Ducks' Randy Carlyle senses a 'more workmanlike attitude' from players
DUCKS FYI
Coach says the club seems ready for a solid season.
Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer are under contract and under the salary cap.
A first-round playoff elimination last spring eliminated any possibility of a Stanley Cup hangover ruining this season.
The Ducks have no distractions. No excuses.
They have only a resolve to capitalize on this moment, with Niedermayer starting perhaps the final season of his superb career, with Selanne still productive, Chris Pronger a physical force for astounding chunks of time and youngsters Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry smoothly assuming leadership roles.
"We all know we have a good team. We all know that this team next year has the potential to change quite a bit so I think we need to take advantage of each other this year," goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere said Wednesday, before the Ducks traveled to San Jose for Thursday's season opener.
"We need to take advantage of the fact you're playing with Teemu, that you're playing with Scotty and Prongs. These are the types of players you don't get to play with all the time. As a goaltender I'm glad to play with these guys because they make me better and they make everybody else better."
Having an energetic Selanne for a full season instead of the 26 games he played after ending a brief retirement should revive their offense.
Having Niedermayer in uniform all season, instead of the 48 games he played after taking a sabbatical, should add calmness and stability to a defense that is again as formidable and versatile as any in the NHL.
Most of all, having Selanne and Niedermayer in camp from the first practice -- Selanne on a tryout agreement until General Manager Brian Burke moved bodies and cleared cap space for a two-year deal -- gives the Ducks as much certainty as anyone can hope for in a sport played on a slippery surface.
This is their team, with winger Bobby Ryan, coming off a strong training camp, waiting in the minor leagues if the offense falters and Burke can find cap room.
No excuses. No distractions.
"Everybody this year should be ready physically and mentally," Giguere said.
They seem ready to Coach Randy Carlyle, who is starting his fourth season and has a .630 winning percentage, the best in club history. Carlyle said he senses a "more workmanlike attitude" than a year ago, when Selanne and Niedermayer were pondering their futures.
