from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

Whatever system the Ducks play — and they’re making a major philosophical shift from heavy hockey to a high-tempo game with quick puck movement — it will work only if players embrace it wholeheartedly as a group. If anything good can come from the ruins of their first-round playoff flameout against the San Jose Sharks last season, it’s that they recognized the need for change and the value of unity, and that one without the other won’t get them anywhere.

“We fell flat and it was a combination of things,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said of the team’s swift exit after a strong finish to the regular season. “I don’t want to dive into it too much. We want to start this year fresh. We want to get going. To dwell on it means that you’re thinking about it still and I don’t want to do that. But you learn from it; you learn from those mistakes and move on.”

What Getzlaf learned goes beyond Xs and O’s and buzzwords. “The chemistry is the most important thing, and you can build throughout a season,” he said.

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