The NHL season begins in under two weeks and the Anaheim Ducks will be playing in a new-look division. Leading up to the start of the season, I'll be looking at how the Ducks' lineup compares to other teams in their division. Earlier today, I released an article looking at how the Ducks compare to the Los Angeles Kings, which you can read here.
In this article, we'll assess how the Ducks could fare against the Arizona Coyotes.
FORWARDS
Obviously, the Coyotes lost a key forward in the offseason, with Taylor Hall heading to Buffalo. The Coyotes also recently traded center Derek Stepan to Ottawa and Carl Soderberg left in free agency, though Arizona did sign Derick Brassard, Drake Caggiula, Johan Larsson and Tyler Pitlick.
As Arizona’s top forwards, Clayton Keller hasn’t come close to replicating the 65-point season he had two years ago and Phil Kessel had a very disappointing first season in Arizona. Nick Schmaltz seems poised to be a consistent 50-55 point player but it remains to be seen as to whether he could reach another level. After Keller, Kessel and Schmaltz, there are a lot of middle-six level pieces in Lawson Crouse, Christian Dvorak and Conor Garland, but no other players with high-end offensive potential. Barrett Hayton is a key prospect but shouldn’t be counted on for too much, if he takes a role in the Coyotes lineup this year.
The Ducks lack any true top-line talent (and even lack top-six talent) but do have a good number of productive forwards. Ryan Getzlaf, Danton Heinen, Adam Henrique, Sonny Milano, Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg are likely to make up Anaheim’s top-six. In addition, Max Comtois Sam Steel and Troy Terry will be good, young depth pieces who could make an impact this season.
If Keller and Kessel can bounce back, Arizona has the top two forwards between either team. That said, because we can’t necessarily count on that, I think this is a relatively even comparison overall.
Advantage: N/A
DEFENSE
The Ducks added to their top-four group with the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk this offseason and look to be in a decent position defensively this year. Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson should take on the tough matchups, while Cam Fowler is still a quality top-four defenseman. The team also has a good amount of depth, with four of five solid defensemen who could compete to play on the bottom pairing.
For the Coyotes, despite potentially coming close to dealing Oliver Ekman-Larsson this year, he’s back and will play a key role once again. Alex Goligoski is still playing key minutes at 35 years old as well, while Jakob Chychrun is coming off a big year. Niklas Hjalmarsson provides a strong defensive presence as well, provided he can stay healthy, while Jordan Oesterle and Jason Demers provide solid depth.
While the Ducks improved their defense group this offseason, the Coyotes appear to be the stronger defensive team heading into the season.
Advantage: Coyotes
GOALTENDING
This is a close one. Statistically, the Coyotes had the upper hand in net last season. Darcy Kuemper had a .928 save percentage in 29 games last season, while Antti Raanta had a .921 save percentage in 33 games. That said, while John Gibson is coming off a down year, he’s still one of the best goalies in the league. Given his age, he can be expected to bounce back this season. As a result, I’m saying this one is a draw.
Advantage: N/A
Many are predicting the Coyotes to have a really rough season but I’m not set on that. Taylor Hall was the most significant loss but it’s not like the Coyotes necessarily go from playoff team to bottom-feeder without him. I have these two teams being fairly comparable, with the Coyotes potentially at a slight advantage.
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Do you think the Ducks will finish ahead of the Coyotes in the standings this season?
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