Anaheim Ducks 2019-20 Season Preview: Odds and Predictions

Founded: 1993

Home Arena: Honda Center, Anaheim, CA., 17,174 capacity

Championships: Stanley Cup: 1, Conference titles: 2, Division titles: 6

Owner: Henry and Susan Samuelli

General Manager: Bob Murray

Head Coach: Dallas Eakins

Team Captain: Ryan Getzlaf

Offense

When it comes to offense, the Anaheim Ducks didn’t produce much of it last season. Finishing dead last in the entire league, the Anaheim Ducks mustered only 196 goals as a team last year – averaging only 2.39 goals per game. Their leading scorer in 2019, captain Ryan Getzlaf, finished with only 48 points and was a minus-19 on the season. Young talent Jakub Silfverberg was second in scoring with just 43 points and was the only player on the team to surpass the 20-goal marker. The Ducks also struggled on the powerplay all season long, finishing 24th-overall in the league with only a 17 percent success rate. They also had the lowest shot average in the league with 27.7 per game while allowing the seventh-most shots against at 33.2 per game. One could be deceived by these numbers once they realize that the Ducks had the seventh-highest faceoff win percentage in the league and usually started plays with puck possession.

The biggest hit to Anaheim during this year’s offseason was the loss of long-time veteran forward Corey Perry. Perry, who was bought out by GM Bob Murray, was then signed to a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars. Although not the offensive powerhouse he once was, Perry was still a dominant personality for the team on and off the ice. The money saved from the Perry buyout allowed the Ducks to resign a few depth players and to sign defenseman Michael Del Zotto. The Ducks also had two first-round picks in the draft where they selected NCAA star Trevor Zegras and WHL player Brayden Tracey. Neither of which will be expected to play for the team in 2020. It is also expected that Ryan Kesler will miss the entirety of the season recovering from hip surgery.

Defense

Anaheim’s offense wasn’t the only thing that struggled throughout 2019. If not for some high-quality play from goalie John Gibson, much of the Ducks’ defensive numbers would’ve been even worse than they actually were. The Ducks allowed the seventh-most shots in the league but, because of Gibson, that translated into allowing only the 13th most goals. The Ducks also finished in the bottom-11 in the league on the penalty kill – finishing with a success rate of under 80 percent.

Defensively, things won’t get easier for the Ducks as it was expected that at least one, if not both, of their first-round draft picks, would be used to acquire a defenseman. Bob Murray used neither for that purpose. Should Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, or Cam Fowler fall to injury this season, all hope could be lost.

Goaltending

As mentioned earlier, one of the only bright spots last season for Anaheim was the play of goaltender John Gibson. In 57 stars last season, Gibson registered a goals-against-average of 2.84 and a save percentage of .917. He had signed a new contract extension with the Ducks prior to the start of the 2019 season and he showed that he earned it.

Backing up Gibson will once again be veteran goaltender Ryan Miller. Miller opted to re-sign with the Ducks this offseason, signing a one-year deal. Further down the line is goaltender Anthony Stolarz who was given a two-way contract by the team and could be called up at any point to fill in.

Head Office

It’s in the head office where we see promise with the Anaheim Ducks. With the exception of questionable drafting in 2019, the team has shown signs that they are committed to a calculated and proper rebuild. After firing head coach Randy Carlyle, the Ducks organization hired Dallas Eakins to take over as the boss bench. Eakins had been the coach of Anaheim’s junior team since 2015 and already has an on-ice rapport with the young guns on the verge of being called up.

They have also cleared out large contracts, opening up roster space for up-and-coming talent to shape their game to the NHL level. With his experience as a junior coach, Eakins is the perfect coach for a team poised to call up several young players over the next few seasons and the team reestablishes itself as a contender. The team also added Darryl Sutter as an advisor to the coaching staff.

Projected Star

At only 23-years-old, Ondrej Kase is our pick to shine for the brightest for the Ducks. His career-high currently sits at 38 points, which he set in 2017. Last season, Kase was on pace to surpass those numbers, racking up 11 goals and nine assists in only 30 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. With Perry gone, Kase has the opportunity to play first-line minutes with Ryan Getzlaf.

Stanley Cup odds for 2020

The Anaheim Ducks currently sit at +6500 underdogs to win the Stanley Cup. They are viewed as +225 to make the postseason. The O/U on their regular-season points total sits at 83.5.

If you are in New Jersey you can visit 888Sport and BetStars NJ to bet on the Anaheim Ducks’ odds for the 2019-2020 season. Good luck!

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