Anaheim Ducks: Defensemen need to take offensive responsibility

There’s no question the Anaheim Ducks have struggled to score goals this season; one of the primary reasons for this struggle has been the lack of aggressiveness and offensive mentality from their top defensemen.

The Anaheim Ducks have been known to have one of the best defensive cores in the league for some time. Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, Brandon Montour. Those are household names that have known to play a complete game and be two ways players, offensively and defensively. The key word there is known.

These top four are having a rough time this season keeping pucks out of their own zone and relieving Ducks All-Star goaltender John Gibson of pressure. While I do think they have done a fairly satisfactory job, they are still giving up tons of shots toward the net and allowing Gibson to face far too much on a per game basis.

What I am more concerned about though is the drop in offensive play from this talented group. The inability to get the puck out of their zone has made a serious impact on their offensive contributions. They are failing to drive the offense and bring speed through the defense and neutral zones to help setup offense for the forwards.

You can see the lack of offense in their recent output.