Position Preview: Right Wing

Corey Perry

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 81 games played, 43 goals-39 assists-82 points, 65 penalty minutes
Playoffs: 13 GP, 4-7-11, 19 penalty minutes

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Reasoning: A point-per-game pace is tough to maintain for almost everyone in the NHL, and our man Corey Perry is no exception. It's no doubt a daunting task to recreate the kind of production Perry had last season in what ended up as his second-highest point total of his career, but fortunately, he plays with a certain... "intangible" that other fanbases despise (and let's be honest, we would too if he wasn't a Duck). Some examples? Gladly!

Perry is undoubtedly one of the biggest pests in the league, and having that player who knows how to get under the opposition's skin can get them rattled, which can cause them to lose their composure from time to time. Like this:

Taking it from the edge of the blocker too. Yikes.
Point being, Perry is a great player who earns his paycheck by getting on the scoresheet first and being generally irritating second, and the relative rarity of that combination is capable of drawing a strong sense of frustration for all who have to face off against him. He's still half of a dynamic duo that other teams fear playing against, so while it'll be tough for him to improve on his impressive stat line from 2013-14, neither he nor Getzlaf are going to tap the brakes when it comes to their productivity either.

Jakob Silfverberg

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 52 GP, 10-13-23, 12 PIM
Playoffs: 13 GP, 2-0-2, 4 PIM

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Reasoning: A broken hand halted the momentum that Silfverberg wasted no time generating for himself at the beginning of the season, resulting in some numbers that were a little lower than some may have expected out of him. Assuming he can avoid the bite of the injury bug this season, it looks like Silfverberg will be enjoying a little more consistency alongside Ryan Kesler. With enough time to develop some chemistry, these two could help each other up their 2013-14 numbers by a hefty amount.

Kyle Palmieri

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 71 GP, 14-17-31, 38 PIM
Playoffs: 9 GP, 3-0-3, 14 PIM

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Reasoning: Palmieri is coming off his best season in his four-year career, which could be partially accredited to more playing time with Silfverberg injured/struggling to find the scoresheet. With the Swede back, Palms will still be a reliable gamer on the third line, but his point contribution this season may drop a little with the added competition as well. He will be out for at least another week after suffering a high ankle sprain, but the team is hopeful that he will be ready to make up for lost time in the final preseason game against the Sharks.

Tim Jackman

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 36 GP, 3-1-4, 62 PIM

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Reasoning: A broken hand forced Jackman to sit out for the conclusion of the regular season and throughout the playoffs. Regardless, while he did play, he was never a scoring threat, posting a mere point every nine games on average. Scoring has never been Jackman's forte though, but rather, the more physical aspect. He's no stranger to the penalty box, and while he's not going to find a sniper's touch any time soon, he won't be shying away from his more brutish tendencies either.

Andrew Cogliano

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 82 GP, 21-21-42, 26 PIM
Playoffs: 13 GP, 1-6-7, 8 PIM

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Reasoning: Last year, underneath the star power of the Twins, the legacy of Selanne, and the coming-out party of Nick Bonino, sat Andrew Cogliano, another strong cog (sorry) of the Ducks flying under the radar while racking up the points. Since Derek already touched on Cogs, I won't beat a dead horse and reiterate everything that he's already touched on, but if he does end up as Kesler's left-hand man like the left-wing preview predicts, a Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg line would be incredibly fun to watch. No matter what side of the ice Cogliano ends up playing on, the departure of Selanne and Koivu is going to require some key players to step up in their leadership roles, and Boudreau is looking in #7's direction to be one of those guys.

Devante Smith-Pelly

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 19 GP, 2-8-10, 2 PIM (Anaheim); 55 GP, 27-16-43, 29 PIM (Norfolk)
Playoffs: 12 GP, 5-0-5, 24 PIM (Anaheim)

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Reasoning: DSP has made the most of his opportunities with the big club and now Bob Murray has decided to reward his efforts. A two-year, one-way contract signed in the offseason shows that the Ducks have a lot more trust in Smith-Pelly, and he will be spending a lot more time in Anaheim this season. He may be getting some looks at left wing as well, since the team isn't exactly stacked down that side of the ice. He showed some signs of brilliance during a period of time when he played on the top line with Getzlaf and Perry, so if there's any natural right wingers who will be looked at to skate on the other side of the ice when needed, DSP will be one of the first candidates.

Stefan Noesen

2013-14 Stats
Regular Season: 2 GP, 0-0-0, 4 PIM (Norfolk)
Playoffs: 4 GP, 0-4-4, 4 PIM (Norfolk)

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Reasoning: It's pretty tough not to improve on a season that was almost literally over right as it started. After suffering a nasty leg injury just two games into last season with the Admirals, Noesen spent the entire year undergoing surgery and rehab and was able to join the rest of our AHLers in the Eastern Conference semifinals against St. John's. Now fully healthy, Noesen will be expected to make the kind of contributions that made him so appealing in the big Bobby Ryan trade from a summer ago. While he may not be on the Anaheim roster on opening night, he could likely see some ice time on the west coast at some point or another this season in the midst of a productive campaign over in Virginia.

Chris Wagner

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 76 GP, 14-14-28, 68 PIM (Norfolk)
Playoffs: 10 GP, 2-3-5, 10 PIM (Norfolk)

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Reasoning: Wagner isn't coming off a bad season with Norfolk, but he has yet to put himself in a position where he will be called up to the Ducks anytime soon either. One of the better Admirals on the roster, the 23-year-old still has plenty of time to harness his skills, and if he has a good season, he may start getting looks to be called up if absolutely necessary. Most likely though, Wagner should be staying put over in Norfolk for the entirety of this season.

Brandon Yip

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 2 GP, 0-0-0, 0 PIM (Phoenix Coyotes); 66 GP, 14-20-34, 87 PIM (Portland Pirates)

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Reasoning: Yip hasn't been nearly as good as he was in his first two years in the NHL. Since then, he hasn't been of much help to his former teams, playing in less than half of a season's worth of games every year except for one. If last year is any indication, though, he can still be of some assistance in the AHL, which is where he'll end up without a doubt if he sticks with the organization. Since Norfolk possesses more talent on the right side to compete with than Arizona/Portland, Yip will probably not get as much ice time, and therefore, see a drop in production from last year.

Louis LeBlanc

2014 Stats
Regular Season: 8 GP, 0-0-0, 4 PIM (Montreal Canadiens); 70 GP, 13-15-28, 63 PIM (Hamilton Bulldogs)

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Reasoning: It's not really any secret that LeBlanc will be down in Norfolk for most of, if not the entire season. While he is listed as a center/right wing, he'll be serving as the former for the Admirals. As an AHL player, LeBlanc has been decent, and it's my guess that he'll probably stay as consistent as he's been in the last three years with Hamilton. Who knows? Maybe he gets the motor running over in Norfolk and gets a call-up if one of our centers can't suit up. Otherwise, it's another year trying to find a stronger rhythm in the minors for LeBlanc.