Anaheim Ducks alternate captain Jakob Silfverberg announced he will retire at the end of the season. Silfverberg has spent 11 out of his 12 NHL seasons in Anaheim and was a key contributor to their playoff runs in the 2010s and a veteran leader in the recent rebuild years.
The Ducks acquired Silfverberg in the summer of 2013 as the main prospect in the Bobby Ryan trade with the Ottawa Senators. Since then, Silfverberg racked up four 20-goal seasons and three 40-point seasons while also having three 39-point campaigns.
Silfverberg ranks fifth on the Ducks’ all-time goals list (158), seventh in points (354), eighth in assists (196), and third in short-handed goals (11). He’s also played the fifth most games in Ducks history (769). Silfverberg was on the famous shut-down line along with Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano who helped the Ducks in their 2010s playoff runs and helped them reach two Western Conference Finals in 2015 and 2017.
The playoffs are where Silfverberg asserted himself with the Ducks. In his second year with the Ducks in 2014-2015, Silfverberg scored four goals, 14 assists, and 18 points in 16 playoff games en route to finishing one win shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. The next year, the Ducks lost in the first round of playoffs, but Silfverberg still racked up five points in seven games, all assists. In 2016-2017, the Ducks found themselves back in the Western Conference Finals, and Silfverberg was once again one of the Ducks’ best players, scoring nine goals, five assists, and 14 points in 17 playoff games. One of those nine goals was the memorable game-winning goal 45 seconds into overtime to win Game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals to even the series against the Edmonton Oilers 2-2.
In total, Silfverberg’s 16 playoff goals rank fourth all-time in Ducks history, his 25 assists rank seventh, and his 41 points rank fourth.
Injuries have slowed down the 33-year-old in recent years, and he has been unable to repeat the same offensive success that he had in the 2010s. Silfverberg suffered a torn labrum in his right hip in 2021 and then a blood clot in his right leg in 2022. Since then, he has failed to score more than 26 points in a season.
But just because Silfverberg is not scoring does not mean he is not helping the team. Silfverberg has turned into one of the league’s best defensive forwards. His 1.23 goals against per 60 minutes is the lowest in the NHL this year and he has shown that he can still contribute in this league.
Silfverberg has been a consistent leader throughout the Ducks’ rebuild and has set an example for the young Ducks core on how to be a professional. He has seen the highs and lows of this organization and he did it with class.
Silfverberg is the last remaining forward from the Ducks’ playoff runs, and Cam Fowler and John Gibson are the last two players in general. He’s become a fan favorite, and you still might hear some “Ooh-Ah Silfverberg” in the crowd when he scores, although not as loud as it may have been in the playoffs.
Congratulations on a great NHL career, Jakob Silfverberg.
Episode 131: Ka-chow! – Late Arrivals: An Anaheim Ducks Podcast
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