Lately, we've been starting with the assortment of goaltenders that litter that Pacific division.
However—as I've already widely acknowledged—in my Top 50 Players article I missed out on Ryan Getzlaf, who's fast becoming the main man in Anaheim.
Don't get me wrong, the legendary Teemu Selanne is still the be-all, end-all of the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks, but he's fading into history. He was weighted down with thoughts of retirement last season, and his production may take a hit this year—despite playing a full season—because of his age.
We may be exposed to a more San Jose/Colorado-level of production from Selanne this season, rather than his recent 90-point resurgence.
But back to Getzlaf. To start with, he's a big kid at 6'4". He plays a solid game, and he's consistently improved over his three seasons in the NHL. Last season was Getzlaf's first in which he posted better than a point-per-game average, and he looks to be developing into a good playmaker who can net 24 to 27 goals per season.
Lining up behind Getzlaf will be a favorite from the Brian Burke-Vancouver Canucks experiment—Brendan Morrison.
Morrison comes into Anaheim after a heavy season, injury-wise. He suffered a debilitating injury to his wrist, forcing him to miss 38 games, and then closer to the end of the year, Morrison tore his ACL.
With the Ducks, he's not going to be expected to take on a large role like he was in Vancouver. If he can gather 50 points and finish in the neighborhood of 20 goals this season, then Morrison may have found his niche in California.
To go along with the signings, the Ducks were also able to retain RFA of the Year Cory Perry. Perry, like Getzlaf, has been consistently improving over the past three seasons, and established himself last year as a threat to score 30 goals. With a fourth NHL season under his belt, it doesn't seem unlikely that Perry could break through with a 70-point campaign this season.
One of the players he may help along the way is Chris Kunitz, who could become a solid 25-goal man over the next few seasons, and could benefit from a strong finisher on his line.
Last season, 21-year-old Bobby Ryan was expected to fill the hole left by the departed Dustin Penner. Well, a limited offensive output didn't help Ryan's NHL prospects, and he was sent back to the AHL, where he put up 49 points in 48 games. This season, Ryan is once again expected to step into the Anaheim lineup and produce—hopefully at a better clip than his 10 points in 23 games from last season.
Bringing in a bit of a veteran presence this season will be Todd Marchant and Rob Niedermayer. While neither player will be the offensive dynamo the Ducks need—and Anaheim would be lucky to see either of them top 25 points—they'll provide the team with two solid two-way players, and some strong leadership on and off the ice.
Sami Pahlsson will provide his usual 15 to 25 points from the lower potion of the roster, while Ryan Carter will need to work on developing some consistent scoring panache at the NHL level.
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