Following a season in which the ducks won only 2 of 21 consecutive games, the Anaheim Ducks are welcoming new head coach Dallas Eakins while also bidding farewell to many once star players .
Longtime veterans of the team such as Corey Perry have left the team, clearing a path for a redesign of the team and providing a chance for a younger core of players to take the ice
Due to injuries in the last season, the Ducks were forced to play without key members such as Ryan Getzlaf and Cam Fowler for the latter end of the season, leaving the team painstakingly thin when it came to filling positions.
This deficit will be carrying over to the start of this season, and as a result will likely see the transitioning of leadership roles to the likes of Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg, who until now have acted only as second-in-commands to offensive and defensive captains.
The team however still retains one of the top goalies in the league, John Gibson. Gibson held a .917 save percentage average last season, keeping the Ducks in contention for far longer than many teams with the same goal average as the Ducks.
If the Ducks wish to go even further this season, they must rely not solely on Gibson, but on newer faces such as Sam Steel and Troy Terry.
These players may find themselves with the perfect opportunity to rise to the ranks of Ryan Getzlaf and Adam Henrique, who are seen as icons of the team.
In regards to Head Coach Eakins, he will need to adapt quickly for the coming season, or he will find himself having to change the roster as the games progress, leaving the Ducks without a consistent core.
These are only a small margin of the challenges that await the Ducks, look for further updates as the season progresses.
The National Hockey League regular season commences on Wednesday Oct. 2.
There will be a 1,271-game regular-season schedule with 82 games played per team, all culminating in the Stanley Cup in April 2020.