Last Season: 46-25-11, 103 points, first in the Pacific Division.

Once again the Anaheim Ducks took a nosedive into a trash compactor by failing to clinch the series against the Nashville Predators in Game 6 and losing at home in Game 7 for the fourth year in a row. Bruce Boudreau was fired shortly thereafter.

2015-16 season, in one picture

View photos GettyImages-525251700 More

Did they get better, worse, or are they about the same?

It’s a difficult question to answer because it all starts at the top. With the axing of Boudreau, Ducks GM Bob Murray brought in old friend Randy Carlyle because of his ability to win with the franchise (when they had Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger).

When Carlyle was fired by Anaheim in November 2011 and Boudreau took over, the roster needed an overhaul to fit the new coach’s roll all four lines style. Murray tweaked the roster somewhat this summer to fit Carlyle’s ‘roll three lines and let the fourth play minimal minutes’ plan.

Gone are David Perron, Brandon Pirri, Chris Stewart, Jamie McGinn, Mike Santorelli, Shawn Horcoff and, most notably, Frederik Andersen.

The team brought in Antoine Vermette, Jared Boll, Mason Raymond and Jonathan Bernier. The Ducks don’t have the cash to play in the free agent market, and appear to have a plan for what space they have left.

If history is any indicator, Carlyle is likely to try to recreate the magic of the 2006-07 Stanley Cup winning team with his line combinations, at least at the top. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry plus an undetermined left winger will carry the scoring. Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano will continue their shutdown role.

From there it’s a toss up due in main part to the uncertainty of the roster makeup as it relates to the contracts of defenseman Hampus Lindholm and center Rickard Rakell (see ‘fascinating players’).

The defense is relatively set beyond Lindholm and the uncertainty of Cam Fowler’s future. Murray has managed to put together a group of defensemen that can evenly pair left and right shots. How Carlyle decides to pair them is another question.

Five most fascinating players

1. Hampus Lindholm & 2. Rickard Rakell. They’re lumped into one because they’re in the same situation. Both are restricted free agents who have yet to sign new contracts. The Ducks are an internal budget team. Per General Fanager, Anaheim currently has $7.52-million in cap space with 48 of 50 contracts on the books. (Nate Thompson ruptured his Achilles in the offseason and isn’t expected back until March. The team has not put him on LTIR as of yet.)

Lindholm logs the top penalty killing minutes for the defense, and is tied with Ryan Kesler for fifth on the team in power play points at 15 while on the second unit. Lindholm is one of those defensemen that you don’t hear about a lot, and for a d-man, that’s a good thing.

Rakell had a breakout season this past year. For the first time in his NHL career, he broke the 20 goal plateau and the 40-plus point mark. When he went down with a ruptured appendix right at the beginning of the playoffs, his loss was noticeable. He came back towards the end of the playoffs, but was barely at 75-percent.

Both players have grown into their roles with the Ducks that to lose either one – or Gord forbid, both – would be a significant blow to the roster and the future of the team.

Plus they’re best buds.

3. Cam Fowler. When he was drafted by the Ducks, he was touted as the next Scott Niedermayer. Those are huge skates to fill. Fowler hasn’t been a bust, but clearly he’s not evolved into what the franchise thought he would be by now. Much of that has to do with his pairing on defense. He played a majority of the past season with Kevin Bieksa, and essentially had to play all the defense while his partner was out of position.

Story continues