The Anaheim Ducks have had one of the most transformative offseasons in the NHL. They’ve parted ways with two former core pieces (Trevor Zegras and John Gibson) of their roster and replaced them with four new players (Chris Kreider, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Poehling, and Petr Mrazek) set to play various and specific roles throughout the lineup.
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In addition to the roster changes, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek let Greg Cronin go as head coach after two seasons, including last season (2024-25), where they made a 21-point jump in the standings and totaled 80 points for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
To replace Cronin behind the Ducks' bench will be the second-winningest coach in NHL history, Joel Quenneville. With him, Quenneville brought in three new members of the coaching staff, including former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft to run the forwards and power play, Ryan McGill to run the defensemen and penalty kill, and Andrew Brewer, who was the video coach for the Florida Panthers during Quenneville’s time there.
All these changes were made with a stated goal in mind: to put an elongated rebuild to rest and make the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.
A glance at the roster will indicate the Ducks will be relying on internal growth from their most talented young players, and for those players to drive play while surrounded by insulating veterans.
In an offseason with so much change and a lofty goal for the following campaign, the roster still feels incomplete, and the Ducks still have the most projected cap space in the NHL ($20.54 million).
However, the Ducks don’t have a lot of room to add pieces, as their top nine forward group is full and more are awaiting an opportunity, the cupboard of NHL-caliber defensemen is overflowing, and they have two capable backups behind starting goaltender Lukas Dostal.
If everything goes according to plan, an imposing qualifier in and of itself, the roster may be good enough to compete for a playoff spot as is. However, there are a few obvious areas ripe for upgrades (or further upgrades). One impact piece (at least) could be enough to put them over the top.
Top Line Impact Winger
The acquisition of Chris Kreider was made to address the Ducks’ severe need for goalscoring, specifically of the net front variety. The hope is that with improved health from producing at a career-low, his 2024-25 season will prove a blip, and he will return to a similar scoring rate as in his previous three seasons, where he exceeded 35 goals in each year.
Mikael Granlund is another forward coming off a string of successful seasons, eclipsing the 60-point mark in three of the last four years. He’ll provide a versatile and complementary two-way presence wherever he lands in the lineup.
Kreider and Granlund will look to provide positive impacts, but even with potential breakout seasons from the Ducks’ trio of young top-six forwards (Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish), a dynamic offensive talent could provide a critical boost to the rest of the depth chart.
The drawback is that players of that ilk are rare finds, and either have to be acquired in the draft or will demand considerable assets in exchange on the trade market. They are very seldom available during free agency.
A winger to connect with and fill the gaps in Carlsson’s game could springboard his potential transformation into a superstar center. Perhaps a play-driving transition winger could elevate the impact of McTavish’s motor and battling prowess, allowing him to take the next steps toward realizing his potential as well; the Ducks’ version of Jake Guentzel for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jesper Bratt for the New Jersey Devils, Carter Verhaeghe for the Panthers, etc.
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Two-Way Center
Ryan Poehling will likely provide an abundance of energy and defensive prowess from the bottom of the lineup, but unless he discovers untapped offense capabilities, he likely won’t find himself in matchup situations against opposing top lines. And the Ducks will be facing some potent ones in the Western Conference between Connor McDavid’s line in Edmonton, Nathan MacKinnon’s line with the Colorado Avalanche, Jack Eichel’s line with the Vegas Golden Knights, etc.
Granlund has defensive qualities to his game and the capability to play center; however, he may not be best suited for a true shutdown role.
A center who can kill plays and limit defensive zone time against the NHL’s top offensive juggernauts while providing quick-strike depth offense could be a key to unlocking the full potential of the rest of the lineup; the Ducks version of Phillip Danault for the Los Angeles Kings, William Karlsson for the Knights, Anton Lundell for the Panthers, etc.
Top Pair Defenseman (Preferably Right Shot)
The Ducks' blueline is brimming with young, dazzling, offensive talent. Jackson LaCombe experienced a breakout season a year ago, and the path is clear for Olen Zellweger and/or Pavel Mintyukov to do the same this year. All three players are left shots.
On the right side, Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, and Drew Helleson are all seemingly tasked with assuming more defensive-oriented roles on the backend.
The potential pitfall of that configuration is the reliance on young players to take pronounced steps in their development with questionable insulation. Trouba and Gudas are over 30 years old and in the later stages of their careers, which never included roles as top shutdown options, while Helleson will need considerable seasoning if he’s to eventually evolve into one.
A defender with the ability to kill breakouts in the offensive zone, transitions through the neutral zone, cycles in the offensive zone, fend off strong forechecks, and make simple plays will elevate whichever offensive dynamo he’s paired with and properly slot the rest of the blueline in more suitable roles; the Ducks’ version of Jaccob Slavin for the Carolina Hurricanes, Devon Toews for the Avalanche, Mattias Ekholm for the Oilers, etc.
If the goal is to make the playoffs, and a player fitting any of the above descriptions is made available, it may be high time for Verbeek to pull that trigger.
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