Gone is their vocal leader on defense, along with the energetic forwards who provided career seasons and valued bursts of productivity.
The blue line will have members aged 21, 23, 24 and 24 on opening night.
Yet, when General Manager Bob Murray was asked whether his Ducks are improved from the team that lost Game 7 of the Western Conference finals to the eventual-champion Chicago Blackhawks, he said ... yes, it is.
"This is a better team than it was before," Murray told The Times in an email.
The loss of veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin sapped leadership from the roster, but Murray reacted quickly last week by trading for 34-year-old defenseman Kevin Bieksa.