The quest for D

Plugging Holes -- Anaheim Ducks

The Hole: A shutdown defenseman

The Anaheim Ducks missed the playoffs, despite having elite scorers in Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry -- and getting quality goaltending from Jonas Hiller. The team's problems were mainly on the defensive side of the puck, where they ranked second-to-last in the league with a minus-23.6 team defensive GVT. Fixing that defensive unit should be their main priority this offseason.

After the pay wall: a possible fix for the team, E.J.'s take on it, and more analysis. For all this, essential for pre-July 1 puckheads, you must be an ESPN Insider.

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E.J. Hradek

Senior Writer, ESPN The Magazine

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E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989.