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LAST SEASON<\/p>\n
One year ago, the Anaheim Ducks<\/a> carried momentum coming off the NHL\u2019s largest standings improvement in 2024-25. General manager Pat Verbeek took aggressive steps to accelerate his team\u2019s contention timeline, trading for Chris Kreider, signing Mikael Granlund and making the controversial decision to bring Joel Quenneville out of exile and name him head coach. The Ducks had the pieces on paper to finally break through as a playoff team, and that\u2019s precisely what happened.<\/p>\n Budding young star forwards Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier had teased ascension with their hot stretch-run play in 2024-25, and they translated that progress into full-fledged breakouts in 2025-26. Another blue-chip forward, Beckett Sennecke, delivered one of the NHL\u2019s best rookie performances last season. Jackson LaCombe continued progressing into one of the sport\u2019s best young all-around defensemen, logging more than 24 minutes per night, predictably used as Quenneville\u2019s equivalent of Duncan Keith in the Chicago Blackhawks\u2019 <\/a>early-2010s heyday. The Ducks evolved into an above-average offensive club last season and, despite not showing a ton of progress in their own end and Lukas Dostal\u2019s uneven play in his first full run as Anaheim\u2019s starting goaltender, the jump from 30th to 13th in total offense provided more than enough helium for the Ducks to crack the top three of a terrible Pacific Division. The Ducks made the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18, and their youthful legs, aggression and scoring chops overwhelmed an exhausted Edmonton Oilers<\/a> team coming off consecutive Stanley Cup Final runs. Anaheim ousted them in Round 1 of the playoffs but wound up outclassed in Round 2 by a well-rounded Vegas Golden Knights <\/a>team peaking late in the season. The Ducks were held to two or fewer goals in four of six games of that series.<\/p>\n By any measure, the Ducks\u2019 2025-26 was a smashing success. But just when they seemed poised to become the class of the Pacific\u2026that offseason happened.<\/p>\n With Carlsson and Gauthier both due major extensions as RFAs, a salary-cap crunch was inevitable, but no one could\u2019ve predicted how badly things would play out. First, Verbeek cleared some space by trading underachieving center Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues <\/a>and talented but underused blueliner Olen Zellweger to the Buffalo Sabres <\/a>during NHL Draft week. Then Verbeek bought high on pending UFA checking forward A.J. Greer\u2019s 17-goal season, handing him a four-year deal at a $4.25-million AAV, chewing up cap space that was sorely needed days later. The jaw-dropping, precedent setting, $18-million offer sheet for Carlsson from the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> July 3 put Anaheim in a major bind. It obviously had to match the offer rather than rewind the franchise\u2019s trajectory, but doing so meant overpaying \u2013 not just Carlsson, but also defenseman Pavel Mintyukov in a reactionary move, as he was also offer-sheet eligible. They handed him a five-year deal at a $7.2-million AAV. The Ducks retained two crucial players but did so at quite a bit more than their current values\u2026and still have Gauthier unsigned as of press time. Since Gauthier isn\u2019t a center like Carlsson, Gauthier\u2019s AAV won\u2019t come in quite as high, but he\u2019s been just as productive and thus has earned a number close to Carlsson\u2019s. The Ducks have just $9.073 million in cap space<\/a>. The math ain\u2019t mathin\u2019.<\/p>\n The Ducks were already forced to throw some quality young players overboard in the preparation of paying their RFAs \u2013 while also losing the entire right side of their D-corps in John Carlson, Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas\u2026and unless Gauthier is feeling generous and signs a bridge contract, Verbeek will have to jettison even more money to get his team cap compliant after extending Gauthier. That could mean saying goodbye to a veteran such as Kreider, Alex Killorn or Frank Vatrano.<\/p>\n The Ducks are simply a much worse team on paper than they were a year ago \u2013 and they may not be done removing pieces from their depth chart. Can the continued improvement of their elite young core offset all their losses, or are they in danger of sliding back out of the playoffs?<\/p>\n St Louis BluesTeam Cap Summary<\/p>\n Cap Summary<\/p>\n Projected Cap Hit<\/p>\n $99,630,832<\/p>\n $66,795,832<\/p>\n Projected Cap Space<\/p>\n $4,369,168<\/p>\n $46,704,168<\/p>\n Current Cap Space<\/p>\n $4,369,168<\/p>\n $46,704,168<\/p>\n KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES<\/p>\n Additions<\/p>\n A.J. Greer, LW Departures<\/p>\n John Carlson, D (TB) OFFENSE<\/p>\n Despite the storm clouds hanging over the Ducks\u2019 season, we shouldn\u2019t worry too much about their scoring as long as Gauthier signs; this team was top-three in the NHL at 5-on-5 expected goal generation last year. Remember when the Ducks raised an eyebrow or two taking Carlsson over Adam Fantilli at No. 2 overall in the 2023 Draft? The Ducks made the right call. Carlsson is becoming the all-around dominator they hoped he would be and, despite the fact he\u2019s not really worth $18 million yet, he likely will be a few years into his deal. He\u2019s the engine driving the offense \u2013\u00a0but Gauthier is the chance-generation machine. Across his first two seasons in the NHL, he sits first in shot attempts per 60 and second in shots on goal per 60 at 5-on-5. Translation: after busting out for 41 goals last season, Gauthier\u2019s not done ascending. Because he gives himself so many chances to score, he could threaten for 50 goals as soon as this season and challenge for the Rocket Richard Trophy. Sennecke, interestingly enough, was considered a reach in the moment in his draft year as well, going third overall in 2024, and he, too, looks like a home-run pick. He combines a power forward\u2019s snarl with some great hands. His 60-point debut marked the second-highest rookie point total in franchise history.<\/p>\n That dynamic forward trio alone makes the Ducks a dangerous offensive group and, even with Troy Terry out to start the season following hip surgery, the kids have secondary scoring support from the veteran brigade including Granlund and Kreider. On the back end, LaCombe is a true horse; per NHL EDGE, <\/a>his max skating speed sits in the 85th percentile, his max shot in the 81st and his total miles travelled last season in the 95th. He\u2019s just as important to driving the play as Anaheim\u2019s young forwards.<\/p>\n That said: with McTavish and Zellweger traded, Terry hurt and power-play maven Carlson leaving, the Ducks are thinner on offense. An injury to one of their stars would be tough to recover from. And while their power play improved massively last season under the tutelage of assistant coach Jay Woodcroft, it still ranked in the bottom half of the NHL. With their personnel losses, the Ducks may have to work a bit harder to score unless a surprise contributor from their prospect pool steps up.<\/p>\n DEFENSE<\/p>\n If the Ducks really want the world to take them seriously as Stanley Cup contenders, they need to show some progress in their own end. It has been ugly this decade. Across the three seasons preceding Quenneville\u2019s arrival, only two teams allowed more goals, and none killed penalties at a worse rate. Last season, Anaheim\u2019s \u201cimprovements\u201d meant the fifth-most expected goals against per 60 at 5-on-5, worst among all Western Conference playoff qualifiers, and the No. 27 penalty kill. If you look at the five teams who allowed the most scoring chances at all strengths last season: it\u2019s literally the clubs who held picks 1-4 in the NHL Draft (Chicago traded the selection)\u2013 plus the Ducks. Woof. Anaheim hasn\u2019t remedied its tendency to bleed chances against.<\/p>\n And where will the improvement in that regard come this season? Sure, we can spin the declining Trouba\u2019s departure as a win, but with Carlson and sheltered matchup specialist Gudas gone, there\u2019s a crater on the right side. Whether he\u2019s carrying over chemistry he found with in brief work with Ian Moore or getting a look with young Tristan Luneau going forward, LaCombe will most likely be hitched to an inexperienced partner this season.<\/p>\n The Ducks are betting on Mintyukov\u2019s impressive all-around skill set with his contract, but the results so far in his career haven\u2019t backed up the money. The 5-on-5 numbers show he wasn\u2019t that far from a break-even play driver when he was out there, but he wasn\u2019t facing stiff competition <\/a>and still wasn\u2019t winning those minutes in 2025-26. Perhaps he can flourish with a defensively reliable partner in new addition Nick Jensen, but he\u2019s 35 and coming off a down year of his own. This D-corps is question mark at best and a mess at worst right now, one of the league\u2019s least experienced.<\/p>\n Can the forward group do enough to keep opposing teams from entering their zone and challenging the green group of rearguards? Carlsson\u2019s long-term profile suggests he can become an all-situations hero in the vein of Anze Kopitar and Aleksander Barkov, but Carlsson isn\u2019t there yet, driving the play well offensively but still a work in progress defensively. With so much less help on this roster top to bottom, he may be asked to shoulder a lot at both ends of the ice in 2026-27. The Ducks will put their $18 million to use.<\/p>\n GOALTENDING<\/p>\n In 2024-25, Dostal was a budding star in goal, a well-kept secret whose stellar play masked the Ducks\u2019 defensive deficiencies and propelled their climb in the standings. With John Gibson traded to the Detroit Red Wings<\/a>, Dostal got the No. 1 job outright, starting a career-best 55 games, but he regressed. He saved -0.053 goals above expected per 60, grading out as a below-average starter. Whereas the Ducks improved because of Dostal in 2024-25, they improved in spite of him last season, scoring their way out of trouble, and he really struggled in the playoffs, posting an .870 save percentage. Nevertheless, he\u2019s a gifted and cerebral goaltender with excellent puckhandling ability, signed for starter\u2019s money for four more seasons and without a serious challenger for his job. The Ducks will give Dostal every chance to rebound in 2026-27. The only problem: the subpar defensive team in front of him looks even worse this time around, meaning Dostal might continue seeing difficult workloads. Among goalies who appeared in more than half their teams\u2019 games last season, only six saw a higher rate of expected goals against at 5-on-5.<\/p>\n If Dostal can\u2019t bail the Ducks out, it\u2019s unlikely their other masked men will. Backup Ville Husso has posted a SV% north of .896 in one of his six seasons. Laurent Brossoit has shown flashes of excellence as a 1B goaltender in his career but has appeared in one NHL game since 2023-24, battling back from major knee and hip injuries, and it remains to be seen if he still has quality hockey left in him at all. It\u2019s once again all on Dostal this season.<\/p>\n COACHING<\/p>\n Anaheim overhauled its staff a year ago, and all the choices paid off. Under Quenneville, a three-time Stanley Cup champion who sits second on the NHL\u2019s all-time wins list, the young Ducks found their identity as winners, meshing well with Quenneville\u2019s communicative and collaborative approach. He also leans on his stars \u2013 note the massive TOI increases he gave the likes of Carlsson and LaCombe \u2013 and will need to do so again with a shallower roster this time. Assistant coaches Woodcroft and Ryan McGill made definitively positive impacts on Anaheim\u2019s power play and PK, respectively, and will hope to improve on the gains there.<\/p>\n ROOKIES<\/p>\n Will the Ducks roll with an all-rookie third pair? Tyson Hinds is officially one, and Luneau is unofficially, having played seven games in 2023-24 and six games in 2024-25 and thus losing his Calder Trophy eligibility. He still feels like a rookie with just 14 NHL games to his name, however. He and Hinds were partners with the AHL\u2019s San Diego Gulls. Now, pretty much out of necessity, they are highly likely to be full-timers this season. Luneau has the higher upside as a two-way defender, and it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see him become a top-four fixture by season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n Will hulking center Roger McQueen get his moment in 2026-27? He\u2019s still raw, having played a shortened college campaign working his way back from a back injury, and he\u2019ll likely spend this season in the AHL. But with his puck-protection skills and monstrous 6-foot-6 frame, he has a man\u2019s build already, and it\u2019s possible the 2025 first-rounder forces his way to the NHL sooner than expected.<\/p>\n In general, we should watch the Gulls closely this season given Anaheim\u2019s depth woes; blueliner Stian Stolberg and checking forward Nathan Gaucher might also get summoned to Orange County.<\/p>\n BURNING QUESTIONS<\/p>\n 1. Will the Ducks and Gauthier find a contract resolution soon? Already shorthanded, Anaheim can\u2019t afford to drag talks into training camp. But the Ducks also don\u2019t have the money to sign Gauthier unless he goes the bridge route, and any whispers we\u2019ve heard about the negotiations so far suggest he won\u2019t. Gauthier\u2019s camp wants the big pay day. He\u2019s earned it.<\/p>\n 2. Who must go to make the Ducks cap compliant? If we look at the obvious names Verbeek can shop: Kreider, Killorn and Vatrano \u2013 all three have varying degrees of trade protection on their deals, albeit none has a full no-movement clause. Putting Terry\u2019s $7 million on LTIR will help, too, but only temporarily now that the playoff salary cap rule is in effect.<\/p>\n 3. Is this a playoff-caliber defense corps? Of our projected top six, only Jensen has more than 230 games to his name, and only Jensen, LaCombe and Mintyukov have even cleared 70 career games. Can a Ducks team that lost four of six starting defensemen really still compete for a playoff spot? On the bright side, the Ducks weren\u2019t good defensively even with their high-priced vets last year, so maybe there\u2019s nowhere to go but up.<\/p>\n PREDICTION<\/p>\n It\u2019s unfathomable how poorly Verbeek\u2019s offseason went, and the pain isn\u2019t over, as he\u2019s likely to remove another veteran contributor from his chess board before the season starts. The Ducks still have enough ascendant talent to stay competitive in a weak division and hang around the playoff hunt, but their roster losses were nothing short of catastrophic. They look like real candidates to switch places with the rising San Jose Sharks<\/a> and slide out of the playoffs \u2013\u00a0unless Dostal rediscovers his crease heroics from the season before last.<\/p>\n _____<\/p>\n PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF NEWSLETTER<\/p>\n![\"st-louis-blues\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787177650_544_image.png\"\/)
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Nick Jensen, D
Laurent Brossoit, G
Jeff Malott, LW<\/p>\n
Mason McTavish, C (Stl)
Jacob Trouba, D (SJ)
Olen Zellweger, D (Buf)
Radko Gudas, D (Fla)
Jeffrey Viel, LW (TB)
Ross Johnston, LW (Stl)<\/p>\n
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