The 106th season of the National Hockey League kicks off Tuesday October 10th with a triple header of action on ESPN. With this in mind, we will be doing a rundown of every team heading into what will be another season of joy, heartbreak and unnecessary anger from a plethora of fan bases across North America.
Anaheim Ducks
2022-23 Record: 23-47-12 (8th in Pacific Division)
Playoffs: Did Not Qualify
Despite missing out on the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, the Anaheim Ducks were the worst team in the NHL last season. This was seen with the eye test (Their games were constantly a slog to get through) and statistics: 31st in goals for, 31st in power play percentage, 31st in penalty kill percentage, 32nd in goals allowed, and of course 32nd in the standings. It was a huge step backward for a team that, while flawed, was constantly must watch television during the 2021-22 season thanks to the chemistry of Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras. But after an 18 point decline in the standings, the Ducks need to make up for the progress they lost. But with certain holes in the lineup and a stacked division, that isn’t a sure fire thing.
Forwards
Up front, Trevor Zegras (Sitting pretty with his newly minted three year, $17.25 million contract) and Troy Terry (Sitting prettier with his newly minted seven year, $49 million contract) remain the main event in Anaheim. Yes, neither man has eclipsed 70 points in a season before, but their chemistry on the top line will continue to draw eyes from around the country. Other than them, new addition Alex Killorn will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken finger to start the season, Ryan Strome will look to regain his form he had as a New York Ranger, and Mason McTavish will look to continue his momentum from his 43 point rookie campaign.
Defense
On the bright side, the Ducks gained some snarl after nabbing Radko Gudas on a three-year, $12 million deal and Cam Fowler will probably maintain form as a pillar of the Ducks backend. I list those two specifically because they are the only defensemen the Ducks have signed after this season. Maybe Pat Verbeek giving Lassi Thomson a shot after being put on waivers by Ottawa will pay dividends, but this top-six is going to be a problem all year long.
Goaltending
John Gibson is still here making $6.4 million and hasn’t posted a save percentage above .905 since 2018-19…maybe THIS is the year he finds his old form again?
Individual To Watch: Trevor Zegras
Duh…
Standings Prediction: 8th in Pacific
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