Barring a miraculous but unlikely final result, the Anaheim Geese is not going to be contending for the playoffs however ought to take a significant step ahead of their path again to aggressive play. They can not afford one other bottom-five end within the NHL standings. Of their post-Cup-contending period (2018-present), they’ve made quite a few first- and second-round picks. They’ve engineered trades, introduced aboard veteran expertise, named a brand new captain, employed teaching workers at each the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) ranges, celebrated their thirtieth season as a franchise, and even modified uniforms. They enter a brand new decade of their short-but-storied historical past in want of a bang or the 2024-25 season shall be a disappointment.
Associated: Anaheim Geese’ 3 Keys to a Profitable 2024-25 Season
An enormous method the Geese can ship an enormous season is thru an improved bottom-six ahead group, which has teetered between underwhelming and nonexistent for years. For the primary time shortly, it seems prefer it has likelihood to meaningfully complement the offense of the highest six. That mentioned, let’s take a look at the gamers doubtless slotting into these roles and set some expectations for them.
Frank Vatrano: Replicate Your 2023-24, Please?
In equity to Frank Vatrano, who scored a career-high 37 instances in 2023-24, tops on the Geese, he deserves to be increased within the lineup. In any case, he developed an incredible cohesion with Mason McTavish. They had been the Geese’ most constant and harmful duo when the latter was wholesome. However there are a variety of causes that he’ll doubtless be relegated to a bottom-six ahead function, no less than to start the marketing campaign.
First off, it’s his place in coaching camp. He has been skating on a line with Robby Fabbri and Ryan Strome. Now, coaching camp strains are statistically unlikely to carry over the course of the season, however as of now, head coach Greg Cronin sees this as the very best match for his staff and has positioned McTavish between Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras. Second, there’s an expertise and age issue to think about. Vatrano, Strome, and Fabbri are roughly the identical age and have related expertise. They’re related gamers in that they battle laborious, play with a feisty edge, and are persistently able to offering 35-40 factors (roughly half of a degree per sport) over the course of a full season.
Vatrano’s 59 targets and 101 factors since becoming a member of the Geese within the 2022 offseason characterize the very best two-season stretch of his profession, and he has completed it on the again of his aggressive edge and shoot-first mentality. If he can keep that edge and proceed combating to achieve scoring positions, then he turns into the focus of a bottom-six ahead group that may do extra than simply give the highest skaters a break. It might not be honest to anticipate one other 35-plus aim season for Vatrano, however he might want to lead that cost and keep prepared for offensive alternatives.
Ryan Strome: Don’t Replicate Your 2023-24, Please?
Ryan Strome is a really perplexing case. He arrived in Anaheim the identical offseason as Vatrano on the heels of a 195-point, 263-game (four-season) stretch with the New York Rangers. That was good for a point-per-game (P/G) common of .74. That’s fairly spectacular stuff. He hasn’t come wherever near that in his time with the Geese. As a substitute, he has been a irritating participant whose lack of self-discipline and defensive deficiencies have made him virtually an entire legal responsibility. He’s minus-50 in two seasons in Orange County and served 79 and 86 minutes in penalties in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. For a man whose cap hit is $5 million, that’s simply unacceptable. Strome’s time-on-ice (TOI) final season was the bottom it has been within the earlier six, and it was for good purpose.
Nonetheless, a brand new season means one other reset. Strome will get crack at solidifying his third-line heart spot with Vatrano and Fabbri, which ought to give him alternatives to contribute offensively. He has put collectively consecutive 41-point seasons in Anaheim. He says he’s searching for extra. It’s nice that he needs to transform extra possibilities, however he must be higher defensively and shore up his self-discipline if he’s actually going to assist the Geese. After a sizzling begin final season, he was ice-cold the remainder of the best way and missed various nice possibilities to attain extra. Given his projected function, quantity isn’t more likely to be on his aspect, so he must concentrate on changing the possibilities that do come his method. He’ll doubtless wrestle to hit a third-straight 41-point season, however hopefully, I’m incorrect on that prediction.
Robby Fabbri: Welcome to the Geese
Fabbri was an under-the-radar acquisition by normal supervisor Pat Verbeek given his offseason targets of buying a top-six ahead or top-four protection expertise (in equity to him, he did say he needed to enhance his backside six, too). Maybe it could possibly be a sneaky good pickup ultimately. Fabbri is a Stanley Cup champion, becoming a member of Alex Killorn as the one Geese with such credentials. Like Vatrano and Strome, he’s a veteran presence with a half-point per sport potential, which the Geese might actually use for his or her third line. He has put up no less than 14 targets 4 instances. That’s not insignificant.
Fabbri’s well being is a significant pink flag. He hasn’t performed 72 video games since his rookie season again in 2015-16. The truth is, he hasn’t come near that quantity since then. If he can keep wholesome, then a 10-12-goal, 30–35-point season alongside Vatrano, Strome, or whoever else he performs with ought to make the Geese a deeper staff offensively.
Isac Lundeström: Present Me What You’ve Bought
One other participant in want of an enormous season? Isac Lundeström, who signed a one-year extension this offseason that constitutes his final greatest likelihood to earn a everlasting depth spot within the Geese’ lineup. An Achilles harm restricted him to 46 video games final season however he performed decently in his return as a fourth-line heart.
Lundeström hasn’t discovered his 2021-22 season’s 15-goal type. He shall be a depth ahead at greatest for the Geese in 2024-25, so he could not get the quantity to search out it once more. So his greatest approach to contribute shall be as a reliable, sensible, and environment friendly heart who can likewise chip in offensively when alternatives current themselves within the 12-14 minutes of ice he’ll draw every evening. He’s solely 24 years outdated, so he ought to have the legs to be environment friendly. Search for him to heart the third or fourth line this season and put collectively a 5-10-goal marketing campaign whereas additionally contributing on the penalty kill.
A number of Others within the Hunt for a Depth Spot
To date, we’ve mentioned 4 of the six spots on the underside two ahead strains. It’s laborious to see these 4 not factoring into the lineup nightly, which suggests there are two spots left for various gamers.
Ross Johnston, Brock McGinn, Nikita Nesterenko, Brett Leason, Sam Colangelo, and Pavol Regenda are all prospects. The Geese will inevitably carry just a few of those gamers or others, however who will fill the spots is anybody’s guess. If the Geese want extra sandpaper and dimension, then Johnston and McGinn will get some possibilities. Brett Leason additionally suits that invoice however has some scoring contact. Colangelo has youth in his favor and appeared good in his restricted motion towards the tip of final season, the identical as Nesterenko.
It can depend upon the Geese’ wants, however the means to contribute on offense, and never be liabilities on protection, have to be considered when deciding who fills the ultimate slots on this ahead group.
Backside Six Should Be Extra Dependable Offensively
The Geese’ nonthreatening assault of current seasons is a byproduct of your complete lineup simply not being ok to persistently produce offense. The inflow of youth through the years ought to start to vary that narrative quickly sufficient with the hope that they drive a much-improved practice in 2024-25. If the bottom-six, which ought to look the very best it has in years from a personnel perspective, can assist the massive weapons out, then the Geese ought to rating greater than 204 targets this season. Will it occur? Let’s see…
