Oates

After a dismal 69-point season, Bryan Murray was promoted from behind the bench to the general manager's spot. His take: The Ducks couldn't score. So, Murray signed 40-year-old playmaker Adam Oates and 35-year-old, offensive-minded defenseman Fredrik Olausson, and traded for right wing Petr Sykora. This trio, along with left wing Paul Kariya, will mean goalie J.S. Giguere won't have to do it alone. Still, it may not be enough come playoff time.

	The Big Question
	Q: Can Oates and Sykora put the Mighty back in the Ducks? Certainly, the additions of Adam Oates and Petr Sykora can't help but improve the sad quack attack. Oates, 40, must provide the same leadership that fellow passmaster Ron Francis gives the Hurricanes. And, new coach Mike Babcock must keep a close eye on Oates' minutes. In recent years, Oates has been known to wear down during the course of the season. As for Sykora, he can be as good as he wants to be. If he's put his "A-Line" days behind him and focused on the future, Sykora will be a big plus. No doubt, both players will help improve the Ducks' league worst power play. Will these two make the Ducks better? Yes. Will they make them a playoff team in the tough West? No. -- E.J. Hradek
	Good: Adam Oates has never recorded fewer than 56 assists when playing at least 60 games in a season. Matt Cullen led the Mighty Ducks with 30 assists last season. Do you think Paul Kariya is happy to see a center who will get him the puck in open space? Bad: Steve Rucchin had a nice fantasy run for a few seasons, skating between Kariya and Teemu Selanne. The latter's departure and a slew of injuries derailed Rucchin's productivity. Now he's fighting Andy McDonald, Mike Leclerc and others for scraps behind Oates. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Ilja Bryzgalov, G A second-year pro from Russia, Bryzgalov has a chance to be even better than Anaheim incumbent J.S. Giguere, but the Ducks are committed to being patient with him.
	Minors Outlook
	Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Now strictly an Anaheim affiliate, the Ducks have one of the most prospect-laden rosters in the league and have added solid veterans like defenseman Todd Reirden. It should be a good year for new coach Brad Shaw.

Forwards This was a major problem throughout the 2001-02 season. Star left wing Paul Kariya, with little help around him, managed just 57 points in a full 82 games. After that, only three players (Matt Cullen, unheralded Mike Leclerc and now departed Jeff Friesen) recorded more than 40 points. So, to spice things up, new general manager Bryan Murray signed playmaking 40-year-old free agent center Adam Oates and offensive-minded 35-year-old defenseman Fredrik Olausson. Then, Murray traded for talented Devils right wing Petr Sykora, who seemed to wear out his welcome in New Jersey. If nothing else, the three new Ducks should help improve the power play, which finished dead last in the league. Rookie Stanislav Chistov arrives from Russia with a load of talent. He's a fun-to-watch player with a lot of attitude. The fifth overall pick in the 2001 draft, the 5-9, 160-pound Chistov will have to overcome a size disadvantage to make it in the NHL. Center Andy McDonald impressed during his 53-game rookie season. Certainly, the Ducks hope he can be a move valuable contributor in '02-03. Western Conference Position Ranking: 10th Defensemen Veteran Keith Carney proved to be an impact player for the Ducks. He was a plus-14 on a club that couldn't score and finished a minus-23 as a team. Now, that's impressive! The American-born Carney works with a worldly group that includes Belarussian Ruslan Salei, Russian Vitaly Vishnevski, Canadian Jason York and the Swedish-born Fredrik Olausson. I hope they all speak English. Ex-Devil Mike Commodore, Pavel Trnka and Niclas Havelid provide adequate depth. Western Conference Position Ranking: 13th Goalies Jean-Sebastien Giguere, a top pick of the former Hartford Whalers back in 1995, enjoyed a coming out party last season, finishing fifth in goals-against average (2.13) and fifth in save percentage (.920). The Montreal-native gave his low-scoring team a chance to win on most nights. And, really, that's all you can ask. If the Ducks are to have any chance at climbing back into the playoff chase, Giguere must have a repeat performance. Behind him, Ilya Bryzgalov? Yeah, Giguere had better play well. Western Conference Position Ranking: 11th

Rankings: 11th Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 29-42-8-3, 69 points Rank: T24th overall T13th West 5th Pacific Playoffs: None Home: 15-19-5-2 Road: 14-23-3-1 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 175/2.13 (29th) Home: 93/2.27 (28th) Road: 82/2.0 (28th) POWER PLAY Overall: 11.5/43-373(30th) Home: 12.7/23-181 (28th) Road: 10.4/20-192 (29th) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 198/2.41 (8th) Home: 101/2.46 (18th) Road: 97/2.37 (4th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 86.1/46-330 (7th) Home: 84.3/25-159 (20th) Road: 87.7/21-171 (2nd) STATS LEADERS GOALS Paul Kariya (32) Mike Leclerc (20) Matt Cullen (18) ASSISTS Cullen (30) Jeff Friesen (26)* Oleg Tverdovsky (26)* POINTS Kariya (57) Cullen (48) Leclerc (44) PENALTY MINUTES Kevin Sawyer (216) Denny Lambert (213) Leclerc (105) PLUS/MINUS Keith Carney (+14) Dan Bylsma (+5) German Titov (+4) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2.15) SAVE PERCENTAGE Giguere (.920) * - no longer with team