It’s that easy. What bet should I be placing? Since the only futures are Stanley Cup, Conference winners, and point totals. I think the Ducks were projected around 80 pts. Not something I’d wager on at even money. For those that believe the Ducks will compete they should throw some money on the Ducks at 200/1.
Your perspective runs parallel to all the legacy media's perspective's I've read recently. I think it's a fair assessment if you take the season as a whole. Of course, there would be very little to inspire if that were the case. Yet, there is nuance that's being omitted from last year's productions.
As denoted earlier, the team had two different head coaches and two different results.
RC produced 51 points in the first 56 games.
Extrapolate it to a full season and you get 74.6 points.
Bob produced 29 points in the last 26 games.
Extrapolate it to a full season and you get 91.4 points.
Since Bob was a first year coach when he took over, he did struggle in his first 9 games coaching going 3-6-0. The rest of the way thereafter, Bob's team went 11-5-1. That's 23 points in 17 games.
If you extrapolate the last 17 games to a whole season, then you get 110 points.
There's a significant difference between RC and Bob coached teams. Bob demoted D Fowler to the 2nd line and re-united Lindholm (Magnus) with Manson as the first pairing blue liners. Afterwards, he simplified the defensive play. Finally, the kids came to play the second time around.
Steel (Splits)
2018: 13 games, 1G + 2A = 3 pts
2019: 9 games, 5G + 3A = 8 pts
Terry (Splits)
2018: 6 games, 0G + 0A = 0 pts
2019: 26 games, 4G + 9A = 13 pts
Jones
While Jones didn't get on the score sheet much with respect to points, he did get on the stats page with 30 hits in 30 games. LoL
Kase
Did not play under Bob because he was injured much in 2018-19 season. He only participated in 30 games. But in those 30 games under RC, he had 11 goals + 9 assists = 20 points.
All these little nuances add up when the coaching change occurred. Lost in all this is that new coach Dallas has been around a lot of the Ducks' youthful forwards. The transition won't be as awkward. So while the legacy media paints the Ducks in fowl weather, Bob revealed just how talented the Ducks actually are to end the season. The way the Ducks flourished to conclude the season built up so much more confidence going into 2019-20 season. The coaching assistants remained, meaning they'll employ a similar defense. Head coach Dallas has a way to light up the score sheet. Pile on Darryl Sutter in an advisory role to head coach Dallas and GM Bob has given the team plentiful of fail safes so the team can succeed.
Chomping at the bit for NHL time are forwards Comtois, Lundestrom, and Sherwood. On defense, Larsson feels bland, but safe. D Guhle is the wild card with respect to prospects. We don't know what Jani Hakanpaa will bring to the NHL ice, but his 6'5 frame with a defensive clearing repertoire as a 5/6th defenseman sounds promising from a PK and "hold onto the lead at the end of the game" player.
I want to reiterate that GM Bob had Lindholm, Manson, Fowler, and Larsson as mainstays as well as anyone else who could play defense to round robin. The team won under those circumstances. Now, we can add Guhle, MDZ, and Jani into the mix. While it may not seem like a significant upgrade, there is an upgrade in the 4 - 7th defensemen talent. The Ducks' defense vastly improved under Bob, as mentioned in a previous comment.
Nuances make for a considerable difference in futures. These nuances often get overlooked. If you ever read Anaheim Calling for the past several years, then you'd be amazed their rhetoric vs actual productions. AC people will rip the organization every year despite winning the Pacific division five years in a row. So the Ducks have slip up last year and didn't make the playoffs the first time in seven years. The legacy media is relying on the whole season last year without nuance in predicting the Ducks aren't going anywhere anytime soon. But nuance matters as it paints a picture with far better depth of what's to come or not come. Nuance exists between who coached the Ducks last year if you paid close attention. The proof is in the pudding, or you can read above, whichever one suits one best.
I won't be surprised if the Ducks top 95 points b/c I can see it happening. Although, legacy media and yourself will be surprised as well as state that "no one could have predicted this happening". LoL The Ducks in 2002-03 didn't have much talent outside of the phenomenal play of one player - JS Giguere. This year's Ducks can run the gambit with the mix of veterans, youths, and amazing goal tending between Gibby and Miller.
