Anaheim Ducks 2014-15 Season Preview

Feb 27, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Minnesota Wild forward Dany Heatley (15) celebrates after scoring against the Edmonton Oilers in the third period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

3 BIG QUESTIONS

 1.   Are the Kids alright in net? – By letting Hiller walk to the Flames, the Ducks are turning the reins of the franchise over to a pair of young but highly skilled goalies.  John Gibson and Frederik Andersen have both shown flashes of brilliance in their short careers and it will be an interesting battle to see which one gets the top job or if they split time fairly evenly.

2. Does Heatley have anything left?  – The Ducks took a shot at the veteran whose offensive ability seems to have fallen off a cliff.  He saw fourth line duty in the playoffs with the Wild, and from all accounts was actually a good teammate and accepted his role.  Heatley has had chemistry with Getzlaf at previous international competitions, but I don’t think you will see the combination much this season, aside from maybe some early season power play time to see if Heatley has anything left in the tank.

3. Are the Ducks deep enough?  – There is no doubting the top end talent of Getzlaf and Corey Perry.  However, two or three players from the likes of Patrick Maroon, Matt Beleskey, Devante Smith-Pelly, Emerson Etem and Jakob Silfverberg will have to make big strides and assume key roles for this team to be successful.