Dobber's offseason fantasy hockey grades – Anaheim Ducks

For the last 12 years over at The Hockey News, I have reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them. Now that I am no longer with THN, my 13th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey.

Enjoy!

Gone – Jason LaBarbera, Matt Beleskey, Francois Beauchemin, Emerson Etem, James Wisniewski, Kyle Palmieri, Mark Fistric, Tomas Fleischmann, Louis Leblanc

Incoming – Shawn Horcoff, Kevin Bieksa, Carl Hagelin, Anton Khudobin, Matt Hackett, Chris Stewart

Impact of changes – Experience. Adding Horcoff, Hagelin and Khudobin to replace Etem, Palmieri, Beleskey and goalie John Gibson. The style of play won't change, and yes Hagelin will see time on the big line. But he'll be one of many. Every year that spot is a revolving door and to be frank, Hagelin doesn't have the hands to keep up with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry anymore than Patrick Maroon did. Or Kyle Palmieri. Or Matt Beleskey (who tallied most of his points playing with Ryan Kesler last year).

But my personal preference for that plum spot on the top line is Stewart, who has the ability to keep up – it's just a matter of whether or not the 'good' Stewart shows up or not. Some risk with drafting Stewart, but very high possible reward.

Ready for full-time – None of the Anaheim prospects are ready, though Shea Theodore is the closest. In fact, after a brief stint in the AHL (half a season?), we could see him up for good. Theodore tallied 48 points in 43 games for Seattle (WHL) and when their season ended he joined Norfolk and picked up 11 points in nine games. A teenaged defenseman in the AHL with 11 points in nine games!

If 27-year-old Korbinian Holzer counts as a prospect, then he's ready for full time. If he can't make the Ducks as a No.7 this fall, then he's a career minor-leaguer.

With Nate Thompson out until December (shoulder), there could be a spot open for Nicolas Kerdiles. He could use another season in the AHL though, and at just 21 years of age he has plenty of time.

Power winger Nick Ritchie will also get consideration in training camp. The 10th overall draft pick is eligible to play in the AHL this season so it's likely he'll be sent there barring a miraculous camp performance.

The only other prospect even remotely close to a spot is probably the best bet among forwards. Max Friberg led Norfolk in scoring and ended the season on a hot streak (16 points in 13 games). Potentially, he's a top-six winger in the mold of a TJ Oshie (as described in the Fantasy Prospects Report). But if he were to make the club, his offense would come along slowly the way we've been seeing Richard Rakell's, Emerson Etem's and William Karlsson's (before he was dealt to Columbus).

Take a look at these prospects and others right here.

Fantasy Outlook – Last year, the Ducks were 11th in total offense and 28th in power-play proficiency. They have as good a top line as most teams and thanks to the emergence of Jakub Silfverberg, their second line is as good as most too. Anaheim boasts one of the more enviable collection of puck-moving defensemen. The prospect pipeline is above average, and the goaltending is now arguably the deepest in the league – Frederik Andersen, Anton Khudobin, John Gibson, Matt Hackett.

Fantasy Grade: A- (last year was A-)

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