ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
Sergei Fedorov and Vaclav Prospal are an upgrade on Paul Kariya and Adam Oates, bringing more size, better defense and just as much scoring. In Detroit, Fedorov often played his best when forced to cover for injured team mates, so he's ready for a bigger role. The Ducks hope they get the Prospal who scored 134 points in two years with Tampa, not the ordinary Prospal who bounced around the NHL for several seasons before that.
The other top Ducks - Keith Carney, Petr Sykora, Sandis Ozolinsh, Steve Rucchin - provide an admirable mix of scoring and defense. The team is deep at center, a little less so on the wings, and the defense benefits from plenty of back-checking help. The goaltender had a very good year even before his playoff conquest. It's a good package.
But to expect consistency from emerging forwards like Stan Chistov, Alexei Smirnov and Mike LeClerc (coming off knee surgery) would be unrealistic. Rob Niedermayer and Steve Thomas played inspired hockey after arriving in March, but does that translate into an inspired 82-game season? The young defensemen, Vitaly Vishnevski and Kurt Sauer, looked good in the spring. But they were a combined minus-31 over the regular schedule.
Trouble: As of early September, goalie whiz Jean-Sebastian Giguere and goal whiz Sykora are without contracts. If their holdouts drag into October, the Ducks' season could blow up in a hurry.
On the Spot: Giguere faces the biggest challenge of any NHL player this season. He must at least approach last year's form. Anything less will become the focus - a negative focus - of the whole season.
The Forecast: Teams that make an unexpected charge to the Stanley Cup Final, or a great leap forward under a first-year coach, or enjoy a breakthrough season by a young goaltender - such teams almost always backslide a year later.
The Call: Seventh in the Western Conference.
Who's in:
Defenseman Mike Mottau (free agent from Calgary)
Center Sergei Fedorov (free agent from Detroit)
Left winger Vaclav Prospal (free agent from Tampa Bay)
Forward Craig Johnson (free agent from Los Angeles)
Who’s Out:
Defenseman Fredrik Olauson (unsigned free agent)
Center Marc Chouinard (free agent to Minnesota)
Left winger Paul Kariya (free agent to Colorado)
Forward Patric Kjellberg (retired)
Center Adam Oates (unsigned free agent)
Left winger Kevin Sawyer (unsigned free agent)
2002-03 Regular Season Numbers:
Payroll:
$39,004,500, 17th overall
(Hockey News, November 15/02. Bonuses not included.)
- Record: 40-27-9-6 for 95 points.
- At home: 28-5-6-2.
- On the road: 18-12-9-2.
- Finish: Tied for 10th overall, tied for 6th in Western Conference, 2nd in Pacific Division.
- Goals for: 203 (2.48 per game), 22th overall.
- Goals against: 193 (2.35 per game), 6th overall.
- Goal differential: Plus-10, 11th overall.
- Power play: 16.1 percent, 16th overall.
- Penalty kill: 87.4 percent, 2nd overall.
Goaltending:
- J.S. Giguere, 65-34-22-6, 2.30 GAA, .920 SV PCT, 8 SO.
- Martin Gerber, 22-6-11-3, 1.95 GAA, .929 SV PCT, 1 SO.
Leaders:
- Scoring: Left winger Paul Kariya, 82-25-56-81.
- Power play points: Paul Kariya, 82-11-24-35.
- Game-winning goals: Right winger Petr Sykora, 5.
Defenseman Niclas Havelid, 5. - Ice time: Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, 26:01 per game.
- Plus/minus: Right winger Steve Thomas, plus-10.
Center Sami Pahlsson, plus-10.
2002-03 Playoff Numbers:
- Round One: Defeated Detroit 4-0.
- Round Two: Defeated Dallas 4-2.
- Conference Final: Defeated Minnesota 4-0.
- Stanley Cup Final: Lost to New Jersey 4-3.
Goaltending:
- J.S. Giguere, 21-15-6, 1.62 GAA, .945 SV PCT, 5 SO.
Leaders:
- Scoring: Center Adam Oates, 21-4-9-13.
Right winger Petr Sykora, 21-4-9-13. - Power play points: Four tied with 3.
- Game-winning goals: Right winger Steve Thomas, 3.
- Ice time: Defenseman Keith Carney, 26:39 per game.
- Plus/minus: Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, plus-8.
