Player Review: Ryan Getzlaf

Photo: Associated Press

By Garrett Funk

Ryan Getzlaf had a productive 2017-18 season. Getzlaf had a line of 11-50=61 and was +18 during the season, good for a 1.09 PPG average. The 6’4 center put up these totals despite only playing 56 games. The captain missed extended time after being struck in the face by a puck against Carolina on October 29th. Other players stepped up in his absence, but the top line center’s playmaking was sorely missed while he was out of action.

The Good:

Getzlaf put up over a point per game, and if he had played the whole season, 90 points on the year would not have been out of the question. Getzlaf was on a torrid pace, finishing with 50 assists and contributing to the stat sheet just about every game. His creativity in the offense and dynamic playmaking abilities were on display every night. The offense looked vastly different every time he was on the ice, and he has a knack for slowing the game down and dominating play at times. If he had stayed healthy, Getzlaf would have likely been in the Hart conversation.

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The Bad:

It is difficult to find anything to put here based on the excellent season Getzlaf had. The only negatives are the injury he suffered that was out of his control and the fact that he did not show up in the playoffs where the Ducks made a quick exit. However, the whole team did not play well so all the blame is not solely on number 15. Getzlaf had a season to be proud of, and even at age the of 32 he is showing no signs of slowing down.

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May 17th, 2018