The NHL season is here and the Anaheim Ducks are looking to match an outstanding regular season fourth place finish last year. The Ducks did not make many 
blockbuster adjustments over the summer, however they did drop players who were hindering the salary cap and picked up a good depth players Kurtis Foster and Andrew Cogliano. Also some important pieces of the puzzle return such as Temu Selanne who threatened retirement and Jonas Hiller who missed the 2nd half of last season to injury. Here are my “Thoughts and Hopes” for the depth chart of the Ducks in 2012.
1st Line- The “Big Line” is back and should be as effective and productive as ever. Corey Perry is coming off a Heart Trophy season last year and if his stats keep on trend this season will be even better. Bobby Ryan also had a career year last year and has increased his goals and point totals each season and this season should be no different, Bobby Ryan will also be a threat on the second Power Play line trying to keep the Ducks Power Play amongst the top of the league as it was last year. Ryan Getzlaf, captain for his second year, missed 15 games last year and had low point totals for the season. This year Getzlaf is looking to raise his point totals and compete with his “twin” Perry to bring the Heart to Anaheim again.
2nd Line- The “Old Man” line is still running strong and should complement the 1st line well, as it did last year. Saku Koivu the long time Montreal Canadians captain has his native finnish winger Temu Selanne with him again this year; the two should keep their chemistry and contribute with solid offensive numbers this season. Jason Blake, whose speed and tenacity complements the Finns well, recently was injured on the home opener. However when Blake comes back he will prove a solid line mate once again this year for Selanne and Koivu.
3rd Line- The “Shutdown” line has undergone the most radical change this year, Bob Murray (GM) elected to go with speed this year as the defining characteristic and traded for the quick Edmonton center Andrew Cogliano, as well as Andrew Gordon for the right side. Finishing off the trio so far has been rookie Devante Smith-Pelly who is playing in his debut season; in his first three games he has impressed all with his speed, over bearing physique and hunger for the game as well as his hockey sense.
4th Line- The “Tough” line will of course feature George Parros who has led the Ducks in penalty minutes each year he has played in Anaheim. Around him though as usually will be a shift of faces from the AHL team, so far Brendon McMillan has kept in favor with Randy Carlye after harrd work earned him 60 games while contributing 20 points to make a decent rookie season. Along side of them in the first two games has been center Maxime Macenauer who, in the early going, has featured on the Penalty Kill and has held very strong in the face-off circle going 60% in the first 4 games..
1st D-Pair- Lubomir Vishnosky and Toni Lydman were an essential part of last seasons success. Toni Lydman was 3rd in the league in plus/minus and was the shutdown the defense-man for the Ducks. His partner Vishnosky was the highest scoring defense-man in the entire league and will provide ample offense for the Ducks. Vishnosky has also been a key element in the Ducks Power Play and will continue to be a force on the first unit.
2nd D-Pair- Francois Beauchemin was acquired last year from Toronto and has provided the strong presence on the blue line. His partner the rookie sensation Cam Fowler led all rookie defense-men in scoring last year and played a vital role on the Ducks Power Play. Cam Fowler has extremely high expectations on himself to duplicate last years season totals, and there is a good chance that he will do it; with all the potential the 19 year old has.
3rd D-Pair- Another important trade the Ducks conducted with Edmonton was the acquisition of Kurtis Foster who has amassed 141 points in 331 which are respectable totals for an offensive defense-men. He has been hurt in the early going but much is expected of Foster as a 2nd Power Play d-man as well as rounding out an impressive Ducks defense. His partner will most likely be a round robin of players but Luca Sbisa seems to be the most capable of the depth defense-men. Sbisa is still very young at 20 years old but he is growing into the NHL and last year logged important minutes for the Ducks and used his excellent skating ability and quickness to his advantage.
Goaltending- Jonas Hiller is back from a late season injury last year. Going into the all-star break Hiller was the best goaltender in the West(the only west goalie chossen for the all-star game). However a freak affliction of Vertigo kept him out for the rest of the season. However Hiller is healthy and the hope is that he remains so, and regains his place among the best goalies in the NHL. Backing up Hiller this season is Dan Ellis who proved reliable during the late run the Ducks made last year without the services of Hiller.
The Ducks added just the right amount of talent in just the right places this season. The expectations are not extreme however the Ducks have every reason to place top five in the conference this year and contend in the incredibly competitive Pacific Division. Randy Carlye is at the helm once more this season and already in the early going he has been pleased with a 3-1-0 record.
