |
