For the last 21 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 22^nd annual review will appear here on Dobber Hockey 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!

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Gone – Jakob Silfverberg, Robert Hagg, Gustav Lindstrom, Ben Meyers, Glenn Gawdin, Bo Groulx, Max Jones, Alex Stalock

Incoming – Robby Fabbri, Brian Dumoulin

Impact of Changes – With a bunch of borderline NHLers (aside from Silfverberg who had a great NHL career) gone from this Ducks team, there is now room for Anaheim's young guys to earn NHL spots. With younger guys expected to get some bigger roles, this Anaheim team may slip up on the defensive side of things a bit more. Last year, Anaheim was actually top 12 in the league in expected goals against, yet they were 22nd in actual goals against. This suggests that goaltending and/or luck resulted in their "poor" defensive results.

Brian Dumoulin should improve this defensive core as he was a part of one of the best chance suppression duos in the league last year playing alongside Adam Larsson. They allowed only 1.7 expected goals against per 60 minutes, good for third best in the league. If Anaheim can get some average-to-good goaltending, they may be an average team in goals against.

Robby Fabbri should supplement the bottom six and second power-play unit with some depth scoring. The overall offense, which was 30th in the league last year, will depend on the development of many of Anaheim's young rising stars.

Ready For Full-Time –

Olen Zellweger did not make the team out of training camp last season, with the Ducks opting to give Pavel Mintyukov an NHL role while allowing Zellweger a year to develop in the AHL. After posting 37 points in 44 games with San Diego, Zellweger got the call up and posted two goals and seven assists in Anaheim's final 26 games. He did not look out of place with his smooth skating and puck-handling abilities. He should earn a full NHL spot this year with more ice-time and a spot on the first power-play unit. 40 points could be in the cards for Zellweger in his first full season.

Cutter Gauthier, the prize awarded to the Ducks for trading away Jamie Drysdale, may also earn a full NHL spot this season. Gauthier battles hard to get to dangerous areas on the ice and has a great quick shot. With talented linemates able to find him, like Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras, or Troy Terry, Gauthier has potential to fill the net this year. If awarded a spot in the top 6, Gauthier could get 20 goals, alongside 2+ shots per game and 1 hit per game. He could be an option in deeper category leagues.

Fantasy Outlook – After finishing 30th in the league in goals scored last season, fantasy managers would hope the Ducks can improve offensively. Perhaps Zellweger and Gauthier can help in this regard. Either way, there will still be a few fantasy-relevant players worth drafting and many more to keep an eye on with great potential if the deployment is there.

Frank Vatrano is one player sure to be drafted onto fantasy teams. He likely won't match his career high in goals from last year of 37 (with a career high 13.8% shooting percentage), but he will fill in categories. He'll provide goals, shots, hits and even blocks.

The reigns were slowly shifting in net as Lukas Dostal split starts with John Gibson last season. Dostal fared much better providing the Ducks with average goaltending. He may find himself as the true 1A or starter this season. With the Ducks' surprisingly strong defensive play, Dostal could surprise and emerge as a great fantasy option going late in drafts or someone to be had off waivers.

It will be interesting to see how the lines shake up and which young guns find chemistry with each other. Any successful combination of Terry, Zegras, Carlsson, Gauthier, and Mason McTavish could result in some offensive firepower and career highs in points to follow. We'll just have to wait and see if this is one of those breakout years, or if we'll have to wait a bit longer.

With not many changes to this Anaheim team, we should expect similar lackluster fantasy performances from their players. But we may be surprised and see the young guys provide more offense and in turn provide fantasy value.

Fantasy Grade C+ (Last Year C+)