Last season, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were an impressive team defensively, but woeful offensively. Will the addition of Adam Oates and Petr Sykora cure their goal-scoring ills?

ESPN.com asked for your thoughts about the Mighty Ducks. Here is an edited sampling of your responses:

Finally! The Mighty Ducks have executed some major signings. For better or for worse, at least they are doing something. I expect them to be the most improved team (points wise) in the West. The Ducks have improved their offense considerably. With the return of Kariya to 40 goals, add Sykora for 30 goals, a healthy Rucchin, an older and wiser Leclerc, and a showstopping rookie phenom in Chistov, the Ducks will not have problems on offense. They will be contending for that final playoff spot, which they will probably not make this year, unless Giguere pulls a "Theodore"

Michael Lalonde
Ottawa

Here's the deal, this team still stinks. They are most likely going to finish last in the Pacific. The one good thing is that Disney has figured out that they don't know squat about hockey. Which I guess is a good thing ... I know ESPN is owned by Disney and all, but really, you'd think with all the hockey experts ESPN employs they would listen to one of them on how to run a team. Quite frankly, this team is still an abomination to the hockey gods and they deserve to stink.

Jim Ercek
Austin, Texas

The Ducks now have two solid lines, which will help their atrocious offense. Oates will be the set-up man Kariya needs, which hopefully will result in more production from Kariya. Sykora should be a fine fit on the second line with Titov, and Rucchin, or possibly Andy MacDonald. The additions of Commodore and Olausson will also strengthen the Ducks' defense as well. With a stronger 'D' the Ducks may get even better results from Giguere. The Ducks probably won't make it to the playoffs, but things are looking brighter for them.

Paul Noonan
Squantum, Mass.

Calling Tverdovsky a big hitter is a joke. He is one of the softest guys in the league. He is a great transition player though, and the Ducks defense will look very slow without him. Hopefully, the Ducks didn't acquire any new head cases by trading for Oates and Sykora, but getting rid of the malcontent Friesen, and two players who weren't happy with their roles (Tverdovsky and Shields), is definitely addition by subtraction. Still, the Ducks need another big forward in their lineup, and probably will get out muscled by a lot of teams.

Cyrus Alimadadian
Anaheim, Calif.

The team will be improved for sure. The playoffs still will be 10 points off. The Flames showed how one good line can make a difference, but overall team depth will keep them from the playoffs.

Mark Williams
Monroe, Mich.

The Ducks will move forward and be a .500 team in 2002-03. Kariya, Giguere, and Sykora give them a good young base for the future, but Oates and Olausson are only quick fixes. Both will be retired within two years. Hopefully, this will give the Ducks enough time to scour the free-agent market, trade, and draft some good players. Bottom line: The Ducks will never be more than a mediocre team with Disney at the helm.

Chris Iler
Newport Beach, Calif.

I'm currently 18 years old and I've been watching the Mighty Ducks since I was 8. I've never been more disappointed in the organization since the Teemu Selanne trade. Teemu was the heart of a team that had potential to make the playoffs each year. However, the recent offseason moves have changed my view of the organization. Acquiring Oates and Sykora is a start, and it shows fans that the club is willing to make changes to improve. More importantly, signing Olausson will improve the league's worst power play. I'm a realistic fan, so I realize how unlikely it is that the team will make the playoffs. Nonetheless, the changes made will make the team more competitive. Hopefully, these recent offseason moves will bring some bright hockey moments back to Anaheim. A repeat of last season's struggles would surely discourage fans from returning to The Pond.

Kenneth Browe
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

I love the moves the Ducks made this offseason, but expecting any significant improvements may be asking too much. Giguere DID have a career year last year, true, but the rest of the team sort of phoned it in. Oates is a huge help, but they're going to need a career year out of a center who turns 40 before the season even starts to have a chance. If the whole team turns things around, they have a chance. If they rely on Oates, Sykora, Olausson, Kariya and Giguere to get them through, they'll be back looking up at the rest of the West before you can say All-Star break.

Adam Klawitter
Clovis, Calif.