#6 ANAHEIM This team is built for now.  The Ducks were thisclose to making a Stanley Cup Finals appearance only to be outdone by eventual champs, the Chicago Blackhawks, who came back from being down 3 games t0 2.  Their top pairing of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry is as good as any in the NHL so a few tweaks were made to the balance of the team.  Out go Emerson Etem, Matt Beleskey, Kyle Palmieri, rental Tomas Fleischmann, & defenseman Francois Beauchemin, Brought in were Kevin Bieksa to rejoin his good friend Ryan Kesler to solidify their young defense, speedy forwards Carl Hagelin, Chris Stewart and veteran Shawn Horcoff.  Anton Khudobin was brought in to give goalie sensation John Gibson a stint in the AHL to develop his game a little more. Can this be the right formula to get the Ducks back to the Stanley Cup Finals?  GOALIES In just his second NHL season, the Ducks put their faith in Frederik Andersen and the young net minder didn’t disappoint.  His metrics were just about average but that’s all this high-powered team needed to get to the post-season and make a legitimate run for the Cup.  Gibson was supposed to challenge the Great Dane goalkeeper but sustained an injury that left Andersen to man the crease.  The team has decided to let Gibson play a full year in the AHL this season and not rush him thereby signing Khudobin as the backup.  Look for Andersen to post similar numbers as the Ducks again should challenge for best overall record. 2014-2015                      GP      GAA       W        L        OTL       SP Frederik Andersen         57         2.38       35       12         5         .914   DEFENSE When you look at the Ducks defense, you don’t really see that superstar name like Keith, Doughty, or Karlsson but they do manage to play into Boudreau’s system well.  Perhaps this season we will see a true superstar in the making in either Sami Vatanen or Hampus Lindholm. Either of which could have a breakout season.  Cam Fowler and newly acquired Bieksa round out the top 4 with Simon Despres & Clayton Stoner filling in the top 6.  The top 5 d-men possess scoring abilities which makes their defense tough to guard against. FORWARDS Getzlaf & Perry go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and jelly.  Expect more greatness from the duo while young RW Jakob Silfverberg should be taking the next step and surpass Kesler as the third best scoring option on the team.  Hagelin was brought in for his sheer speed and his good hands.  Expect a similar role as ...

Palmieri, who has not played this season because of a high-ankle sprain, was in practice on Tuesday and took part in line rushes with William Karlsson and Andrew Cogliano, which is a good sign that he will make his season debut tomorrow.

Palmieri has not played this season because of a high ankle sprain, but returned to practice this afternoon. According to Boudreau, he is not expected to be back until mid-November.

Palmieri has yet to play this season because of a high-ankle sprain. He was only expected to miss a few weeks but the injury has lingered. His return to practice is a good sign that he is not far off though.

Palmieri is targeting a return in the Ducks' final preseason game on October 4th, so he should be ready to go to start the season. He is coming off of a 14-goal, 17 assist season in 2013-14.

Palmieri was a healthy scratch on Wednesday but will draw back into the lineup tonight in Chicago. He has recorded 19 points (8G / 11A) in 43 games this season.

With Selanne sidelined for a couple of weeks with a facial injury, Palmieri will likely shift from the third line RW slot to the second line RW. Palmieri had two goals on Tuesday, giving him three goals and two assists in 11 games.

Palmieri was sidelined for Thursday's game but will be back when Anaheim takes on Ottawa. He has yet to record a point in three games.

Palmieri was injured on Sunday and will be replaced by Emerson Etem tomorrow. The Ducks next contest is not until Sunday, so consider him questionable for the matchup with the Senators.

Palmieri left Sunday's game against the Jets and did not return. He has no points and eight shots in the Ducks first three games.