5 Reasons the Anaheim Ducks Are Still a Defensive Team

November 2nd, 2012 by Bobby Kittleberger Leave a reply »
There was a point in time when the Anaheim Ducks possessed enough physicality and defensive experience on their roster to keep Chris Pronger on the second pairing. With Scott Niedermayer at the helm, the Ducks built their identity as a defensively suffocating hockey club.

However that time has come and gone, and the Ducks have reached a point where they no longer have a clear identity, nor are they considered one of the more physical teams in the league. Ever since trading Pronger and the retirement of Niedermayer, it has been perceived that the exodus of those two players would be too much of a loss in terms of blue line skill to continue to have a solid defense.

I want to make the case that having Niedermayer and Pronger on their roster was a luxury, and that their absence from the Ducks roster doesn't mean the Ducks are no longer a defensively competitive squad. There are plenty of excellent defensive teams who don't have two hall-of-fame certainties leading the way.

If you look at the Ducks current roster you see no lack of defensive depth. In fact it is their offensive lineup that comes off as lacking, with little or no help behind the top line ...

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