30 Teams, 30 Days - Anaheim Ducks

Welcome to the very first installment of PFS's "30 Teams, 30 Days" tour. We're going to count down the days until the start of the regular season by bringing you an in-depth preview of each and every team in the NHL. To kick things off, we're taking a look at the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks had a fairly busy offseason, and they were part of a bombshell trade that sent Bobby Ryan to Ottawa in exchange for Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen, and a first-round pick. They also signed Mark Fistric to a one-year deal worth $900K in order to add depth to their sometimes erratic defense corps. Toni Lydman retired, Sheldon Souray is probably going to be out until January with a torn ligament in his wrist, and there aren't many other NHL-proven players on the backend, so getting Fistric may prove to be more beneficial than people think. The Ducks also brought Dustin Penner back, one of the pieces that won them a Cup in 2007. This new recipe for success hopes to build upon what was a fantastic regular season for the franchise, but also a first-round flameout.

And of course, the 800 pound gorilla in Southern California remains the fact that Teemu Selanne has not given the team a decision on whether he'll be back this upcoming season. It has long been speculated that Selanne will either come back to the Ducks or retire, and I believe that he is leaning towards coming back this year. He can still help this team; even though he turned 43 last month, he's two years removed from a 66-point campaign in 2011-12. There is still offense, and more importantly, mentoring left in him. With a young group that has now tasted the playoffs behind the top line, the usually boom-or-bust Ducks look to be more steady in 2013-14.

Projected Forward Lines:

Dustin Penner - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Jakob Silfverberg - Nick Bonino - Teemu Selanne
Daniel Winnik - Saku Koivu - Andrew Cogliano
Emerson Etem - Peter Holland - Kyle Palmieri
Patrick Maroon - Matt Beleskey

I have a feeling that these lines are going to be moved around a bunch by Bruce Boudreau and his staff this season. Dustin Penner will have the first crack at getting top line minutes with Getzlaf and Perry, but the hands of time won't be turning back to 2006-07 this time around. I think Penner begins the season on the top line but as the kids develop he'll drop down the depth chart. Anaheim brings a good mix of speed and skill along with enough veterans who know how to win. If there were an All-Star Game this year, Emerson Etem would probably be my early favorite to win the fastest skater contest at the skills challenge. He's definitely a player to watch this season, though he may begin the year playing in the AHL with Norfolk. Nick Bonino will step into a bigger role in the top six, and I think he'll flourish as the #2 centerman. As always in Anaheim, scoring depth is a question - especially now that Bobby Ryan is gone. Size and toughness on the depth lines is another significant issue with Anaheim up front. They lack an enforcer and they are also thin on guys who get into the dirty areas and win battles consistently. One thing is for sure, though; it will be up to the young blood on the Ducks' roster to step up (or in Silfverberg's case, step in) and be consistent contributors. Their season will ultimately depend on it.

Projected Defensive Pairings:

Sheldon Souray - Francois Beauchemin
Cam Fowler - Ben Lovejoy
Luca Sbisa - Bryan Allen
Mark Fistric

Note: Since Souray might miss half the regular season, Fistric will likely start over Sami Vatanen for his experience. Vatanen should be in the lineup by the end of the season, though.

If you watched the Ducks at all last season, you'd probably agree with my sentiment that Francois Beauchemin should have been nominated for the Norris Trophy. He was brilliant in his own zone and led the backend in scoring with 24 points (good enough to tie him for 20th in the NHL among blueliners). I'm of the belief that the Norris should be given to the best all-around defenseman, and you could make the argument for Beauchemin being that man. This is not to say that Erik Karlsson didn't deserve it in 2011-12; he absolutely did, but that's another debate for another day. Anyway, Souray might be out until January, so his power play prowess and booming slapper will need to be replaced by somebody on the depth chart. Fowler will be first in line, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Ducks turn to Sami Vatanen. He came up late in the season last year and scored twice in eight games. Oh, and don't sleep on this kid's shot, either (see below). My biggest question with the Ducks' defense is speed. Having a slow backend can oftentimes be made up for by playing a sound positional game, though, and that's something that the Ducks do well. As long as this group limits the turnovers and stays out of the penalty box, they should be adequate.

Goaltending:

Jonas Hiller
Viktor Fasth

The immediate question that pops up when looking at Anaheim's goalie situation is "how secure is Jonas Hiller's job?" Hiller appeared in 26 of Anaheim's 48 games a season ago, as well as starting every playoff game for the Ducks. Hiller's health has been a concern for the last few years, as he has suffered through vertigo and battled lower body injuries last season. I don't think we're going to see anything like what St. Louis has done with its netminders, but I expect Viktor Fasth to see about 25 games this season, between spelling Hiller and the chance that he'll be forced in due to an injury to Hiller. The Ducks' defense did a pretty good job keeping pucks away from the net, finishing 9th in the NHL in shots against, but Hiller and Fasth will need to stop more of them, as the Ducks were 14th in save percentage.

Special Teams:

Anaheim was lethal on the power play a season ago, finishing 4th as they converted 21.5% of man advantage chances last year. Losing Souray is going to cause that number to drop, unless of course somebody else steps up and replaces him. Again, Fowler will have the first crack on the top unit, with Lovejoy and Sbisa helping out as well. If I'm Anaheim, I'm taking Beauchemin off of the power play when Souray returns, as they need to keep him fresh for late-game minutes. With Ryan gone, there will be a battle to see who replaces him on the top unit. I think it will be either Silfverberg or Bonino; probably Bonino to balance the two lines with snipers. A second unit consisting of Silfverberg, Penner, and Koivu has to sound good to Ducks fans. Penner could also be swapped out for Palmieri if more shooting ability is desired. The key is going to be getting more chances. Anaheim was second to last in the NHL with just 135 opportunities, an average of 2.81 per game. On the penalty kill, the Ducks tied for 13th in the league with an 81.5% kill rate. They did better at staying out of the box than they have in the past, but they were still -27 in special teams opportunities. The PK has a chance to be nasty this year, as there are a number of players who can fill spots when the Ducks are a man down. I don't think it will be PK-by-committee in Anaheim, but the Ducks do have options to keep their players from tiring.

X-Factor:

It may be a bit unfair to call such a young player the "X-Factor" for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, but Jakob Silfverberg is going to be that guy. Out of everyone on this roster, he will have the biggest burden to bear in terms of replacing Bobby Ryan, and not just because he was the major piece that came to Anaheim in the trade. In terms of talent and upside, Silfverberg could potentially become the Ducks' biggest offensive threat; and he might have to be, since there isn't much proven depth behind Getzlaf and Perry. The Ducks need him to produce immediately to kick start their offense.

The Ducks will make the playoffs if...

... the young guys take their elevated roles by the horns and become point producers for this team. They have to find a way to replace Bobby Ryan's production (62.7 points per 82 games over the course of his career thus far), especially Silfverberg, who needs to have at least a 50-point season to warrant top line minutes. They will also need a breakout performance from Bonino. He was impressive in the playoffs last year, scoring three goals and adding an assist in seven games. One strength that the Ducks have is their loaded farm system that appears ready to make in impact in 2013-14. It will allow them to be aggressive when making trades and it gives them options for replacements if certain players aren't producing. The other benefit to having so many young and promising players is that a few of them will stick; it's highly unlikely that all of these guys will be unproductive this year.

The Ducks will miss the playoffs if...

... they can't find secondary scoring, there are more injuries to Hiller and on the blue line, or worse yet, both. Look, it's no secret that Getzlaf and Perry are easily the two best players on the team right now. Other coaches around the league will look to stop them and as a result, they are going to play a lot of minutes against shutdown opponents. Anaheim needs to find some scoring depth, and the sooner the better. Hiller needs to stay healthy this season. This is not to say that Fasth is incapable of filling the starter role if needed; he proved that he can do it last season, going 15-6-2 with a 2.18 GAA and .921 save percentage. It speaks to the fact that the Ducks' options in net after Fasth are unproven and not ready to compete at the NHL level. The defensemen must avoid the injury bug as well. With Souray out and Toni Lydman retired, the Ducks are already pretty thin on the blue line. An injury to Beauchemin or Fowler could be this team's undoing. Sami Vatanen appears to be close, but after him the next best option is Hampus Lindholm, who has never played an NHL game and only a half season in the AHL.