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Rickard Rakell turns into Ducks main goal scoring option

ANAHEIM, CA - DECEMBER 9: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his first period goal during the game against the San Jose Sharks on December 9, 2016 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images)
Rickard Rakell of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his first period goal during the game against the San Jose Sharks on December 9, 2016 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. (Getty Images)

ANAHEIM, Calif. – In the past year, Anaheim Ducks forward Rickard Rakell has been through a few life-altering experiences.

He’s has undergone two procedures on his appendix. He received a new six-year, $22.8 million contract. His girlfriend also moved in with him, meaning he no longer lives with roommate, defenseman Hampus Lindholm.

“I think moving away from me was pretty hard,” Lindholm said with a laugh when asked about not living with Rakell anymore. “I think he’s doing all right. Now he has his girlfriend taking care of him. It’s fine, we still live really close to each together. Whenever we miss each other I just go and knock on his door.”

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Despite these personal and professional situations for Rakell, some of which have created adversity for him, he has figured out a way to improve and break through to become one of the best goal scorers in the NHL this season in under-the-radar fashion.

His 32 tallies are tied for 12th in the NHL, but his 0.49 goals per-game rank sixth in the league amongst players who have played in 60-or-more games.

This pace has Rakell ahead of all-star snipers like Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane and Alex Ovechkin. He also has twice as many goals as teammate Corey Perry, a former Rocket Richard Trophy winner.

“He’s one of those guys, especially the last couple of years here, he has been into more of a shooting mentality,” Lindholm said. “It’s not like he hasn’t had a good shot before but he just came in, like he has been shooting pucks, he’s got those really good hands and he can get himself in a good position. He can shoot around defensemen. It’s not all about just having a good shot, but you have to have the hands to shoot around the defenseman. Like I know myself – as a defenseman you always try to use your stick and poke, but good forwards, they somehow get around that and he’s really good at it. I wouldn’t say I’m surprised that he’s putting up the numbers he’s putting up. That’s something he’s always had in his toolbox and he’s putting it to show right now.”

Most of the NHL’s top goal scorers showed an affinity for putting the puck in the net at an early age and were drafted high because of this ability. Rakell was taken with the 30th overall pick in the 2010 draft because he was a do-it-all center who could skate and had a deft passing ability.

In the OHL with the Plymouth Whalers, Rakell never scored over 30 goals in parts of three seasons. With the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in 2013-14 he had 14 goals and 37 points in 46 games.

Even in his first year with the Ducks in 2014-15, Rakell couldn’t hit double-digits in goals, scoring nine in 71 games played. Really, it wasn’t until 2015-16 when he started to find his goal scoring touch when he fired 20 goals in 72 games.

Part of this had to do with how Rakell has been used recently – as a winger with center Ryan Getzlaf. Throughout his career, Rakell had been a center and saw his offensive capabilities taken away by his defensive responsibilities as a pivot. With Getzlaf he never had to worry about this and could just focus on getting into the open areas and making himself available for Getzlaf.

“In the last couple of years I’ve been here I’ve seen him play and I’ve always thought of him as a playmaker too but I knew he had a good shot and he’s just always been one of those guys who passes it first and not shoot it but this year he has been taking on that more shooting mentality and it is working real well for him,” Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg said. “He always has had a great shot and he’s finding ways to get the puck to the net now.”

Rakell is a different sort of sniper than a lot of the league’s top goal scorers. He has a quick release, but he’s not able to generate as much power with it as others like Ovechkin, Patrik Laine or Tarasenko. Instead, he’s able to locate openings and put the puck into them with incredible accuracy.

“He gets it off quick and he usually scores above the glove or the blocker. He gets it off quick,” Lindholm said. “Like even if he collects rebounds around the net, he’s got the poise to kind of put himself in that scoring position and he gets them off really quick.

“Defensemen are good skaters and they close on you quick so you have to get that puck off quick otherwise that scoring chance goes away.”

Overall, there’s little worry that Rakell will slow down as the league “figures him out.”

Though he has sort of burst onto the scene this year as an elite sniper, he has already played 230 games and really, in some respects, his goal totals reflect how he better understands the NHL game.

“I think it takes some guys some time to find their way,” forward Andrew Cogliano said. “Sometimes some guys are a little bit late bloomers in terms of being able to create offense because it’s a tough league to do that so he always had a lot of skill. When he came in I think he played more of a defensive role and more of a third-line role and it seemed like he needed more of an opportunity to start playing more skilled. Now we’re seeing the benefits of that, so I think he’s going to be a good player for a long time. His skill is an elite level. It’s just matter of sometimes guys need the opportunity to produce and show that and he’s had that.”

If there’s anything, Rakell’s production could be slowed if the Ducks decide to move him back to center. But if this happens, it will just mean Rakell will be able to touch more parts of the game and impact them – which isn’t necessarily a negative. It will just put his skills in a different area. Rakell seems to prefer wing, but understands that his future could be in the middle and he’s fine with this.

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“Any time you can play with Getzlaf I’m going to take that opportunity. It has been going well playing with Getzy and (Patrick Eaves),” Rakell said. “I think we get some good looks every game and we do a good job of changing positions too so not only to stay on the wing and all that. I think that’s tougher for teams to defend where we can change and play different positions.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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