Ducks and Jackets offseason previews.

 Offseason plans, next we have the eliminated Ducks and Jackets who were the 3rd west and 1st east team eliminated, they are 2nd in my offseason preview series, as I will breakdown why both Anaheim and Columbus missed the playoffs and what I personally think they could do in the offseason to improve their team to try and make the playoffs next year. 

In today's offseason preview blog post, the focus is on analyzing the performance and future strategies of the Anaheim Ducks and the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 3rd and 4th teams eliminated from the NHL playoffs contention. We take a look at the primary reasons for their elimination as both teams suffered this year from the a younger build of their team and a slew of injuries and the Jackets also suffered from poor goaltending, we also take a look at some players on expiring contracts and the teams draft capital as well, and I give some ways these teams can improve in the offseason which for the Blue Jackets entails changing up the blueline, consider moving Laine and moving Merzlikins to get a new goalie, while for Anaheim that includes moving Gibson and getting a better backup, consider moving Vatrano and Zegras and adding some more help on the blueline. 

Anaheim Ducks

Record for 23-24 season: 7th in Pacific, 14th in West 27-50-5| 59| 204-295-91

Significant Pending UFA'S

WIN J.Silfverberg 7-12-19 73GP

LW,C B.Meyers 1-2-3 18GP

LD/RD W.Lagesson 0-4-4 35GP

LD R.Hagg 0-0-0 5GP

Gary A Vasquez USA Today Sports

Significant Pending RFA'S

C,LW I.Lundestrom 5-2-7 38GP

WIN M.Jones 5-10-15 52GP

C B.O Groulx 0-2-2 42GP

RW B.Leason 11-10-21 60GP

LD/RD J.LaCombe 1-12-13 63GP

LD/RD U.Vaakanainen 1-13-14 63GP

RD G.Lindstrom 3-5-8 38GP 

Current draft capital for the Ducks in 2024: 9

1RD: ANA, EDM

2RD: ANA, BOS

3RD: SJ, ANA, PIT

4RD: ANA

5RD: NONE

6RD: ANA

7RD: NONE 

3 Reasons why the Ducks missed the playoffs:

Injury Bug

1st has to be the injury bug that really hurt this team, I mean Killorn who was their big offseason addition has missed a lot of time this year due to injuries, Brock McGinn was in and out of the lineup due to injuries, Zegras after his long contract negotiation has been in and out lineup due to injuries, Terry missed time due to injuries, McTavish has missed time due to injuries, Henrique before he was traded missed time due to injuries so there's definitely a lot of injuries around that team, Gudas who's a really good blue liner on that blue line for the Anaheim Ducks so yeah the injury bug has really hurt that Anaheim Ducks team, and while I don't think it's the major problem for the Duck, it was a significant problem as to why they were so low in the standings this year.

bad depth scoring

Next up, they had a lot of youth on that blue line, they definitely had a lot of Youth on that team I mean Mintyukov has been a solid NHL player at this point in time, Lacombe has gotten a lot of NHL looks, Zellweger has looked good, they traded Drysdale earlier on in the season, so to have him be moved they had to bring up some of the younger players and they also moved on from Lyubushkin in season, so they moved on from a lot of their defenseman so they had to infuse some more youth in that team and as much as I think Zellweger, Mintyukov and Lacombe are ready for the NHL, I think there's a very high chance that they do make a lot more mistakes given the fact that this is their first NHL season so given that fact, I think that's a very likely reason as to why the Ducks were such a bad team this year.

Young Blueline

And lastly was the fact they had  bad depth scoring, I mean if you look at the team scoring wise they're the third worst team scoring only ahead of the two lowest teams in the NHL and that is the Hawks and the Sharks so given that fact, it's a really bad season there for the Ducks scoring wise, I mean if you look at the Ducks only four players have gotten over 40 points and that's Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, Mason McTavish and Adam Henrique who has been dealt to the Edmonton Oilers, and only seven players have over 30 points including Killorn, Fowler and Strome, and if you look at their goal scoring only two guys had over 20 goals and that's Vatrano who had 37 and Terry who had 20, besides them no one else had over 20 goals, I mean Killorn and McTavish both had close to 20 but still this team has not had overly good scoring this year and definitely not overly good depth scoring is one of the reasons why I think that the Ducks were the third team eliminated from the playoffs this year.

So given the fact that this team had a lot of injuries this year, they dealt with a lot of lack of scoring depth which was not overly great besides guys like Vatrano, Terry, Henrique and McTavish, and with the blue line is being super young right now were probably the main reasons why I think this Ducks team wound up being eliminated quite early on so those are probably the main reasons why I think the ducks have now been eliminated for yet another season.

5 ways the Ducks can improve in the offseason to get better for next year: 

1) Move Gibson and add 1B: First up I think they will at least look to move Gibson and add a 1B goaltender, I mean Gibson's a fantastic goalie don't get me wrong, but Dostal is definitely the better goaltender right now so he's definitely the starter or the 1A so I don't think you really want to be paying over $6 million to a backup, so I think they can move Gibson, get him a fresh start and get him to that cup Contender that he wants to go to because there's a lot of teams looking for starting goalies right now and then either via trade potentially in that Gibson trade or via free agency they try and bring in a backup who can really work well with Dostal, so that's sort of what I see the Ducks doing there as I think that they should move Gibson and bring in a 1B who's more suited to be a backup to Dostal instead of having Gibson be the backup to Dostal.

2) Add 1-2 Veteran Defensemen: Next I think they should add one to two more veteran defenseman, nowas much as Lyubushkin had been a really good guy before they dealt him, and as much as Gudas has been a decent player, I think they need to add more top four defenseman, I think Zellweger and Mintyukov have Futures on that top four and I think Fowler is still a really good top four defenseman and if they can add one to two more top four defenseman and maybe another 3rd pair veteran defenseman I think that could really work out well for the Anaheim Ducks team, so we have to wait and see on that but adding some more defensive help could be a big boost in my opinion to the Ducks. 

Stephen R Sylvanie USA Today Sports

3) Decide Whether to move or keep Zegras: Next up they have to decide on Trevor Zegras, there's been a lot of talk this year that after Zegras lengthy contract negotiation last year and his injuries so far this year, does Zegras even have a future in Anaheim I mean they have McTavish they have Leo Carlson they have a couple other really talented forwards, they're probably going to get another talented forward in the draft so given all those facts, they have to make decision do they keep Zegras and do they continue to run with him having him be a future stud on that team in mind, or do they move him get a massive return and try to improve this team elsewhere, definitely I think that's going to be a situation to watch out for this offseason and they're definitely going to need to make a decision there as I think they could get a really good package for Zegras, but he may turn out to be a fantastic player so we will have to wait and see. 

4) Move Vatrano while value is high: Next in my opinion I think they should move Vatrano, Vatrano is a very good player right now as he lead the team in goal scoring this year as he had 30 goals, he's going to be entering the final year of his deal and if they can move Vatrano with his value this high right now, I think that would be a smart move from the Ducks, maybe not risk him going down in production next year and maybe dropping a little bit in value or getting injured, so with his high value right now I think they should try and move Vatrano if they can’t resign him and get a huge package in return. 

5) Continue to add more youth to this Team: And lastly they need to continue to infuse more youth in this team, I mean adding guys like Zellweger and Mintyukov to that defensive end was really good and they probably should have Gauthier at the NHL level next year as he signed  over from the NCAA, so that could be really good for the Anaheim Ducks, so there's definitely I think a little bit more youth that's going to be infused into this team in the not too distant future and I think that could really help the Ducks team continue to improve and get better for years to come.

So that's sort of what I think with the Ducks I mean those are three reasons why I think they missed the playoffs and those are the five ways I can see them improve in the offseason to be better for next year, and on top of that I think the Ducks could be a decent team next year, I don't think they'll make the playoffs as I think they're still a little bit away from that, but I do think they can improve in the offseason by getting younger and adding on the blueline and they could easily be a much more competitive team next year so that's I think with the Anaheim Ducks.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Record for 23-24 Season, 8th in Metro, 16th in East 27-43-12| 66| 237-300-63

Significant Pending UFA'S

LW, C B.Gaunce 2-2-4 18GP

Steve Roberts USA Today Sports 

Significant Pending RFA'S

RW K.Marchenko 19-16-35 70GP

LW,C K.Johnson 6-10-16 42GP

C C.Sillinger 12-16-28 69GP

WIN A.Nylander 8-3-11 21GP

WIN Y.Chinakov 16-13-29 53GP

FOR A.Texier 11-15-26 70GP

RW C.Meyer 1-0-1 10GP

LD/RD J.Bean 4-8-12 70GP

LD/RD N.Blankenburg 0-0-0 6GP

Current draft capital for the Blue Jackets in 2024: 6

1RD: CBJ

2RD: NONE

3RD: CBJ, LA

4RD: CBJ

5RD: CBJ

6RD: CBJ

7RD: NONE 

3 Reasons why the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs

Still have a pretty young forward group

First is the fact that they still have a pretty young forward group,  I mean as much as they have a couple of really good veterans on this team they have guys like Marchenko, Chinakov and Fantilli who had has first career NHL season and they have a lot of really good young forward talents so they're probably going to make a ton of mistakes so as much as there's a lot of veterans on that team, this is still a more younger forward group on that Jackets team, so that's a pretty significant reason why I think this team missed the playoffs.

Merzlikins bad play

Next up was the play of Merzlikins, as he did not play overly well this year, I mean Tarasov and Martin have had to step in and they've done all right, but Merzlikins who was supposed to be that teams starter being payed $5.4 million to be that teams starter and has not worked out overly well this year and he even requested a trade at one point this year, so I think that's another reason why the jackets were a mess this year and why they were one of the lowest teams in the East. 

Handful of bad injuries

And lastly this team had a lot of bad injuries again, I mean last year they were completely riddled with injuries, this year wasn't as bad but still they definitely have a lot of guys out at certain points I mean Laine has been in the NHL players assistance program, Fantilli wound up finishing the season on injury reserve, you had Roslovic out for quite some time before he was dealt to NYR, Boone Jenner I think was out for a significant period of time, also Zack Wereinski I think was out for a couple of weeks at one point so yeah they had a lot of bad injuries which is another reason why I think they missed the playoffs, but as much as the injuries set them back last year, it wasn't as bad this year but it was another contributing factor to why the Jackets fell badly this year. 

So to wrap up, the fact that they had a lot of injuries, the fact that they still have a pretty young forward group and the fact that Merzlikins as not been overly good this year were the three main reasons in my opinion why this jackets team did not wind up making the playoffs again this year as they miss yet again as a bottom dweller. 

5 ways the Blue Jackets can improve in the offseason to get better for next year: 

1) Move Merzlikins and add a new Starting Goalie: Now to start off with, I think they need to move Merzlikins or buy him out, I really think they need to do one of the two, I think moving him might be a little more of a better solution that way they don't have to have his contract on the books for as long of a period of time, but I do think they need to move on from Merzlikins, I don't think he's working out overly well and they need to go and get a new starting goalie whether that's trading for a starter like a guy like Gibson or Saros or Markstrom or trying to go after a different starting goalie in free agency like a Kahkonen or someone who can work as like a 1A or Starter, but I think they really need a new and fresh goalie duo in Columbus so I think Tarasov is really good and I think he could be eventually the starter but I think for now he's a good 1B and the Jackets need to find someone who can complement him well so I think they need to go out and try and find a starting level goaltender who at this point is a bit better then Merzlikins has been the past few seasons.

Aaron Doster USA Today Sports

2) Figure out where to go with Laine: Next up I think the Jackets have to at least consider moving Laine, now he hasn’t worked out the greatest over the past few seasons as he has really dropped off from being the 40 goal scorer he once was in Winnipeg, now he's got this year plus I think two more seasons at $8.7 million and it's a really bad contract for the jackets as he has definitely not played to that level in the last few years so it'll be a hard contract to move but Laine has not had an overly great stint with the Blue jackets, as I think he was a lot better in Winnipeg then in Columbus, so I do think they need to try and find a way to either make it work with Laine in Columbus and find a good role for him or they need to  move on from him and figure out if they can find a good trade that works for them and Laine so we'll have to wait and see on that but I think they either need to find a way to make things work with Laine before the start of next year or figure out a way to move him. 

3) Move Provorov and/or Boqvist: 3rd I think they need to move Provorov and/or Boqvist, now both guys are doing decently this season, Boqvist is  I think one or two years away from being a pending RFA while Provorov is a year away from UFA status. Provorov as worked out pretty well on the ice, but, some people say he might still be a bit of a locker room problem so I do think moving Provorov especially with him being in the finally year of his deal and after the solid season he had might be a smart move for jackets, and on top of that there has been a lot of talk that Boqvist was going to get moved at some point but he still hasn't at this point in time, but I do think there's a really likely chance he will get moved, so one of or both of Provorov and Boqvist I think will get moved in the offseason as I don’t think both will be on the Blue Jackets D-Corp next year. 

4) Add a top 4 D: Next I think they need to add new top for defenseman, I think especially if they were to move a Provorov and/or Boqvist they need to continue to add another piece and I mean severson's worked out pretty good this year, Wereinski is really good, they also have a really good D-Corp and a couple of other really decent players on the defensive end too, but I think adding another top four defensemen could really help that team so I think they could try and find some way to upgrade their blueline with another veteran D, whether it is in free agency with the likes of Tanev, Gostisbehere or Carrier or in the trade market with Ferraro, Murphy or Chychrun, I think adding another solid D to this team in the offseason may be the best way to improve the blueline this year. 

5) Add 2-3 Top 9 Forwards: And lastly I  think they could also add two to three top nine forwards, I mean like I said this is a really young team and they have a lot of young guys like Marchenko, Chinakov and Fantilli who are a ton of really good forwards on that team, but I do think they could definitely use some more veteran help on that team, so I wouldn’t  be overly surprised if the Jackets continue to add some more pieces on that Forward to group try and round out that top nine really well whether it is from free agency or via the trade market. 

So that's my opinion of the Blue Jackets those were the three reasons why I think they missed the playoffs and those are the five ways I can see this team improve and I'm not going to say they're going to make the playoffs, I didn't this year as I said it would be a better season but they would just miss out and I was completely wrong on that, so I'm saying that if they can make some more moves this offseason and make some things work better like maybe get a better starting goalie, change up the blueline a  little bit and get some more depth on the forward group I think they could be a team who maybe just misses out on the playoffs next year, maybe doesn't make the playoffs but will hopefully be a lot more competitive next year.

So that is my thoughts on the Jackets and the Ducks as those are why I think they missed the playoffs, some RFA’s, UFA’s and draft capital for this offseason and I give some ways both teams can improve to get better for next year, and I would love to hear your thoughts, so do you agree or disagree with me and if not I would love to hear your thoughts on all that was discussed and how you think they came improve down in the comments section below.