The plight of the Anaheim Ducks continues. With a 4-7-2 record and a home in the basement of the Western Conference standings, the Ducks’ shortcomings are starting to become more significant. Every missed hit; every lost race; every battle in the corner is taking its toll on the former “Mighty” ones. They are also the only team to have lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, and that was a 6-3 defeat that the Leafs basically never had in doubt. It takes a special kind of team to have that happen so far this season, and clearly the Ducks are a special kind of team.

The Ducks are not short on talented players. They have Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne, Ryan Whitney and Saku Koivu all wearing the flying “D” on their jerseys, but the team just hasn’t found a way to mix-and-match their stars in an effective way. With the exception of Perry, the aforementioned players have combined for just 11 goals on 141 shots. Perry has been a different sort of animal. With 10 goals to his credit, he accounts for 27% of the goals the Ducks have scored as a team so far this season. To that he has also added seven assists to lead the team in both categories.

Perry is currently in his fifth season with the Ducks. Last season he scored 32 goals and 72 points for his club – both career highs. He is sixth in the league in goals, 11th in points right now. Before being drafted in 2003 in the first round by the Ducks, Perry enjoyed success with the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League, winning the Memorial Cup, as well as a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. The 24-year old has always been a player on many peoples’ radars, and is proving himself as one of the premier players of the new NHL.

So why do the Ducks suck? Simply because the rest of the team isn’t performing to what is expected of them. From end to end, the Ducks aren’t able to get the job done, and that’s translated into a measly 10 points for the team. If Anaheim wants any chance at making the playoffs, they’re going to have to put together one of the most drastic turnarounds in franchise history. Players like Koivu and Getzlaf should take a hint from Corey Perry. Play good. Score goals. Win games. It’s as simple as that. The problem is, it’s not that simple.