Bill Clement

There are a lot of things that point to the Ducks being able to do what hasn't been done since 1997 and 1998 when the Detroit Red Wings managed to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

So not so fast if you're figuring Anaheim's reign atop the NHL is good for only one season.

Plenty of positives
Anaheim is deep in every area. On defense, the Ducks have Scott Niedermayer, this spring's Conn Smythe Trophy winner and the Norris Trophy winner in 2004, Chris Pronger, who has a Norris Trophy of his own (2000), and Francois Beauchemin, who became a rock-solid performer after being dealt to Anaheim by Columbus in November of 2005.

Anaheim also has dynamic young players up front in Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Dustin Penner, who are still on a learning curve and are bound for improvement. The upside of this trio is unlimited because of their skill level.

The team's roster also has quality and unbelievably talented role players led by Todd Marchant and Travis Moen, who signed a two-year contract extension less than a week after the Ducks won the Stanley Cup. Marchant can do it all, a good checker who excels on the power play and penalty killing.

And then there's the outstanding checking line of Samuel Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer, and Moen, which is an asset that many teams are without. This line does not get as much recognition as it deserves. That's because their contributions aren't as visible, they are more subtle.

Slide show California Cup A visual tour of the Ducks’ series victory over the Senators more photos

In hockey most fans watch the puck so the scorers and the goalies are in the spotlight most of the time. If a checking line like that of Pahlsson, Niedermayer, and Moen can keep an opponent's top offensive line from scoring, that's as good as if they put up a couple of points themselves.

And sometimes they do score as in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals when Moen tallied the game-winner on an assist from Rob Niedermayer, and in Game 2 when Pahlsson had the contest's only goal. The Pahlsson line has meant so much to the Ducks' success.

Key decisions involve Selanne and Giguere
Veteran winger Teemu Selanne had a 94-point season in finally winning a Stanley Cup. Selanne's an unrestricted free agent who will turn 37 in July. Will he return for another season with Anaheim or will he retire? Selanne has said he might want to retire on top, and if that's the case, now's the time to hang up the skates.

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Anaheim fans, however, concerned over whether Selanne comes back have an even bigger worry. Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is also an unrestricted free agent, and with his performances in the regular season and the playoffs he figures to be in line for a big bump in pay from the $3.9 million he made on his expiring contract.

Ducks general manager Brian Burke knows a team can't win without stellar goaltending and lest anyone forget Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2003 and he's only getting better with age. How can Burke not do what it takes to re-sign Giguere? Goaltending the caliber of which Giguere provides is the foundation for championships.

Ilja Bryzgalov is Giguere's backup. He's young, talented, and he got a playoff baptism by fire two springs ago when he rose to a starring role in the postseason after taking over for a faltering Giguere in Game 6 of the opening round. He seemed to have arrived, but he didn't play well in the opening few games of the playoffs this year and that paved the way for a switch to Giguere, who responded from a break for family issues with play so good he was in the running for another Conn Smythe Trophy.

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