I’m not writing this article because I’m a frustrated San Jose Sharks fan, as the Anaheim Ducks were a great hockey team in 2014-15. They had the best trade deadline in the NHL which gave them the best defensive corps in the league. This group consisted of Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Francois Beauchemin, James Wisniewski, Simon Despres and Cam Fowler, who are all capable top four defensemen.

Looking at those names, few should be surprised that the Ducks reached the Western Conference Final this year. They accumulated a ridiculous amount of depth in order to oust teams like the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. However, going into next year, Ducks fans shouldn’t be as confident in their team.

What made the Ducks so good in the first place was their crazy amount of defensive depth. After seeing Wisniewski and Beauchemin leave this offseason, the same can’t be said. Although drafting Jacob Larsson could give them another option in the future, the immediate impact is not a positive one. For being an average possession team, losing your one competitive advantage doesn’t bode well.  Especially if the replacements for the two departed defensemen are Clayton Stoner and Kevin Bieksa.

Despite these concerns, there are some encouraging signs that Ducks fans should look forward to. Adding Carl Hagelin makes them one of the fastest teams in the NHL and should go a long way towards improving their possession stats. Hagelin will make up for the losses of Emerson Etem and Kyle Palmieri. Also, while the price was high, adding Anton Khudobin will give the Ducks plenty of options in net going forward as they could have as many as three goalies with starting ability.

Next spring, the Ducks should be a playoff team. There are some positive signs to look forward to, but at this point, the negatives outweigh them. Seeing as how the Ducks’ first real challenge in the playoffs was against the Chicago Blackhawks, this team might find themselves in deep trouble once the playoffs come around.