Kesler says Ducks won't repeat playoff exit: 'That's not gonna happen again'
After signing a new six-year contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, Ryan Kesler is confident the Ducks won't meet the same fate in the playoffs this season.
"That group is not satisfied until we win a Stanley Cup," Kesler told reporters. "When we do win that Stanley Cup, I don't think we'll be satisfied then either. We're gonna want another one. We have the group to do it. We have all the pieces. We just need to put them together. We were one game away from going to the final, and that experience will help us next year."
Anaheim fell to the Blackhawks in seven games after running through the competition, losing only one game prior to the series with Chicago.
The result led to speculation about the future of head coach Bruce Boudreau - who will return - and left a bad taste in the Ducks' mouths. Kesler says they won't experience that feeling again next season.
"We needed a killer instinct in Game 6. We didn't have it," said Kesler. "There are two ways we can go about it: We can sulk about it or we can learn from it. I'm gonna make sure, just like all the other leaders on this team, that we learn from this and we learn not to let it happen again. That's our job as leaders on this team. That's not gonna happen again, I'll tell you that."
- With h/t to Pro Hockey Talk