This article will be another in my series of player profiles, where I’ll look at each player on the Anaheim Ducks and assess how their season went. This piece will focus on Ryan Getzlaf.
Getzlaf may no longer be producing at the rate he was a couple of years ago, but even at 35 years old, he remains a key piece for the Anaheim Ducks. He scored 13 goals and 42 points in 69 games this season, a pace of 15 goals and 50 points per 82 games and he also led all forwards on the team in time on ice at both even strength and on the power play.
That said, his minutes were reduced overall for the second season in a row, which is the right decision as he continues to age. With Sam Steel already on the roster and the likes of Isac Lundestrom, Trevor Zegras and potentially even another top pick this season to make room for in the near future, Getzlaf will likely continue to see a decline in ice time. Despite this, he actually averaged more shots per game this year than last season, while taking on quite a bit of defensive responsibility at even strength. This year, Getzlaf had the lowest offensive zone start percentage of any top-nine forward on the team who played at least 10 games with the Ducks.
As for Getzlaf’s future, he has one year remaining on his contract with the Ducks and after that, it’s hard to tell what the plan is. In a poll I did a couple of months ago, I asked readers whether they think Getzlaf will be back with Anaheim after his contract expires, to which 54 per cent voted ‘Yes’ in a pretty even vote. With the Ducks getting younger, it’ll be interesting to see if/how the team incorporates him into the lineup after next season. In the meantime, however, Getzlaf will continue to be the team’s leader and play a large role for the franchise.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
How many points do you expect from Ryan Getzlaf next season?
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