Ducks Group Therapy: Go Ahead, Let Tears Fall

Well it seems as though these group therapy sessions might have come at just the right time. Damn those St. Louis Blues are good, aren't they? They made some big moves in the off-season and it clearly paid off for them. Maybe the Ducks will have the glory of saying the same thing next season, but until then...here's a shoulder for you to cry on. The therapist is in.

Brookbankin!

My uncle claims to have loved Sheldon Brookbank for quite some time. Perhaps he’s forgotten a somewhat bleak season last year, but that’s okay. I won’t go so far out there to say that he’s been the best defenseman on this team, but he’s definitely been a far improved blueliner over the course of the past few months. Perhaps the major change has come along with the coaching staff, but the fact of the matter is, Brookbank LOOKS like a more confident player on the ice. He’s been far more responsible and therefore more valuable as well. He’s taken some courses in accuracy and now the guy has three goals for crying out loud. Who saw that coming?! It’s a contract year for the defenseman and that leaves us open to the question, sign him to another inexpensive two-year contract to satisfy a desperate aging player, or let him find employment elsewhere?

MVPerry?

There is no doubt that last season we saw Corey Perry have what was a career season and one that has undoubtedly changed the opinions of many. Recently a Red Wings fan stopped by Anaheim Calling to leave a comment on how the perceptions have changed amongst some fans of the league in how they view Perry and his overall game. I’m sure the number of Ducks fans who would ship Perry off are few and far between, especially after last seasons most valuable performance, but what are your opinions of this new Perry? Is he in fact a different player, or is he just in better control of his game? Better yet, we will see another MVP performance from him in the future, or was that as good as it’s going to get? I personally feel this new Perry began to emerge as he was trying to find his way onto the Olympic team in 2010…and thankfully, it has stuck with him ever since.

Losing sucks.

It sucks even more when once upon a (brief) time they were winning. Looking ahead to next season, there is probably one thing the entire Anaheim fan base can agree on. THE DUCKS MUST BE BETTER TO START THE SEASON. I, for one, am sick and tired of these end of the season MUST win scenarios. Sure, I didn't expect the Ducks would have made a case for the playoffs at any point during the gloomy months of November and December but they managed to get their act together long enough to show some decency. Plus it meant Bob Murray didn't go buck wild and trade any quality assets. So there's only one question - will the Bruce Boudreau era bring a change that means success from the start of the season?

Where the hell is Dan Ellis?

Of course I know where Dan Ellis is. With his recent groin surgery keeping him out an additional chunk of time, where do your feelings lie with putting this extremely heavy load on Jonas Hiller? At this point I don’t expect we’ll be seeing Jeff Deslauriers starting any of these insanely crucial games to try and steal some points for Anaheim unless their post season hopes have been completely dashed. Do you think they would have started Dan Ellis during this crucial time in the season if he was healthy? Or maybe the bigger question is - shouldn’t they have taken this into consideration at the deadline and tried to find a goaltender as a possible back up if it’s needed? Queue Daniel’s comments about Bob Murray…now.

Power Play - yes, again.

I don't care. Not scoring on the power play is costing this team. "Looking good" and "getting chances" were last month's news. The game against St. Louis was a perfect example of what having success on special teams can do for a team - secure 2 points and lead you to the top of the Western Conference.