from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

Ducks executives approached this season believing they didn’t have to completely rebuild their roster because they had collected enough young talent to make a strong start toward being a playoff team again and, eventually, a Stanley Cup contender.

There wasn’t a franchise player among those kids but projections were they’d gradually begin to contribute and they’d invigorate a team that had become slow and stale.

No one expected this to be easy. But no one expected the Ducks to be sitting last in the Western Conference through Friday’s games.

“To be honest, I’m not sure where we were going to be,” coach Dallas Eakins said last week. “I think when I look at our record right now I do believe it should be better. I’m not going to say that we should be sitting in a playoff spot but I certainly think we should have five or six more wins.”

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