After failing to make the postseason for the fourth straight season, the Anaheim Ducks are officially in offseason mode. With the 2021-22 season in the rearview mirror, we can look back at some of the individual seasons that Ducks’ players had, and how they fit moving forward.
We’re starting off with one of the more fun reviews as we take a look at Troy Terry’s breakout campaign. Few players saw their stock rise quite like the 24-year-old Terry, who set new career highs in goals (37) and assists (30). His 67 points were the most by a Ducks player since Rickard Rakell’s 69 points in 2017-18, the last season the Ducks qualified for the playoffs.
Terry’s Healthy Scratch Turns Into Point Streak
While Terry’s season will be remembered for several career highlights, it wasn’t without an early hiccup. He was a healthy scratch for the Ducks’ second game of the season. Terry admitted it was a surprise, but that it allowed him to relax. “I had finally gotten to the point in my pro hockey career…I’m fine. Let’s just move on and take it day-by-day,” he said in an interview with Kent French near the end of the season. With a new relaxed mindset, Terry returned to the lineup and contributed two assists in a win against the Winnipeg Jets. This would kickstart a 16-game scoring streak that carried until mid-November.
Terry’s 16-game scoring streak included 12 goals and 10 assists, and was ultimately the third-longest scoring streak in the NHL this season, trailing only Connor McDavid and Robert Thomas.
Terry Voted as “Last Man In” for All-Star Game
By January, Terry had already established new career highs in goals and points. His performance warranted being named to the All-Star Game, but was initially looked over. He was named the Ducks’ representative for the “Last Man In” competition, where the fans voted for one final player from each division. Fans rectified his initial snubbing, and Terry won the vote, edging out some established players such as Matthew Tkachuk, Drew Doughty, and Mark Giordano.
Related: Ducks’ Terry is Evolving Into an Elite NHL Sniper
Terry recorded a single point in the only game the Pacific Division played in during the event, but what happens in the All-Star Game doesn’t really matter. The greater point is that Terry’s underlying numbers were finally translating into his counting stats, and the league and its fans has begun to take notice.
Terry Moving Forward
With only one more year on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent (RFA), the Ducks should be looking to reward Terry with a generous contract. Anaheim will have a lot of money moving around over the next few seasons and can’t afford to lose an emerging scoring threat like Terry.
Terry will also likely factor into the team’s leadership picture moving forward. He spent much of the year winging Ryan Getzlaf, and Terry has been open about what his outgoing captain has meant to him.
“It’s truly been an honor to be on the team with him. Just incredibly special to play alongside him for most of this year and a lot of the last couple of years,” Terry explained in April (from ‘”He is Irreplaceable”: Troy Terry Talks at Length About Ryan Getzlaf,’ Orange County Register, 4/23/22).
Last November, I made the case that Terry should eventually become captain when Getzlaf retires. While I didn’t expect Getzlaf’s retirement to come so soon, it is worth noting that Terry was sporting an alternate captain’s patch for the first time in his career during the Ducks’ final two games of the season. As one of the “older” players of the Ducks’ youth movement, Terry can end up growing into the leader Anaheim needs to return to the postseason.
