NHL 2020/2021 Season Preview - Anaheim Ducks

West Division

Odds: Point totals 53.5, to make playoffs +230, to win division +1800, Stanley Cup +7000

Simulation results: 7th in the West with 46 points

It was a very close contest between the LA Kings and Anaheim to take the last spot in the west in the simulations, with barely one point separating the California teams. It looks like another tough season at the Pond and the Ducks are still struggling with their rebuild and retooling process.

Last Season

Anaheim has fallen hard from their contender years and have missed the playoffs twice in a row. It was an aging group of players, led by old-school head coach Randy Carlyle, but the winds of change are blowing in California. Last season there were more disappointments than there were positive surprises, but the team is quite potential and the young prospects are now one year more experienced. They might be lacking quality overall, but there’s room for growth – and a definite need for it as well.

Changes to 2021 and the divisional matchups

Anaheim made some moves before the cancellation of the season, sending dead weight packing and acquiring a couple of decent players nearing their peak. The youngsters will be in a bigger role again, and this can only be a good thing for the future. Ryan Getzlaf is older and has lost some pace, but is a leader with a capital L. The defense is actually quite good, if all the players are able to keep their level, but the offense is still lacking firepower and needs improvement. Ducks still have the remnants of Carlyle’s “defense first” mentality and roster, and there will be some interesting playoff-like matchups with the likes of Kings and Blues, with a lot of grinding and physicality.

Roster and lineups

Anaheim’s roster doesn’t necessarily look that bad, to be honest. But it is lacking the top level talent and obviously there have been many underperformers in the past seasons. The defense has the potential to be at least decent, with the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk from Tampa Bay easing the pressure on Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson. Those four make up a decent core of the defense, but it might not be enough to carry the otherwise weak team.

Offensively there’s upside in the young players, Sam Steel, Maxime Comtois, Max Jones and Troy Terry for example, but none of them are exactly blue-chip prospects that could pick up enough production to climb up from the bottom. The same goes with the veteran presence of Adam Henrique, Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg, who all are good players but not quite the star caliber that would be needed, especially in the top two lines, fighting for the playoffs this season.

John Gibson in the goal is one of the best keepers in the league and is as reliable as ever, giving the team a chance every night. It is in the other end and with scoring that is the Achilles heel of the Ducks.

Season predictions

Anaheim is sharing the last place in the western division with Kings and is predicted third to last in the simulations. There’s three teams clearly favored by the oddsmakers in the Western division, but that fourth spot is up for grabs. However, Anaheim is still more likely to re-tool their roster for the 21-22 season than push for playoffs, so I wouldn’t place a wager for the Ducks yet. Next season might be a different story if the young players establish themselves and the Ducks manage to add some production. We are predicting the Ducks to go under their total line quite clearly, with 46 points compared to 55.5 set by the oddsmakers. There’s good value there!

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