Dobber's offseason fantasy hockey grades – Anaheim Ducks

For the last 18 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 19th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

Gone – Danton Heinen, Chase De Leo, Andrew Agozzino, Hayden Fleury, David Backes, Ryan Miller, Carter Rowney

Incoming – Danny O'Regan, Buddy Robinson, Greg Pateryn, Brogan Rafferty

Impact of changes – The changes this offseason were relatively minor, and with more roster players leaving than coming in, there is room to grow for the decent pipeline that the Ducks are assembling. Miller leaving opens the door for one of Anthony Stolarz or Lukas Dostal,

Ready for Full Time – Jaime Drysdale thrived in his cup of coffee with the team last season, and there is zero reason that he won't be on the team this year, likely playing top-pair minutes. He finished with eight points in 24 games last season, which would be the absolute floor for him pace-wise in a full season. He is the only real puck-mover the Ducks have on the back-end, so the powerplay should be his to run as well. He's a Calder Trophy candidate.

If there was a competitor for powerplay time, it would be Josh Mahura, who put up 20 points in 28 games for Anaheim's AHL affiliate. He was confident playing against pros there last year, and looks ready for the next step. However, he's behind Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Jacob Larsson on the left side.

Fantasy Outlook: Not much has changed from last year's team and as a result the fantasy outlook is likely going to be similar. No one scored even 35 points in the 56-game season (50-point full-season pace), and the fantasy options thin out very quickly outside of the top powerplay unit. Some development from Trevor Zegras and Drysdale among other youngsters will help the team take a step in the right direction for your fantasy squads.

Max Comtois is the main guy to look at, as he scores goals, saw time with the top powerplay, and added large shots and Hit totals. In the last quarter of the season, he was on a line with future playmaking star Zegras, and shootout whiz Troy Terry. The three of them cover most of the offence worth owning on this team. Scoop them up now if it's not too late, and reap those rewards over the next few years.

A rebound year from Rickard Rakell would do wonders for the secondary scoring, but it's tough to expect any growth or rebound from him when a similarly poor roster returns to the ice this fall. Ryan Getzlaf is now on his victory lap, and is just a name and a vice in the dressing room. Isac Lundestrom, Sam Steel, and Alexander Volkov are worth keeping an eye on, but none are must-own players.

On defence the Ducks are fairly well rounded, with Fowler, Lindholm, and Shattenkirk carrying the big minutes, which frees up some sheltered minutes for the young guns. There is some value on defence with the points that the young guns can provide, however the peripherals are generally lacking the whole way around.

John Gibson continues to wilt away into nothingness as the team in front of him can't score to save his career. Current backup Stolarz is a journeyman who has never been given a fair shake at a starting gig, and barring an injury to Gibson, he still won't get the chance.

Grade – C- (last year was D)