Jean-Sebastien Giguere was the story of last season's playoffs.
The 26-year-old native of Montreal backstopped the underdog Ducks to unexpected victories over the Detroit Red Wings, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and the Dallas Stars, the Western Conference's top-seeded team.
En route to winning the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP, Giguere recorded five shutouts and won seven straight overtime games. During one incredible stretch, he went 168 minutes and 27 seconds without surrendering an OT goal.
The question now is whether he can produce a season-long sequel to his Cinderella playoff run. The answer: no - with a caveat.
It would be impossible for any goaltender, save some intervention from a fairy godmother, to sustain that magical level of play for an entire season.
But you can still expect Giguere to have a strong campaign.
Giguere's tireless work ethic, combined with his near-perfect position play, will likely help Giguere avoid any major slumps.
Of interest will be how Giguere handles the constant glare of the spotlight. He played last season under the veil of obscurity in a city were hockey isn't a big ticket. This season it'll be much different. Giguere has a big new contract, and with Paul Kariya gone, he will have to bear the brunt of the media's attention.
Backing up Giguere is Martin Gerber, who had a 1.95 GAA and a .929 save percentage last season.
Despite losing Paul Kariya in the offseason, this year's incarnation of the Ducks should be better than the squad that lost in the Stanley Cup final to the New Jersey Devils.
After rejecting an offer from Ducks GM Bryan Murray, Kariya signed with the Avalanche. To Murray's credit, he didn't just sit on his hands and do nothing. Just days after the Kariya deal was announced, Murray told the hockey world that he'd agreed to terms with Sergei Fedorov.
When it comes to offence, Fedorov is at least Kariya's equal, but on defence there is no competition. Fedorov is among the best two-way centres in the game. Kariya, on the other hand, can at times be a defensive liability.
Murray also signed Vaclav Prospal, who is coming off a career season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Prospal finished 15th in the NHL in scoring with 79 points. He's expected to play on a line with Fedorov and Petr Sykora.
Forwards Steve Rucchin and Rob Niedermayer are gritty character guys who know what it takes to win. Both can play smothering defence and chip in with key goals.
Stanislav Chistov had a strong rookie campaign. The Ducks hope he can build on that this season.
The rock-solid defence corps that took the Ducks to the final is intact. Keith Carney, Ruslan Salei, Kurt Sauer and Vitaly Vishnevski are stalwarts in their own end. Both Niclas Havelid and Sandis Ozolinsh are strong skaters and will contribute offensively.
Rucchin is the heart and soul of the Ducks. A heady and determined player, Rucchin can hold his own at both ends of the ice. During the Ducks' playoff run, he was counted on to take key faceoffs, mark opposing team's top shooters, kill off penalties and score timely goals. The Ducks think so much of Rucchin that they picked him to succeed Kariya as the team's captain.
