The Anaheim Ducks are in a concerning conundrum.
The team wasn’t expected to be a consistent winner this season, but aside from strong goaltending, positive progress has come at a premium.
Despite the struggles, the Ducks received two early holiday gifts on Sunday, as they snapped out of their four-game losing streak against the Columbus Blue Jackets, plus veteran goaltender John Gibson manned the cage for the first time this season. Gibson underwent emergency appendectomy surgery in late September, giving youngster Lukáš Dostál the spotlight to start the year.
Dostál—amid a turbulent 5-7-2 campaign for Anaheim—has outperformed expectations. Don’t let the nightly box scores fool you, as he leads the NHL in goals saved above expected although sometimes allowing as many as five goals in a game due to the team’s overall woes.
Gibson shined in his season debut, saving 38 of 40 shots against a severely skidding Columbus team. The Blue Jackets had 4.07 expected goals and were held to just two, as Gibson displayed flashes of his old, playoff-caliber self.
The Ducks waived backup James Reimer on Tuesday, solidifying Gibson’s role back into the tandem. Reimer only made two starts throughout Dostál’s breakout streak.
Gibson’s return saw Anaheim wake up offensively for the first time in what felt like forever, scoring four goals, the most since its five-goal performance on October 16. Columbus is one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL, but the Ducks’ scoring showcase should be encouraging regardless.
The Ducks’ scoring issues this season can be traced to their identity dilemma at the forward position. Leo Carlsson appears to be the number-one center of the future, but every forward line appears to be easily malleable with a mix of youngsters and veterans still searching for chemistry. Whereas Cutter Gauthier has hovered on the lower lines lately—despite displaying offensive potential with the second-most shots on the team—Trevor Zegras has moved up in the lineup while lacking true offensive production so far.
Through 14 games, the Ducks are still the lowest-scoring team in the NHL.
Along with Zegras, other forwards are not playing up to speed, either, and Anaheim appears disconnected under head coach Greg Cronin. With Robby Fabbri hitting the injury reserve list on Tuesday, along with Cam Fowler and Mason McTavish out day-to-day, the Ducks have little room for error in the coming games.
The potential for an elite goaltending duo in Dostál and Gibson is exciting, but it won’t surface a winning formula as long as the Ducks possess a lousy offense. As Gibson becomes adjusted after missing time, Cronin will have to play his cards correctly to avoid polarizing the tandem. Dostál rightfully deserves his flowers—and abundant playing time—but Gibson is the tried and true veteran option, so Anaheim’s brass will need to weigh both goalies’ values differently and divide the starts accordingly.
Sometimes, you have to take one step forward while simultaneously taking two steps back. But for the Ducks, in a season that should be centered around developing young players, positive growth appears rather stagnant. With a hefty amount of promising prospects in the AHL and different junior leagues, not all eggs have to be placed into this season’s basket, as future seasons will see players like Beckett Sennecke join the young cast. But for now, the Ducks’ wishy-washy offense isn’t blowing anyone away—even with multiple touted young names.
On defense, Olen Zellweger continues to prove himself nightly. Zellweger puts in the work and appears confident, already showing growth from last season. His astute awareness has helped him earn bigger opportunities, such as helping run the first power play unit. As he adjusts to the NHL even more, he’ll want to help a dry offense become a waterfall.
Simply put, Anaheim is in a similar situation to its divisional and in-state rival—the San Jose Sharks—but it may be worse. San Jose isn’t in a much better position in the standings but has often found a way to connect depth veteran pieces like Alex Wennberg with young forces like William Eklund to create offense, along with serviceable goaltending.
The Ducks would eventually like to say that they can do that with Carlsson and some of his older counterparts, but right now, only his talent is taking him to new heights. Anaheim owns stout goaltending that can go the extra mile every night, but the offensive disconnect between highly rated newcomers and depth players has held the team back.