The Anaheim Ducks are only six games into the 2024-25 regular season, but a familiar feeling is seeping in — the feeling of watching a club that’s gone 50-97-17 over the previous two seasons. The offense is anemic, special teams are ineffective, and the shot totals are tilting heavily in favor of their opponents.
At 3-2-1, their point pace would be the team’s highest total since the 2017-18 season. But this scene has been played out in seasons past when the Ducks kept a decent record for about a month before the lopsided possession numbers eventually overwhelmed their goaltending. Expectations surrounding the club aren’t high this season from a standings perspective, but there are expectations surrounding player development. It’s early, but even the thought that some of these young players may be plateauing at this stage of their rebuild is concerning.
Ducks’ Special Teams Underwhelming
In my bold predictions column released before the season started, I predicted Anaheim’s power play would make the jump to league-average territory. The continued development of Pavel Mintyukov with the addition of Cutter Gauthier’s shot seemed like a boost for a unit that only converted on 18.3% of their chances with the man advantage last season. Anaheim went scoreless on their first 17 power plays of the season and is only at 13% after a 2-for-6 effort against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night (Oct. 22).
The Ducks hired Richard Clune in the offseason specifically to address the power play issues. While any new system takes time to implement, early returns aren’t positive. Zone entries, even with the extra skater, have been a challenge. Puck handlers rarely look comfortable and cede possession at the first sign of pressure…