What can the Ducks learn from each of the eight remaining playoff teams? (2024)

There is a gulf between the Ducks and the eight teams remaining in the playoffs. Just how vast the divide is might be better determined once the Ducks complete their summer business and take a potentially reconfigured lineup into the 2022-23 season.

But they’ve got some ground to make up before they’re in a position to play games in May. Pat Verbeek has said that he wants to build a contender that is sustainable not just for a single season but across multiple seasons. The first-year Ducks general manager has so far proven that he’s up to making seismic decisions. Building a playoff roster may be the hardest work that lies ahead.

There are things the Ducks can learn from the last eight teams standing when they’re not lying on a beach or driving fairways and sinking putts — elements that can help serve as inspiration. All eight facets are not expected to be implemented. Some may be impossible to duplicate.

But if the Ducks can appropriate one or more of the traits each offers in 2022-23 and beyond, it will go a long way toward making them a team not only playing at this time of the year but one that can win. Let’s look at some identifiable elements from the elite eight in alphabetical order.

Calgary: A clear, dominant top line

For the better part of a decade, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were the tag-team duo that inflicted damage on the rest of the NHL. In 14 seasons, with much of their time spent on the same shifts, Getzlaf and Perry combined for 438 goals and 1,115 points at even strength (633 goals and 1,699 points when you include every situation).

Many left wings lined up with those two but there was no question that the pair represented Anaheim’s top line. But as they began to tail off and were broken up officially after the 2018-19 season, it has been harder to identify the Ducks’ top forward line. Whichever wings who skated with Getzlaf could be called Anaheim’s No. 1 grouping out of respect, but the quality of skaters and the production didn’t match what the center had with Perry when the two were at the top of their games.

The torch has been passed, as Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras have now taken over as the Ducks’ top offensive performers. But the two played only 203 minutes together in 2021-22, with Terry breaking out on Getzlaf’s wing (and continuing to flourish in the center’s absence) and Zegras centering a second line that at times drove them offensively. The two also saw just 34 minutes together on the same power-play unit.

Calgary has an unmistakable go-to line with Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk. No line was more potent, with Gaudreau being a Hart Trophy candidate, Tkachuk also surpassing the 100-point barrier and Lindholm putting up career-best numbers. All three were 40-goal scorers. Terry and Zegras combined for 60 goals and 68 assists. To this point, Dallas Eakins has opted to have each drive their own line. Either with them together or apart, the Ducks would do well to build a line that can thrive against any group of forwards and defensem*n.

Carolina: Tenacious forechecking

Forechecking that makes an impact isn’t about a looping skate into the offensive end and a return to a defensive position while the other team is breaking the puck out of its zone. It is jumping on the opponent before it can make a clean getaway, with heavy pressure being applied that can throw a team out of sorts.

The Hurricanes are the NHL’s best at it. There are multiple objectives in mind as they throw two and sometimes even three players deep into the offensive zone as the opponent either gains possession of the puck or is in the process of doing so. Forcing a turnover is the most desired outcome. But even when Carolina doesn’t, the ability to hound teams with constant pressure forces them to spend extra time in their own zone. And that can extend shifts, leaving a team to resort to dumping pucks off the glass or into the air just so it can change out its personnel.

When that’s done, it just feeds the puck back to the Canes and further fuels their desire to control it. Too often, the Ducks have seen the other side of that. But while Carolina operates a defensively responsible system under coach Rod Brind’Amour and has a strong back end led by shutdown blueliner Jaccob Slavin, their tenacious forecheck also factors into their league-lows in goals and shots against, because their commitment to pressure and teammate support often serve as their de-facto first wave of defending across the ice. You don’t need to defend if you can get the puck and keep it.

It takes great skating and physically committed players to have a great forecheck. One player can’t do it alone, but Max Jones was missed in that regard this season after suffering a torn chest muscle in the third game. His size and skating ability could have been very useful for the Ducks.

Colorado: A wildly active offensive zone

When the Ducks were at their most dangerous in the first half of 2021-22, they not only posed a threat off the rush with players like Zegras, Terry and Sonny Milano thriving, but Eakins and assistant coach Mike Stothers had their defensem*n activating aggressively in the offensive zone. It was a common sight to see Cam Fowler and other blueliners drive toward the net and present themselves as offensive options.

What the Avalanche do once they get across the red line is something Anaheim dreams of executing. At any opportunity, Cale Makar, Devon Toews or Samuel Girard (or even their other defensem*n) are driving lanes that forwards usually head down and then cycling back to the blue line while their forwards cover for them. But they don’t stop. There is continuous movement between all five skaters. And there are times when it is a defenseman leading the rush as opposed to a forward.

While they didn’t score on this play, because St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington made an improbable save, Erik Johnson’s golden chance down low while Gabriel Landeskog covers his spot at the blue line is an example of how Colorado gets a team in scramble mode and out of its defensive structure. Even the 34-year-old Johnson is activated as a fourth forward, so to speak.

The goal is to dominate puck possession and generate scoring chances off that. It obviously helps to have the personnel. The Ducks aren’t throwing otherworldly skaters like Makar and Nathan MacKinnon out onto the ice for 20-plus minutes every night. But Eakins does admire the way they’re determined to create confusion for defending teams with their interchangeability. The Avs have built themselves around mobility and skill. Increasing team speed has often been brought up by Verbeek. Maybe this can serve as a blueprint.

Edmonton: A star player’s will to win

The Oilers have Connor McDavid. The Ducks don’t have anyone close to him. Frankly, there isn’t another team that has anyone like him. He is a frightening blend of speed and skill that is awe-inspiring. But there is a different Connor McDavid who is emerging in this postseason.

As Edmonton holds a 2-1 series lead over Calgary in the entertaining Battle of Alberta playoff matchup, the 25-year-old is on a level that no one else is at. He assisted on three of the Oilers’ four second-period goals in Game 3 that were the decisive factor in putting them two wins away from their first appearance in a conference final since the 2006 run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. In leading all playoff performers with 23 points, McDavid is on a run of six straight multi-point contests. He has gone scoreless only once in 10 playoff games and has at least two points in the other nine.

To put it plainly, McDavid is a force of nature the Ducks don’t have. But they can look to how he took over Game 5 of the opening round against the Kings and dragged the Oilers to wins in games 6 and 7 through sheer will.

For years, Anaheim was driven by Getzlaf. The Ducks often rose and fell with how the star center was playing, especially during his prime. The good thing about the current Ducks is they’ve got Terry and Zegras, two young players who are eager to shoulder heavy loads and directly affect their team’s fortunes.

Florida: Outstanding puck movement

The Panthers may not be providing the greatest example right now, as they’ve been held to one goal in three straight losses to Tampa Bay and are facing elimination by their Florida rivals for the second straight postseason. But they did win 58 games and rack up 122 points in a Presidents’ Trophy-winning record-breaking regular season by scoring a league-best 337 goals, being the only team to average four goals per game.

A big reason for their raging offensive success in 2021-22 is a transition game from defense to offense that is second to none when the Panthers are really clicking. Florida isn’t backchecking just to break up plays or disrupt an opponent’s progression through the zones; it is looking to create a turnover and go right into attack mode. The Panthers do have great speed to play a fast game. But they also get the puck, move it and move into positions to get it back – often with a great scoring chance (and a goal) as the endgame.

The lack of success on the power play has been a storyline in these playoffs, especially when Florida’s 64 goals ranked third and its 24.4 percent conversion rate tied for fourth with Nashville. But the one power-play goal that’s been scored in 28 chances this postseason was a glistening example of quick puck movement, especially between Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, and it resulted in Sam Reinhart’s finish.

Huberdeau has had a tough postseason but his 85 assists – the most ever by a left wing – reflect his world-class passing ability and are a big part of their potent transition game. The Ducks can think of Zegras working with his teammates and them working off him.

N.Y. Rangers: Elite goaltending

At the end of the Rangers’ Game 3 victory on Sunday, the faithful at Madison Square Garden were chanting “Igor, Igor” as The Great Shesterkin stopped 43 of 44 Carolina shots to pull New York back into the second-round series. Now imagine the chants of “Gibby, Gibby” erupting inside Honda Center as he makes the final stops to close out a meaningful win. Or maybe “Stolie, Stolie”?

It is a big ask for the Ducks to raise their netminding to a level that Shesterkin has operated at this season. But this comparison is drawn because it’s not like the 26-year-old Russian works behind a Rangers team that puts the clamps on opponents. According to Natural Stat Trick, New York was 24th in high-danger chances allowed in the regular season, and the 151 they’ve given up in 10 playoff games is easily the most. The likely Vezina Trophy winner played in fewer games than other No. 1s because Rangers coach Gerard Gallant uses his effective backup in Alexandar Georgiev, but Shesterkin still faced 31.7 shots per 60 minutes played. It is certainly closer to what Gibson (33.1 per 60) deals with than, say, Carolina’s Freddie Andersen (28.0).

And the busy work isn’t limited to the regular season. While Shesterkin had some wobbly moments in the first round against Pittsburgh, he still has a .921 save percentage while facing the most total shots in the playoffs (368). He has also faced 37.4 shots per 60 minutes, with only Jake Oettinger of Dallas and Mike Smith of Edmonton being busier. Basically, the Ducks could use the Gibson they got in 2017-18 – with a career-best year in wins (31), save percentage (.926) and goals saved above average (25.3) while posting a strong 2.43 goals-against average. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that was the Ducks’ last playoff season.

St. Louis: Productive forward depth

Anaheim was among four teams that had only two 20-goal scorers in 2021-22. The other three – Montreal, Philadelphia and the New York Islanders – also did not reach the postseason. It is obvious that even if the Ducks were a better offensive team than in the popgun attack of the shortened 56-game 2020-21 season, their scoring depth continues to be sorely lacking.

The Blues can serve as inspiration. They led the NHL with nine 20-goal scorers, which is something because what teams do you think of immediately when it comes to their explosiveness? Colorado. Toronto. Edmonton. Florida, obviously, given its season. Even Tampa Bay, given its history and reputation. St. Louis? Did you know the Blues’ 309 goals ranked fourth? Maybe you did. Chances are, you probably didn’t.

But the Blues don’t have a Hart Trophy winner on their roster, nor one who is up for the award this year. While young stars Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas are impact players now with bright futures, Vladimir Tarasenko may be the closest they have to a “superstar” and that’s stretching the word past its loosest usage. It’s a collective effort that’s given them a deep team. The Ducks don’t need nine 20-goal scorers in order to be better, but two or three more would make a real difference.

Tampa Bay: Indomitable mindset

Maybe it takes winning a championship to fully understand the amount of commitment and sacrifice it takes. Maybe it takes the pain of failing under high expectations that forces teams to realize what they must endure and overcome. But there comes a time when they reach a point where their will is their strongest force. That will powers them even in the toughest of situations.

The Lightning may not pull off a three-peat as Stanley Cup champions. No team has done that since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83. Even Edmonton couldn’t do it during its dynastic run of four championships in five years and five in seven. Winning one Cup is hard. It is a difficult feat. Hoisting it multiple times in a single run makes that team legendary.

But the Bolts have the look of a team determined to pull off the unfathomable. It appeared to take everything out of them to come back from a 3-2 deficit to dispatch a game Toronto squad in the first round. Instead of running out of gas against Florida, Tampa Bay appears renewed and is squeezing the life out of the Panthers, even without arguably its best all-around forward in Brayden Point. The Lightning can score but are just as focused – if not more – on keeping from being scored against. Star captain Steven Stamkos repeatedly blocking shots has been the epitome of a team’s willingness to do anything to win.

Perhaps that is the trait the Ducks can try to adopt above all.

(Top photo of the Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk and the Ducks’ Trevor Zegras: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Eric Stephens is a staff writer for The Athletic NHL based in Southern California. Eric has been writing and talking about sports for newspapers and media outlets for more than 30 years. He has previously covered the NHL for The Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. He is also an occasional contributor on NHL Network. Follow Eric on Twitter @icemancometh