During this offseason, Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek had one goal in mind: take another step forward towards playoff contention. From 2023-24 to 2024-25, the Ducks jumped 21 points in the standings, improving from a franchise-record 50 losses in 2023-24 and following that up with a 35-37-10 record this past season. The club could see another leap in the standings, based on the offseason moves that will serve to bolster the lineup.
There are still a multitude of things that need to improve before the Ducks can return to the postseason, but Verbeek had his work cut out for him this summer and he capitalized on the team's massive cap space by making some key moves.
Major changes to the Ducks roster
There were a handful of notable subtractions from the lineup, namely the trade that sent Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Ryan Poehling and two draft picks. Zegras had been regressing offensively over the past few seasons, as is the case with the team in general, but he still offered a crafty mindset that helped create goals when he was healthy. Longtime Ducks goaltenderJohn Gibson was also traded away to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for netminder Petr Mrazek, who will assume the role of backup behind Lukas Dostal.
The Ducks' biggest problem over the past few seasons has undoubtedly been offense. Anaheim finished 30th in the league with 2.65 goals per game this past season, including a dismal league-worst power play that operated at just 11.8%.
The acquisition Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers will help ignite more offense, particularly on the man advantage. Kreider is something of a power play specialist -- over the past four seasons, the 34-year-old has scored 149 goals, and 58 of them have been on the power play. Looking back even furhter, Kreider has hit the 20-goal plateau in each of the last seven campaigns.
Kreider battled through multiple injuries in the most recent season, but he is still capable of lighting the lamp in any situation and getting to the dirty areas in order to capitalize on offensive chances. He is projected to be a second-line winger for the Ducks, and will likely provide center Mason McTavish with a solid outlet for generating scoring opportunities.
Mikael Granlund will surely chip in on the scoresheet as well after signing a three-year, $7 million AAV deal to join Anaheim in free agency. Granlund is a three-time 20-goal scorer, and has regularly produced in the range of 60 points per season including 66 points in 83 games this past year. That would have led all Ducks skaters in 2024-25.
"It's a sign of the times in the sense we are trying to add to the group and take a step. It sends a great message to the fan base, players and everyone in between and hopefully we can match this optimism with play on the ice."Ducks forward Ryan Strome (via NHL.com)
These main additions to the team provide optimism that the goal-scoring issue will improve in the upcoming season. That, coupled with a new face behind the bench in Joel Quenneville, could prove to be major factors in another season on the upswing in Anaheim.
That's not to mention a defensive core that looks really solid on paper, led by 24-year-old Jackson LaCombe providing an offensive-minded style of play and veteran blueliners like Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba complementing that with a tough-to-beat presence in the defensive zone.
Verbeek continues to sculpt the lineup around key young guns like McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier, who all tallied at least 40 points and finished top five on the team in scoring this past season. By accentuating the talents they already have with veterans who can reliably hit the back of the net, it's a formula that might develop into a winning one.