It wasn’t that long ago that the California NHL teams were at the pinnacle of hockey, with the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks all being perennial playoff contenders, the latter two having three total Stanley Cups to their name, the Kings winning in 2012 and 2014 and the Ducks winning in 2007.
But the thing about the old days is that they’re the old days. Now, all three teams have entered a rebuilding state, and the Ducks are certainly no exception.
They’ve still got a decent bit of their core intact from the last time they made the playoffs, with players such as John Gibson, Hampus Lindholm, Adam Henrique, Jakub Silvferberg and Rickard Rakell all still around, as well as captain Ryan Getzlaf returning to the Ducks on a one-year, $4.