Staying Afloat

In an effort to see where I stand as a predictor of things, I will take a look back at what I wrote about each team before the season, and what really happened.  Since I have the summer to think about everything that happened, the playoff teams will have some editing to do.

ANAHEIM DUCKS


Ryan Getzlaf was my player that drove the team.  As captain, he certainly did that, but he was overshadowed by Jonas Hiller and Corey Perry.  Okay, hands up, who thought Perry was hitting 50 goals this year?  Put your hand down, liar.  Brendan Mikkleson was my player that needed to step up.  However, he was claimed by Calgary on waivers and had little to no impact there.  Luca Sbisa was my player primed for a breakthrough, but he was overtaken by fellow rookie Cam Fowler.  Sbisa is still the future, but he won't be alone in carrying the blue line in the future.  Lubomir Visnovsky may be getting older, but he had his best offensive season yet.  Anaheim answered its blue line problems this year, and it only figures to get better in the coming seasons.  Its front line looks solid, if top heavy, and its goaltending will always keep them in the playoff race, provided Hiller stays healthy.

As far as where I thought they would be, they finished fourth when I said they would finish 11th.  Certainly, the breakthrough year Perry had was not accounted for, and neither was Cam Fowler's emergence straight from the draft.  Teemu Selanne was, well, Teemu Selanne, which is remarkable for a 40 year old.