What direction are the Anaheim Ducks going in?

It's safe to say the past three seasons have been rough for the Anaheim Ducks organization. They've missed the playoffs in three straight years, after making it for six consecutive years prior to the 2018-19 season.

The fans are getting tired of the team's mediocrity, and are wanting things to change in order for the Ducks to become a Stanley Cup contender year in, year out. But will things change?

The Ducks has never committed to a full rebuild, and haven't really focused on their short-term future either, which begs the question, what is the organization's goal going forward? They have a mix of veteran players including captain Ryan Getzlaf, who will more than likely retire as an Anaheim Duck at this point. They also added Kevin Shattenkirk prior to the 2021 season to bring some leadership to the defensive core. Anaheim also has one more season of paying Ryan Kesler's salary of $6.875 million, which has been on long-term injured reserve, and they also have two more seasons of paying Corey Perry's buyout of $2 million.

Anaheim's prospect pool is one of the only glimmers of hope the fans have to look forward to. Forwards, Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Max Jones, Maxime Comtois, Isac Lundestrom, Jacob Perreault, Sasha Pastujov, Brayden Tracey, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Mason McTavish, defencemen, Jamie Drysdale, Axel Andersson, Olen Zellweger, and goaltender Lukas Dostal are all players who are either currently or in a few years will make a difference on this franchise.

In order for the Ducks to move forward with a proper rebuild, they need to move on from several key players such as Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, and possibly Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg, and Cam Fowler. If general manager Bob Murray committed to a full-rebuild, he could turn these pieces I've mentioned into assets for the team going forward, whether that be draft picks or prospects.

It's likely going to be another long, tough season for Ducks fans, but with the young players and prospects I mentioned on the way, there is the potential for a very bright future in the coming years.

Source: NBC Sports

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