Cam Fowler #4 of the Anaheim Ducks (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Just because the Anaheim Ducks opted against playing defense this season doesn’t mean we can’t grade them. Harshly.
Jokes aside, however, trying to answer whether a particular player succeeded or failed against pre-season expectations in the system Head Coach Dallas Eakins implemented is a lesson in futility. As one of the poorer NHL coaches of any generation, with a storied history of underwhelming defensive schemes, succeeding under the tutelage of the man who implemented “the swarm” was always going to be a tall order for any of the Ducks blueliners.