The Western Conference champions. A team with a Hart Trophy Candidate. Two solid goaltenders that could take the team on a deep run. A plethora of young talent and a legend that was looking for his swan song. Shall we keep on going?

The Anaheim Ducks looked to be the team of destiny in 2013-14. After a season in which they ran away with the West, destroyed the Dallas Stars and overcame a 2-0 deficit against the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference semifinals, it seemed like this team would be the one to lift its first Stanley Cup since 2006-07. But it was not meant to be. Not this season. Here is a look at the highs and lows of Anaheim's season.

Highs

The Ducks went undefeated in regulation at home until mid-January; that was a streak of 22 games that ended on Jan. 21 against the Winnipeg Jets. The team won 11 games in each of December and January and finished with a losing record in only one month this season; that was February when Anaheim lost three out of five games.

The Ducks owned the third best home record in the league, the second best goal differential, the second best offense (their 266 goals were just one behind Chicago's 267 for the league lead), the second best away record and the second most points in the entire NHL (they were just one point behind Boston for the Presidents Trophy with 116).

Adding to the "second-best" theme, Captain Ryan Getzlaf was second in points in the entire league with 87 while Corey Perry was fifth with 82. Both continued their strong play in the postseason. It was the first time since 2010-11 that the team had two 80-point scorers; in 2010-11 Perry managed 98 points, and Teemu Selanne had 80. Speaking of Selanne, the Finnish Flash finished his career with 27 points in 64 games but had six points in 12 playoff matches.

Goaltending turned out to be strength as well. Heading into the season, Jonas Hiller was the undisputed number one in net, but young Fredrick Andersen proved himself more than capable and was given the reins at the start of the postseason. John Gibson also came on for a short stint and put up stellar numbers in three NHL games; he also had a solid run in the postseason. Of course this strength did not hold up so well later on (more on that later).

Nick Bonino was terrific throughout the regular season and playoffs, and Devante Smith-Pelly went from just 10 points in 19 regular season games to five goals in the postseason.

Lows

Emerson Etem was drafted 29th overall back in 2010 and was expected to be an offensive player for the club. He struggled in his second season for the team with only 11 points in 29 games. He had 10 points in 38 during his rookie season, but many expected him to improve during his second shot at the NHL. He failed to make an impression was returned to the AHL in February. He returned for one game in March and failed to see time until the playoffs rolled around.

Jakob Silfverberg was the big piece in the Bobby Ryan trade last summer and was expected to continue growing with the team in 2013-14. After posting 19 points in 48 points during the lockout-shortened season, he topped that points total with 23 in 52 games, including 10 goals.

Hiller was solid throughout the year, but his relationship with coach Bruce Boudreau seemed to sour as the season wore on. His mediocre .911 save percentage indicates that he may no longer be a top goalie in the league.

Team MVP

Getzlaf led the team in points with 87 and managed his personal second-best offensive season to date (he scored 91 points in 2008-09). He did match his best goal scoring total with 31 and scored seven game winning goals throughout the season. He was dynamic in the playoffs with four goals and 11 assists in 12 games and managed eight points against the Los Angeles Kings despite being eliminated in seven games.

Elimination Catalyst

Boudreau made a big mistake halfway through the series against the Ducks. Despite getting a solid performance from Jonas Hiller throughout the postseason, he opted to gamble with young and untried Gibson in the final three games of the series against the Kings. It is hard to blame him in some respects. Gibson had managed an unsustainable .954 save percentage in just three regular season games, and Hiller had struggled throughout the regular season to post decent numbers. His .911 season save percentage was below average. He had been decent in the series closing game against the Dallas Stars and was good in the opening game against the Kings. But after Hiller was defeated in Game 2, it was Andersen's turn to take over. An injury put Hiller back in the spotlight, and he did a solid job of closing out a crucial Game 3. But that was it. Boudreau turned to Gibson. And Gibson responded. Initially. He put up a Herculean display in Game 4, which resulted in a 28-save shutout before stopped 39 shots in a Game 5 victory.

But that was the end of the line. Gibson was outdueled in Game 6 by Jonathan Quick, and Game 7 was on. Boudreau elected to go with the inexperience Gibson, and the game finally failed. The youngster, who had looked unbeatable in three games and rarely gave up rebounds, was too easy to beat in Game 7. The first goal was a rebound in front, and the second was off a breakaway by Jeff Carter in which the goalie was too slow to react. On the third goal, he gave up another costly rebound, and the fourth goal was a shot he should have stopped. Gibson is not completely at fault for the loss, but his inability to replicate his previous performances was the main reason that the Ducks were eliminated.

The irony of the situation is that goaltending was a perceived strength, but the merry-go-round in goal proved to be Anaheim's ultimate undoing.