What’s new? Ask that of most people, and you’ll get a “not much” in response. Ask it in the Anaheim Ducks’ orbit, and you’ll get a little more, from player news to news off the ice.
The start-of-game show, for one thing, has been considerably expanded and technologized, with lasers and on-ice graphics. Normally these things end up getting out of hand—too loud, too bright, and too long. The Ducks have it about right. It’s the narrative of mascot Wild Wing from stripling to full-grown, and while it might have been a tad long, it was contained on the noise front. (Unlike the show up the road in LA. Just saying.)
There’s a new captain, Radko Gudas. He got a huge cheer when announced on opening night, Wednesday. He’s from Prague, Czechia, and represents the eighth captain in team history, and the first non-US or Canadian player to wear the C. He succeeds Ryan Getzlaf, of course, who relinquished the role when he retired in 2022.
As for the lines, there are a few surprises. Leo Carlsson is listed as the top-line center, but he was the player given strategic rest last year, appearing in only 57 games. Is this a step up in his energy and responsibility? So far, he’s played all three of the team’s contests. (Anaheim got off to the latest start of any team, not playing first until Saturday, a week and a half after the European openers and four days behind those in North America.) Carlsson had zero points to show for his efforts thus far coming into Wednesday, but on that night, he potted a goal and added an assist.
More interesting to most pundits was to observe the phenom that is Cutter Gauthier. He hails from Skelleftea, Sweden, and came to the Ducks via trade. Jamie Drysdale went to Philly and Gauthier came back. The Flyers had drafted him 5th overall in 2022. His NHL experience is one game last year and now three this season. Prior to the NHL, Gauthier was in the USHL and at Boston College for two seasons. Finding himself on left wing of the top line, Gauthier is complemented on the right side by Alex Killorn. He’s a former Stanley Cup champion, twice over, with Tampa Bay. This is his second year with the Ducks. Last year’s output was 36 points in 63 games.
The second line has both Mason McTavish on it and Trevor Zegras. They are both due for some maturing, and word is that that starts with the physical. Both came into camp looking bigger and stronger than they did last year. McTavish, in fact weighs in close to the team’s top number, at 219 lbs. He has never been short on energy or commitment. Can Zegras start to match some of that? Some people have him on the trade market if he doesn’t show a considerable improvement in defensive play.
The third lime, to me, looks to be where the action is. Ryan Strome centers Frank Vatrano and Tory Terry. They were on the ice Wednesday for the team’s first goal of the season in Anaheim against Utah.
The fourth line features Isac Lundestrom between Brock McGinn and Brett Leason. The latter is a 220-lb. rock of a right winger who scored 11 goals and recorded 11 assists in 68 games last year. This is his third year with the Ducks.
What else is new? At least one of the current goalie tandem. He is James Reimer, formerly of five teams, most recently Detroit, then Buffalo, who signed him in the summer. He was picked up on waivers on Oct. 7th. This because starter, and still fan favorite according to the ovation he got in the home opener, despite being in street clothes, John Gibson, is recovering from an emergency appendectomy that happened as the season was getting underway. He may be out a few more weeks, possibly less. The original estimate released in late September was out three to six weeks. He’s back on the ice conditioning now.
One more new thing this year: the uniform. Fans might remember that the last wholesale change in look happened in 2006, when the Ducks dumped the caricature duck face goalie mask in favor of a stylized Duck-foot “D.” In so doing, they distanced themselves from the clownish Disney era. (Let’s not forget that the flying V formation used in the movies put the lead player offside, and thus wouldn’t work in refereed game action.) Well, not to be too dramatic, but “he’s baaaaaack!”
The new uniform once again features Wild Wing’s face, this time on the front panel of an extremely orange home uniform which is broken only by black on the forearms, lower part of the socks, and lower edge of the sweater. The helmet is equally orange. I would make a CalTrans joke here, but I don’t want to alienate those of you not from California. Nor do I fancy ticking off people who are supposed to be fixing our broken freeways. But I’m not a fan of the new look.
Notes
The Ducks (1-1-0 coming in) started the Wednesday game versus Utah with a relatively quick goal, then seemed to retreat some. They allowed two goals in the third period so that Utah tied the game at 4-4. But in OT, Anaheim dominated possession. With just 54 seconds gone, Pavel Mintyukov grabbed a puck from the Utah defense and deked goaltender Connor Ingram to put the puck around him and into the empty left side of the net. It was his second goal of the game.
Utah is still 3-1-1 in their first five games of the year. Anaheim has gained four points in three games.
