While the Anaheim Ducks may be enjoying a surprisingly strong start to the season, not everyone on the team is happy with their role.
Defenceman Pavel Mintyukov has been unable to hold a regular role in the lineup and it appears he could be looking for a move if the situation does not change.
“This is the nice part of a rebuild is you get all these prospects, but there are too many,” TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston said Thursday. “And in Mintyukov’s case, he’s been scratched a couple of games this week that the Ducks won [and] he’s not happy about that, as we wouldn’t expect any player to be. But there has been dialogue between the Ducks’ management and his agent, Dan Milstein, about whether this continues. I think he’d prefer to be somewhere else where he can play.
“We’re not at the stage where this is a full-blown ‘He’s being traded,’ but certainly if he’s watching a lot of games, it’s something to keep an eye on.”
Johnston’s comments came just before Mintyukov sat in the press box for a third straight game as the Ducks fell 3-2 to the Ottawa Senators.
The 21-year-old blueliner has three assists in 18 games this season while averaging 15:19 of ice time. It marks a drop-off from last season, when he posted five goals and 19 points while averaging 17:35 of ice time.
Mintyukov’s strongest season came as a rookie in 2023-24, when he posted four goals and 28 points with an average of 18:50 per game.
Anaheim selected the Moscow, Russia native 10th overall in the 2022 Draft.
Currently sitting atop the Pacific Division, the 13-7-1 Ducks will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.