(Best E Casino) - We always hear how hard it is to repeat as Stanley Cup champions and the Anaheim Ducks received a lesson on that subject during a disappointing 2007-08 season.
In the spring of 2007, the Ducks became the first West Coast team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup, as they used a defense-first style en route to the championship.
However, distractions began for the Ducks in the weeks following their championship and those issues wound up dogging Anaheim during their title defense season. The main problems involved defenseman Scott Niedermayer and left wing Teemu Selanne, who both contemplated retirement before eventually returning to Anaheim over the course of the season.
The Ducks made the playoffs with a 102-point effort in 2007-08, but were bounced out in first round of the postseason by the Dallas Stars, a rival from the Pacific Division.
Maybe it was the long championship run from the year before or the fact that Niedermayer and Selanne's absence never allowed the team to jell, but one thing was clear, the Ducks had lost their championship edge.
Niedermayer has already committed to playing in the 2008-09 season and that should definitely help with the cohesion of Randy Carlyle's club. Selanne signed a tryout agreement so he could participate in training camp with the Ducks, but won't likely play with Anaheim until the season is already underway.
Can the Ducks recapture the magic that led them to a historic Stanley Cup victory two years ago or will they once again struggle to retain that fire?
FORWARDS - While distractions created by a championship season certainly played their part in Anaheim's down year, the club was also bogged down by an anemic offense.
The Ducks averaged 2.40 goals per game in 2007-08, placing them 28th out of 30 teams in scoring.
Without Selanne for all but 26 games during the regular season, Anaheim's offense relied heavily on a pair of young forwards. Ryan Getzlaf, 23, centered the Ducks' top line and registered 82 points (24 goals, 58 assists) in 77 games.
Corey Perry, who is also 23 year old, was Anaheim's top goal-scorer with 29 tallies and 54 total points. Perry played right wing on Getzlaf's line and was flanked by Chris Kunitz, who was third on the Ducks with 50 points (21g, 29a).
The Ducks signed power forward Todd Bertuzzi prior to last season to try and add some offensive punch, but he wound up with just 40 points (14g. 26a) in 68 games. Bertuzzi was waived in the offseason and signed with the Calgary Flames.
Anaheim also made a trade for veteran center Doug Weight in December of last season, but that deal did little to improve the Ducks as Weight posted just six goals and eight assists in 38 games with Anaheim.
This offseason, Anaheim signed veteran centerman Brendan Morrison to try and bring stability to the second line. Morrison had a down year in 2007-08, registering just nine goals and 16 assists over 39 games during an injury- plagued campaign. Morrison's wrist injury caused his ironman streak to snap at 542 games, which was the longest streak in the NHL at the time.
Prior to last year, Morrison had notched at least 50 points in six straight NHL campaigns. Morrison's strength is as a playmaker and he will try to create scoring chances on the second line.
The Ducks are also hoping Bobby Ryan can be a big part of the team's offense this season. Ryan was the second overall pick to Pittsburgh's selection of Sidney Crosby in the 2005 draft, but has yet to break out at the NHL level. Ryan had five goals and five assists in 23 games for the Ducks last year and Anaheim is counting on more offense from the 21-year-old in 2008-09.
Anaheim's third line of centerman Samuel Pahlsson and wingers Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen is not much of a scoring threat, but is one of the more effective checking units in the NHL.
DEFENSE - As poor as the offense was for the Ducks last season, the defense was the exact opposite. Anaheim gave up just 2.24 goals per game during the regular season, finishing second behind the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.
In fact, the disparity between the Ducks' offense and defense last year was highlighted by the fact that five blueliners were amongst the top-10 scorers on the team. Even Scott Niedermayer made the list, as he was the team's sixth- leading scorer with 25 points (8g, 17a) in just 48 games.
After the top line of Getzlaf, Perry and Kunitz, Chris Pronger was the next- highest scorer for the Ducks as he chipped in with 43 points (12g, 31a) from the blue line.
The Ducks' top pairing of Pronger and Niedermayer is likely the best combination in the NHL. Between the two of them, Pronger and Niedermayer have combined for one Hart Trophy (league MVP), one Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP), two Norris Trophies (best defenseman) and five Stanley Cup titles.
The next-best defensive option for the Ducks would have been Mathieu Schneider, but he was placed on waivers by Anaheim on September 16. Schneider cleared waiver, but will likely be traded in order to make cap space for Selanne.
Francois Beauchemin, Sean O'Donnell, Kent Huskins will return on the blueline for Anaheim and former Florida Panthers defenseman Steve Montador, an offseason signing by general manager Brian Burke, will join the group.
GOALTENDING - The Ducks played excellent team defense last season and a great deal of the credit belongs to No. 1 goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Giguere burst onto the international hockey stage in the 2003 playoffs, when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the Ducks despite losing the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals against New Jersey. He has since been known as a clutch goaltender who saves his best hockey for the postseason.
The 31-year-old backstop had possibly his best regular season a year ago, as he went 35-17-6 with a 2.12 goals against average and .922 save percentage. Both the GAA and save percentage marked career bests for the Montreal native.
Giguere has averaged nearly 58 games played per season since becoming Anaheim's full-time starter in 2001-02 and could be asked to shoulder even more of the load this season.
Anaheim had one of the best backup goaltenders in the NHL before waiving Ilya Bryzgalov in the middle of the 2007-08 season. However, rookie Jonas Hiller proved to be up to the task of spelling Giguere and was rewarded with a two- year contract after going 10-7-1 with a 2.06 GAA and .927 save percentage.
WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - The Ducks have a wealth of talent remaining from the Stanley Cup season of two years ago, but have to regain their championship swagger. A full season with Scott Niedermayer on the blue line will help that cause, but Anaheim still needs to find forwards, outside of the ones on the top line, who can be relied on for scoring relief. The Ducks will challenge San Jose and Dallas for the Pacific Division crown and could be poised for another deep playoff run to wash away the disappointment of last season.
