But the three years since Anaheim claimed the Cup in 2007 have not been kind to the Southern California upstarts. They failed to make it out of the first round in 2008, barely squeaked into the final playoff spot in the West in 2009 and missed the playoffs altogether last spring. They did show some signs of life in the 2009 postseason when they knocked off top-seeded San Jose and took defending champ Detroit to seven games in the second round, but that may have been the last hurrah for a team clearly on the decline.
2009-10 Record: 39-32-11, 89 points (4th Pacific Division; 11th Western Conference; did not qualify for playoffs)
Bruins record against Ducks: Boston leads the all-time series 11-9-2-0, but the Bruins went 0-2-0 last year, falling 6-1 at home on Oct. 8 and 4-3 at Anaheim on Jan, 13.
When to watch: The Ducks come to the Garden on Monday, Dec. 20; the Bruins do not play at Anaheim this season.
Familiar faces: The flight of players from the Pond in recent years has included the departure of former Bruins like Sean O’Donnell, Samuel Pahlsson, Petteri Nokelainen and Nick Boynton, but defenseman Sheldon Brookbank, brother of former Bruin Wade Brookbank, is still in Anaheim. Shawn Thornton is the only current Bruin to have played for Anaheim, winning a ring there in his lone season with the Ducks in 2006-07.
Key additions: D Cam Fowler (draft); D Toni Lydman (free agent); LW Aaron Voros (trade with NYR); LW Ryan Hillier (trade with NYR); LW Tomas Zaborsky (trade with NYR); D Danny Syvret (free agent); LW Josh Green (free agent); LW Trevor Smith (free agent)
Key losses: D Scott Niedermayer (retired); D James Wisniewski (trade with NYI); D Steve Eminger (trade with NYR); D Brian Salcido (signed with HC Sparta Praha); D Nathan Oystrick (buyout)
Burning question: Can the Ducks rebuild a defense that was once the foundation of a championship?
Not one blueliner who appeared in the 2007 Cup run remains in Anaheim. Former Norris Trophy winner Chris Pronger led the exodus last year when he was traded to Philadelphia, while Francois Beauchemin bolted for Toronto and Kent Huskins went upstate to San Jose. This year, future Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer decided to hang up the skates, while James Wisniewski, who was not on the Cup team but was a key member of last year’s defensive corps, was dealt to the Islanders for a third-round pick in a cost-cutting move. The Ducks might not be done with their offseason moves with rumored interest in Toronto’s Tomas Kaberle and Vancouver’s Kevin Bieksa, but the door is clearly open for youngsters like Cam Fowler, who unexpectedly slid to the Ducks at the 12th pick of the draft, and Luca Sbisa, one of the key players acquired in the Pronger deal. Former Sabre Toni Lydman was signed in free agency and Lubomir Vishnovsky is a veteran holdover, but the Ducks are a long way from the star-studded defense of their championship season. The Bruins won’t be sad to see Wisniewski and Niedermayer gone when they meet up with the Ducks this year, as that duo combined for six assists in the two games against Boston last season.
2010-11 outlook: How quickly that young defense can come together will go a long way toward determining the Ducks’ fate this year. So will resolving the ongoing contract squabble with high-scoring restricted free-agent forward Bobby Ryan, who led the Ducks with 35 goals last season. If they can re-sign Ryan, they do have some nice pieces in place with him, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Saku Koivu up front and Jonas Hiller in goal. Teemu Selanne hasn’t officially decided whether he will return for another year, but showed last season (27-21-48 in 54 games) that he still has something left in the tank. And if things really get desperate, the Ducks can always entertain the fans with another mustache night with Princeton pugilist George Parros.
Did you know? If Selanne does not return and Ryan Carter is not retained after clearing waivers in July, there will be just four players remaining on the roster from the 2007 Cup team. Forwards Getzlaf, Perry, Parros and Todd Marchant are the lone holdovers. Coach Randy Carlyle also remains, but even GM Brian Burke pulled up stakes and headed back East to take over Toronto in 2008.
Next: We’ll head down to Big D to check out how the Stars are aligned for 2010-11 on Tuesday.
