Offseason plans, the Ducks were lucky enough to get the best odds to get Connor Bedard after being the worst NHL team this year, but what else could the Ducks do in the offseason to make this team much more competitive next year.
Anaheim Ducks
Significant Pending UFA:
C, LW, RW J.Megna 2-6-8 55GP
LW,C D.Grant 5-13-18 46GP
RD K.Shattenkirk 4-23-27 75GP
LD M.D Zotto 0-0-0 0GP
LD S.Harrington 4-7-11 45GP
RD A.Sustr 0-0-0 0GP
LD/RD N.Beaulieu 0-4-4 52GP
G A.Stolarz 5-6-0 REC 3.73 GAA .897 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
C,LW T.Zegras 23-42-65 81GP
RW,C T.Terry 23-38-61 70GP
LW M.Comtois 9-10-19 64GP
C B.O Groulx 0-0-0 2GP
C J.Slavin 0-0-0 0GP
RD J.Drysdale 0-0-0 8GP
LD S.Benoit 3-7-10 78GP
RD A.Andersson 0-0-0 0GP
G L.Dostal 4-10-0 REC 3.79 GAA .901 SV%
G O.Eriksson Ek 0-0-0 REC 4.76 GAA .872 SV%
Current draft capital for Ducks in 2023: 9
1RD ANA
2RD ANA, COL, BOS
3RD ANA, MIN
4RD ANA
5RD ANA
6RD ANA
Why did the Ducks miss the playoffs: now for the Ducks, I don’t think many people had them competing for a playoffs spot this season so I don’t think it was too surprising that they were one of the first teams eliminated this year, as there were definitely a few reasons as to why they missed the playoffs so badly. Now one would be the team got extremely decimated due to the injury bug this year. Now they brought in Klingberg to help their defence this year, and also brought in Beaulieu and Kulikov to help as well, but their D-Corp wound up being the biggest part of the team that was injured, as Drysdale only played a handful of games this year before he was ruled out for the season due to injury, Vaakanainen who is one of their young defensemen missed the first month and a half of the season and finished the season on IR as well due to injuries, and then at various different times guys like Shattenkirk, Beaulieu and Klingberg (before he was traded to Minnesota) were all in and out of the lineup due to injuries this year, in Net Stolarz missed a good chunk of time this year, especially in the 2nd half of the season due to injuries and Gibson was in and out of the lineup as well due to injuries, and in the forward group guys like Jones, Lundestrom, Carrick, Comtois and to finish the season Henrique all missed big chunks of time due to injuries, so given their bottom six was always banged up, they never had a healthy blueline, and at times both goalies were out, I think that injuries were a extremely big factor of why they did so bad as they just couldn’t ice a healthy roster all season long.
Now those injuries also caused some scoring woes that hurt this team as the Ducks had the 2nd lowest scoring offense in the regular season (only ahead of Chicago), but they did have some rather productive seasons from a few players who were able to stay relatively healthy, but no one had a extremely talented season as now one on Anaheim hit a point per game mark, and they only had 6 players break the 40 point mark this season, but did have 2 hit over 60 point mark in Terry and Zegras, and although Cam Fowler had a a career season, almost reaching 50 with 48 points, but aside from him they didn’t have much help on the scoring side from their defence, so due to those injuries they didn’t have too many players help them offensively, as a surprising 10 were only able to reach the 20 points and only 4 players hit the 20 goal mark, none hitting 25 goals so I feel that the bad depth due to injuries hurt there scoring production throughout the season and it made them not put enough pucks in the net to win games on a consistent basis.
And the final problem which I believe was the biggest of all would be the defensive problems they had all season long. Now they had the worst defence in the NHL this year, as they gave up 8 more goals then the Jackets, and 17 More then San Jose and I think injuries also played a big role in this for the Ducks. Now as we discussed earlier in the blog post, this team was ravaged by injuries on the blueline, and I think those injuries especially to the blueline is a major reason why they did so bad defensively, Klingberg missed a good portion of his time in Anaheim due to injuries before he got traded and was having a much worse season this year then he did last year, Shattenkirk didn’t do to bad and was probably one of the better defenders in Anaheim but he also had a few injuries that kept him out of a handful of games this year, I think that if Drysdale was in the lineup this year the Duck defence would’ve been much better, but he suffered a season ending injury just a mere 8 games into the season, Vaakanainen who is a good young defensemen had a injury riddled season this year, only getting into 23 games due to multiple injuries, and then Beaulieu and Kulikov also missed time and even when they were healthy, they weren’t playing as a good defensive unit, as except for Fowler they all had down seasons, and it also didn’t help that backup Stolarz was injured a lot as well and that threw future starter Dostal into game action quite often this year when I thought he could still use some development, and with star goalie Gibson also missing time this year due to injuries, I think the banged up position on the defensive and goaltending sides plus the fact that when they were healthy they weren’t playing well, is another big factor as to why the Ducks didn’t do too well, so injuries and lack of defence made the Ducks miss the playoffs again this year in my opinion, but I do think they can become a lot more competitive in the offseason if they do a few things.
5 ways of how the Ducks can improve in the offseason.
.1) Give significant extensions to Zegras, Terry and Drysdale.
Now I think the biggest piece of growing this year is two keep on having their good young talent, and resigning the big three players long term in Terry, Zegras and Drysdale will be priority number 1 this offseason. Now all three of Zegras, Terry and Drysdale are pending RFA’s and are going to need new deals in the offseason, but all three are key pieces of the Ducks both now and for the future so locking them up long term is a must for Anaheim this year.
Now Zegras and Drysdale are finishing up their ELC’s, and both have done well, as Zegras got a couple of games in in the shortened season and then has played the past two season putting up back to back 60 point years, while Drysdale also got a little taste of NHL action on the shortened season and then had a full year last season getting 32 points and only got 8 games of action this year due to injuries, but both look like elite players that need extension, so I would try and sign Zegras to a 6-8 year deal that has a AAV somewhere between $7-9 Million dollars, as I think Zegras would definitely be worth a contract like that and that would be the most likely opinion in my opinion, while I wouldn’t be shocked if they tried to extend Drysdale on a bridge deal, maybe on a 2-3 year deal with around a $5-6.5 Million dollar AAV and I think both sides would agree that’s fair.
While Terry is coming off a 3 year contract, and he didn’t put up much points before last year, and then in the past two seasons he was able to put up 60 goals and 128 points in 145 games and has really showed over the past few years he can be a great goal scorer, now he does have arbitration rights so with his production I don’t think the Ducks would want this to go to arbitration, so if they can come to like a 4-7 year extension that has a AAV of around $5.5-8 Million dollars I think both sides would be happy. So if they can get contracts to there three young players, preferably on long term deals, I think the Ducks will be set for the next few years as all three are extremely important pieces and should hopefully remain with Anaheim for years to come, but signing them to extensions has to be priority number 1 this offseason for Anaheim.
.2) Who will be the other goalie in Net along with Dostal.
Now this year we finally got a extended look at Lukas Dostal in Net, and it looks like he is ready to, at least in a backup role, be a full time NHL goalie next year, but the Ducks are going to have to figure out who to play with him next year. Now going into the season the Ducks had a tandem of Stolarz and Gibson, and both are pretty good goalies but both had injury troubles this year, especially Stolarz who missed the final two months due to injury, and then they called upon Dostal, who looks NHL ready right now, so the question becomes who is Dostal’s partner in Net.
Now Stolarz is a pending UFA and I don’t think that the Ducks would bring him as I think he has played his last game with Anaheim and should find a backup job elsewhere, and as for Gibson, he is a good goalie and showed it at times this season but over the past year and a half, there have been rumblings that he isn’t all too happy playing in Anaheim and he would rather go out and chase a Stanley Cup then remain with Anaheim during their rebuild, and given he is in the prime of his career, I think it is definitely reasonable to say that he would want to have a chance at the Cup, so it is very likely he gets moved to a team like Pittsburgh, Los Angeles or Buffalo this offseason.
So at that point, I think the Ducks would have to go out and acquire or sign a goalie to tandem with Dostal next year. Now I think they should try to bring in a veteran who could mentor Dostal, so if they look at free agency, maybe they look to sign a guy like Raanta, Quick, Talbot or Varlamov, who could sign short term 1 or 2 year deals to help Dostal, or maybe they look at a goalie via trade, possibly even in a Gibson trade, but I do feel that they will try to bring in a new veteran to help Dostal over the next few years in the offseason. So I think that Stolarz and Gibson will both not be with the Ducks after the offseason, and the Ducks will most likely go out and get a goalie who they can use in a tandem with Dostal over the next few years while Dostal grows accustom to being a regular NHL goalie.
.3) Rework the defence, possibly give Zellweger and/or Mintyukov NHL minutes.
After a really bad defensive performance this year, the Ducks should try to improve that defence once again, except this year look for a couple decent veterans and if they think they are ready, maybe give Zellweger or Mintyukov a spot. Now the Ducks tried to rework the blueline last offseason, as they brought in guys like Klingberg, Beaulieu and Kulikov on short term 1 year deals, and have since moved on from Klingberg and Kulikov, but they only have three regular defensemen from this year under contract in Fowler, White and Vaakanainen, so the team will definitely have to add on the defence.
Now there was some talk that the Ducks may try and work out a short term extension with Shattenkirk as he has been doing well in Anaheim and has been a good veteran leader, and I think that would be a smart move but it would only happen if Shattenkirk wants to return cause I could also see him go to a cup contender, so if they don’t get him I would think they bring in 1 top 4 defensemen and one top six defensemen who could help them for at least the next year or two, and I think there would be a few defensemen like that out there this offseason either via trade or free agency, but one must remember that the Ducks are also going to most likely sign RFA’s Benoit and Drysdale, so I think bringing in a couple of veterans to help in the short term and help the younger players grow would be a smart move for Anaheim.
And one other thing I think the Ducks could do to improve the defence would be to maybe put in one of there bright young defensemen. Now the Ducks have recently drafted to defensemen who look like they will be studs in the NHL in Zellweger and Mintyukov. Now I wouldn’t be surprised if bothe played maybe one more year in juniors to continue to grow their game, but I think if one of them has a good training camp and shows that they are NHL ready now I could see the Ducks give them at least a shot at the NHL to start the season even if they were to play on the 3rd pair, but I think with the team needing some better defence, maybe putting in a youngster would be the best move for Anaheim. So for Anaheim, they need to make some moves to improve their defence this offseason, and I could see them try and resign Shattenkirk, acquire or sign one or two defensemen, or let one of Mintyukov or Zellweger play on the NHL roster next year and I think if they do two of these things in the offseason they should be a much better defensive team next year.
.4) Move Henrique and Comtois, and bring in some new top 9 veterans.
Now the Ducks I think finally need to cut ties with some players that have been with Anaheim over the past few seasons in Henrique and Comtois and possibly Silfverberg, and then try and bring in some new top nine forwards who can help the younger guys like Zegras and Terry.
Now the Ducks like I have mentioned a few times have a good young core but I think they should continue to do what they did last offseason and try to improve the teams supporting cast. Now first I think they need to move at least Henrique and Comtois if not Silfverberg as well, now there have been a lot of rumours over the past few seasons that Comtois would be moved as after the stellar season he had a few years ago in the shortened season, he hasn’t played all too well and his role went from a top 6 forward to a bottom six/ spare forward, but I do think a change of scenery could help a young guy like Comtois re-find his lethal scoring touch from a couple years ago so I think he will be moved, for Henrique he has played quite well for the Ducks the past few seasons, consistent putting up around 40 points and seems like a good veteran forward who could be a good asset for a contender, so with Henrique entering the final year of his contract, if the Ducks retained some salary I do believe there would be a ton of teams interested in him, so I think Henrique would be a player moved at some point in the offseason, and for Silfverberg he is also entering the final year of his deal but hasn’t been as productive as Henrique has and his contract also isn’t all that good, so I think it would definitely be more difficult to deal him, but given the team is still in the midst of a rebuild I think it is still a possibility.
Then they could benefit from adding maybe a top 6 forward and maybe two or three top 9 forwards as I do think adding some more good talent to play with Terry and Zegras would be a smart move for the ducks, and if they could convince a good veteran to sign to play with Zegras like maybe Tarasenko or Pacioretty or JVR I think would all help Zegras be a more productive player. So in my eyes if they can move at least Comtois and Henrique who I think would have value and could benefit from a change of scenery, and then go out and either sign or trade for a few top 9 forwards, and possibly one to play in the top 6 with Zegras I think could really help speed up this rebuild and make them competitive as early as next year.
.5) Give some more young players opportunities, including whoever they draft top 3.
And finally I do think the Dicks should look at bringing in a couple of good young forwards to the team to play in the NHL next year, and also maybe bring in the player that they draft with their top 3 pick in the 2023 draft.
Now the Ducks like I said earlier could definitely benefit adding a couple of veterans to the team, but I also think they should look to bring in a couple of young players from their system. Now they have a couple guys like Nesterenko who they brought over from college and played a handful of games towards the end of the year, Groulx who played some NHL games last year but was mostly a AHL player this year, and I also think former first round selections Jacob Perreault and Braden Tracey who have been consistent minor league players over the past few seasons but have gotten into a couple NHL games could also maybe challenge for NHL roles, and I think any one of these players could challenge for NHL spots as early as this year and they all look like they have at least bottom six potential in the NHL so I think those guys could get spots.
Then the Ducks are guaranteed a top 3 selection in this year draft, so they will either take Bedard at one or Carlsson or Fantilli with the 2nd or 3rd pick in the draft and I think all three have legit shots to make the NHL roster out of the draft so whoever the Ducks are able to select I think should be able to be a regular in the Ducks lineup next year. So in my eyes any one of Groulx, Nesterenko, Perreault or Tracey should be able to at least challenge for a roster spot next year and whoever they take with their 1RD pick should go straight to the NHL and I think injecting some more youth into that forward group should definitely help them, and I think would give them a huge boost next year.
So in my eyes the Ducks have to get extensions in place for their three young players, find out who will be the tandem goalie with Dostal next year, try and rework the blueline while moving some forwards out and then bringing in some other forwards while also giving some opportunity to their young players and I think if they can do this in the offseason, they should definitely be able to be more competitive next year.
If you liked this blog post, then check out my YouTube video on the Ducks offseason here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AK3J6GRftZE&t=236s
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