Is Anaheim's Pond half-full or half-empty? Optimists and pessimists both have ample ammunition following a season in which numerous changes in Anaheim's locker room produced just a three-point improvement in the standings.

	2001-02 by the numbers
	Record: 29-42-8-3, 69 points (T24th overall, T13th West, 5th Pacific) Goals for: 175/2.13 (29th overall) Goals against: 198/2.41 (8th overall) Differential: -23 (22nd overall) 20-goal scorers: Paul Kariya (32), Mike Leclerc (20) 50-point scorers: Kariya (57)

Fueling the fire of negativity, the Mighty Ducks struggled to score goals in their first full season without Teemu Selanne. Left to fend for himself with Selanne in San Jose and former linemate Steve Rucchin on the shelf for much of the season, Paul Kariya suffered through arguably the most disappointing season of his professional career. Injuries knocked Kariya out of the lineup in past seasons, but he's always produced points when healthy. In fact, the winger produced 1.15 points per game in his first 462 career games. Last season, playing 80-plus games for just the third time, he averaged only 0.70 points per game. Lacking the talent to pick up the scoring slack, Anaheim slipped to a franchise-worst 175 goals.

But while the offense was struggling to average even two goals a game, stranger things were afoot on the other end of the ice. Never known for a defense-first approach, Anaheim dealt with their offensive deficiencies by playing outstanding team defense. The team cut its goals against by 47, allowing fewer than 200 goals in a full season for the first time in franchise history. Leading the way, albeit behind an aggressive group of blueliners, was goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Starting a majority of his team's games for the first time, Giguere was the best Quebec-born youngster this side of Jose Theodore. Giguere was one of only four goalies to play at least 50 games while posting a goals-against average less than 2.30 and a save percentage of at least .920. The others? Theodore, Patrick Roy and Sean Burke. That's heady company.

Looking at next season
At least Anaheim isn't satisfied with mediocrity. For years it seemed the franchise was happy to surround its two leading men with whatever extras its limited budget allowed. But outside of the cash-happy Rangers, no team that missed the playoffs has been more active this offseason than the Mighty Ducks.

Improving the offense was the summer's top priority, and bringing aboard veteran center Adam Oates was the first step. As great as he is, Kariya needs someone on his line who can get him the puck in open space. That's been a problem, because Rucchin missed 110 games the last two seasons. Oates turns 40 in August, but he's played in at least 80 games during five of the last six seasons. And as much success as Rucchin had with Kariya and Selanne, he had just one season of 40-plus assists. Arguably the game's best pure passer, Oates hasn't finished with fewer than 40 assists since his second season in the league (1986-87).

Adding Oates helps, but no team better understands the perils of trying to win with limited offensive options. And that meant Jeff Friesen had to go. Expected to enjoy a career year after arriving from San Jose in the Selanne trade, Friesen instead struggled to find a role in Anaheim. Better suited as a second-line winger with 25-goal potential, he isn't the explosive scorer some envisioned early in his career. The same can't be said for Petr Sykora, acquired in Anaheim's second major offseason move, a seven-player trade with New Jersey. Bothered by the Devils' fractured locker room and left out of the offensive flow, Sykora recorded fewer than 200 shots for the first time in four seasons, and slumped from 35 goals in 2000-01 to 21 last season. A fresh start in California, not to mention passes from Oates, may help him regain his touch.

The retooled top line has potential, although new coach Mike Babcock has mentioned the possibility of occasionally playing Sykora on the second line. But depth is the key to sustained offensive success, so getting 60 healthy games out of Rucchin would do wonders for the team's spirit. Besides Rucchin, Matt Cullen, Andy McDonald, Sami Pahlsson and German Titov are all capable of playing center. Cullen is likely to handle second-line duties after improving his point total for the fourth straight season. That means McDonald may get a chance to earn minutes on the wing. The 25-year-old forward finally escaped the minors and managed seven goals and 21 assists in 52 games.

Mike Leclerc, emerging as a talented power forward, and Titov, who scored nine of his 13 goals in the final 28 games, will be counted on for 40 to 45 goals, but another 15-to-20-goal threat needs to emerge from a pack that includes Pahlsson, Patric Kjellberg, Timo Parssinen and Russian rookie Stanislav Chistov. Newcomer Rob Valicevic has a chance to make the cut and help Dan Bylsma handle checking responsibilities.

Unfortunately, acquiring Sykora came at more of a cost than merely surrendering Friesen. Losing veteran defensive stalwart Oleg Tverdovsky is a major blow. Tverdovsky's offense slipped last season as his health finally faltered after four consecutive 82-game seasons, but he remains one of the league's more underrated two-way defensemen. Fredrik Olausson, signed away from Detroit, won't replace Tverdovsky's minutes or big hits, but the team will be happy if he replaces Tverdovsky's power-play contributions.

The rest of the defense isn't going to make much of an impact in the other team's end, but they're rock-solid in their own. Led by Keith Carney, plus-14 on a team that finished a collective minus-106, the unit includes big hitters, Vitaly Vishnevski and Ruslan Salei, and all-around reliability, Jason York and Pavel Trnka. Niclas Havelid and Todd Reirden, the latter signed this offseason, bring plenty of experience but will find playing time hard to come by. Acquired in the Sykora deal, Mike Commodore, 22, has a chance to earn regular shifts after languishing in shadows for New Jersey. Another defensive defenseman, Commodore had just one assist in 37 games for the Devils last season.

Giguere is set in net, but the team could use a quality backup now that Shields has moved on to Boston. Asking the 25-year-old Giguere to start 65 games this season is asking for trouble. New Jersey was so enamored with Jean-Francois Damphousse that they coaxed John Vanbiesbrouck out of retirement for last season's stretch drive rather than play the youngster.

Even without Tverdovsky around, Oates, Sykora and Olausson should be enough to dramatically improve the league's worst power play. Had the Ducks converted even 15.5 percent of their chances, the mark posted by Toronto's middle-of-the-pack unit, they would have scored 14 additional goals. More than even-strength offense, Babcock must get points out of his team's extra-man opportunities.

The Mighty Ducks are different, but are they better? Adding new players isn't always a recipe for success. Finishing last season with eight wins in their final 19 games showed this team has potential, but continuity will be tough to find with a new coach and new players. Considering no Western Conference team made the playoffs while scoring fewer than 212 goals, it won't be defense that makes or breaks Anaheim's season.