There's been a flurry of activity involving the Anaheim Ducks in recent days.
There've been changes and alterations aplenty.
The team has abbreviated it’s name (they're no longer "Mighty"), unveiled new uniforms and modified it’s logo.
But those were merely cosmetic changes made to enhance marketing and promotion as well as to distance the club from its original owner, the Disney Corporation.
What took place on Monday was something much more consequential. It's impact was far more dramatic.
The Ducks made an acquisition of such magnitude that it sent shockwaves throughout the hockey universe. And the tremors it generated may very well alter the NHL landscape for years to come.
In a bold and daring gambit, the Ducks went for the jackpot when they traded for stud defenseman Chris Pronger. It was a move breathtaking in its significance and admirable in its audacity.
Already employing a blue line superstar in Scott Niedermayer, the Ducks seem bent on creating a defense for the ages with the addition of Pronger.
Not since Ali and Frazier have two such heavyweights been joined together. And not since the Chinese built the Great Wall, has a line of defense seemed as formidable and impregnable.
Opponents seeking to get by both Niedermayer and Pronger will do so at their own peril. Trying to get the best of that duo could prove to be both humbling and painful.
Your prospects for success are about as likely as Disneyland someday prohibiting youngsters from it’s grounds.
The Ducks are also making a huge statement by bringing Pronger aboard. It signals their intent to be a consistent Stanley Cup threat. With Pronger on the scene, expectations will be off the charts.
Making the playoffs will now be thought of as a mere formality. Anything short of deep and sustained runs in the postseason will be considered both a disappointment and a failure.
With one single trade, the Ducks have gone from hopefuls to favorites. From contenders to the elite. Their days as middle-of-the-pack occupants are over. Championships are now the only goal that can satisfy them.
And those exalted hopes are a testimony to just how much game Pronger possesses. Very few players can affect the outcome of a contest the way the mammoth 6-6, 220-pounder can.
The 31-year old vet is the proverbial total package. He can check so hard it'll make your teeth rattle. His shot is so heavy and accurate, goaltenders get wobbly-legged every time he sets up to unload.
The former MVP and Norris Trophy winner is also a splendid passer. No one in hockey is more adept at moving the puck out of his own zone with quick and precise feeds.
But we're just getting started when it comes to detailing Pronger's positives. The list seems to go on and on.
Like his new teammate Niedermayer, the four-time NHL All-Star is a remarkable workhorse, sometimes logging nearly 30 minutes a game.
Moreover, Pronger is a whiz on special teams. A rock on the penalty kill, the giant backliner is also a standout on the power play.
Whether he's moving the puck or blasting away from the point, Pronger is a menacing figure when his team has a man advantage.
It's just plain scary to think of the havoc Pronger and Niedermayer will cause when they join forces on the PP. With the fluid and creative Niedermayer at one point and the powerful Pronger manning the other, the goals could come fast and furious.
Their ability to quarterback and orchestrate from up top is virtually unsurpassed. It's almost like having Joe Montana and John Elway in the same backfield.
And while there's virtually no downside to securing the likes of a Pronger, that doesn't mean the Ducks didn't have to pay a price to get him.
Special players don't come cheap and Anaheim certainly had to ante up.
Aside from a package of high draft picks and promising young defenseman Ladislav Smid, the Ducks also had to part with Joffrey Lupul, a gifted and rising talent.
Already an accomplished sniper at age 22, Lupul is definitely on the come. He was easily one of the Ducks' top forwards and when it comes to one-timing shots, Joffrey has very few equals in the NHL.
Lupul has already established himself as a winger of notable skill. He has also shown periodic flashes of brilliance such as in Game 3 of the Conference Semi-Finals versus Colorado when he potted an amazing four goals including the overtime winner.
It won't be easy to compensate for Lupul's loss. The kid was solid, productive and has yet to tap into his full potential.
But to get, you've got to give and so the Ducks had to shell out.
Still, you simply can't pass on a chance to procure a franchise- type player. It's a no-brainer. An opportunity like that comes along very rarely and it would be foolhardy to not go for it.
And Ducks general manager Brian Burke is no dummy. When he sees a opening, he strikes quickly. When Pronger became available, Burke seized the moment and grabbed it by the throat.
He acted quickly and decisively, knowing that adding Pronger might just be the piece that puts the Ducks over the top.
Burke isn't the kind to sit back and wait. If a move will benefit his club, he'll leap into action.
And who's to question Burke at this stage. Last year, he did a masterful job of shuffling his roster, coming up with just the right mix of talented vets, emerging youngsters and serviceable role players.
The result was a trip to the Conference Finals. With Pronger now in the fold, Burke is hunting for bigger game.
So the "Mighty" may be gone from their name but the word more than applies to the Ducks' suddenly spectacular defense. A one-two punch of Niedemeyer and Pronger not only figures to make a lasting impression on the ice but most likely in the history books as well.
It's a coupling that until Monday seemed only possible in hockey heaven. Now it's a hellish reality to all those that must do battle with Anaheim.
Indeed, the Ducks have undergone their share of changes as of late. And the change that brought them Chris Pronger could very well radically alter the balance of power in the NHL for the foreseeable future.
And if that's the way it works out, things will be more than "Ducky" in Anaheim.