Ryan Kesler adds new level of toughness for Ducks
The Ryan Kesler era officially began with the snap of a wrist to net an equalizer against his new team's most hated rival.
It was only a preseason game, but it was the first look at what the center will bring on a nightly basis. It might have taken him a little while to get going but so far, the future looks good.
"I thought it took him a period to get going and understand who his linemates were," head coach Bruce Boudreau said. "But I thought the second and third period he was really good."
Kesler scored at 11:50 in the third period for his only goal of the night in the Ducks 4-3 preseason shootout loss to the Kings at the Staples Center. He didn't think much of his high percentage in the faceoff circle as he was mostly going against guys who will be back in the AHL by the weekend but with each shift there was more chemistry that developed with his new linemates, wingers Patrick Maroon and Jakob Silverberg.
In Maroon, he has a bruising enforcer who finally came into his own late last season. Silverberg is a savvy skater and a strong two-way forward.
"I felt a little rusty but as the game went on I felt a lot better," Kesler said. "I thought as the game went on, I thought we were starting to find each other. We were inches away the first couple periods then we finally connected and I thought we had some really good looks."
Depth and power up the middle was the formula that both the Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks used to win the last three Stanley Cups. The Ducks were good already -- they had the Kings on the ropes in the Western Conference Semifinals -- but Kesler, in addition to captain Ryan Getzlaf, gives them an entirely new dimension in the middle.
"You can see that he's just a tough guy to play against," center Andrew Cogliano said. "That's what he's going to bring to the table. He's going to make our team much more difficult down the middle. When the regular season gets going and he really finds his game and gets in more games and gets more comfortable with the team I think him and Getzlaf are going to be really powerful down the middle."
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It's no secret that the much-maligned centerman was unhappy Vancouver. He had two different coaches and as the captain, took the brunt of the criticism as one hockey's most successful franchises fell hard and fast from grace. But in Anaheim, he may be able to find some respite amongst the palm trees and his ocean view.
"He's not going to have to deal with the day-to-day media things in Canada. He's pretty excited for that and you can see that he's much more relaxed and just able to play," Cogliano said. "He'll be under pressure - he's one of the premiere players in the league - and those guys are asked to produce."
The Ducks were good last season - one of the best - and the last time they were on the Staples Center ice they were the better team. It's still tough to pinpoint where it went wrong but bringing in a guy like Kesler is a good way to make sure that whatever happened in May doesn't happen again.
"A guy like Kes, he has rivalries already with teams. He's got rivalries with Chicago and rivalries with the Kings and it adds another level of emotion that our team is going feed off," Cogliano said. "I've played against him and I hated playing against him for pretty much my whole career. He's one of those guys you want on your team."
