Ducks’ Rickard Rakell aims to work on consistency and confidence

Two guys from Sweden are sitting on a couch watching a show about Vikings. That’s not the opening line of a bad joke, but the way that Ducks roommates Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm spend some of their downtime: catching up on “Vikings,” a television show about Norse legend Ragnar Lothbrok, described by the Internet Movie Database as “a man on the edge of myth.”

The show takes their minds off the daily grind of hockey. Rakell can’t quite relate to nearing mythological status, but he is a man on the edge of being an NHL regular and possibly a breakout season that begins Saturday for the Ducks in San Jose.

Slotted as the No. 3 center, Rakell will try to build off a season in which he was 12th in rookie scoring with nine goals and 22 assists with a plus-six rating in 71 games.

That came after a demotion to the minors and offensive cold spells, notably a nearly monthlong drought without a goal.

“I think what I have to work on a little bit is consistency,” Rakell said. “I had some games that I felt like I was really good and I could do anything, and I had other games where I was invisible. I’ve just got to stay focused and stay confident.”

Rakell reported to training camp five pounds bigger. He spent the summer in Sweden and worked out with a group of countrymen that included Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings.

He will need that muscle against the endless string of tough centers in the Western Conference, but perhaps more important is the maturity that comes with becoming a full-time player. Rakell learned the hard way last season, when he briefly lost his job to the since-traded William Karlsson.

Rakell was reassigned to the minors for two games and came back motivated. He had five points in his ensuing eight NHL games and tied a franchise rookie record with a two-goal, two-assist game in January.

In other words, message received.

“I think he got a wake-up call last year,” Lindholm said. “That was a confidence boost. I tell him all the time he’s a heck of a player. He needs to realize it. He just needs to play with a lot of confidence because that’s what his game is all about.”

Rakell needs only to look at teammates Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler as examples of elite centermen who excel in different aspects. Getzlaf is a pass-first playmaker while Kesler is a finisher who makes life miserable for opponents at both ends.

“It’s fun to watch,” Rakell said. “You can always pick something out every day.”

Rakell said he didn’t read too much into the additions of centers Shawn Horcoff and Mike Santorelli, veterans who could give him competition for his job while center Nate Thompson recovers from shoulder surgery.

Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau has an increased role in mind for Rakell, if the preseason is any indication. Rakell played more than 18 minutes in three preseason games. He averaged 12 minutes 34 seconds in the regular season.

Rakell also could start this season with former most valuable player Corey Perry on his right wing.

“I think it’s on him to take the opportunities that they’re going to give him and take the opportunities in terms of playing with good players,” Andrew Cogliano said. “He has all the tools to do that.”

Rakell knows that the Ducks’ progression is in part linked to his progression — if not Norse legend than the Corsi, the latter an advanced statistic related to puck possession.

“It will be huge, both for the team and for myself,” Rakell said. “I feel good right now, and I just want to build off a good summer and try to be as ready as possible when the regular season starts.”

Etc.

Jakob Silfverberg missed practice and Boudreau didn’t have an update. Silfverberg was knocked out of the game Saturday by an illegal hit to the head from San Jose’s Raffi Torres, who was suspended for 41 games, the league announced Monday.… The Ducks trimmed their roster to the requisite 23 players by reassigning John Gibson, Nick Ritchie, Joe Piskula, Korbinian Holzer and Chris Mueller.… Rich Preston was hired as assistant coach.