2 weeks Ago
It has been six years since the Anaheim Ducks appeared in a playoff game. Even in their formative Mighty Ducks years, they didn’t go longer than three seasons without postseason hockey. The forecast to break this franchise-long drought in the spring of 2025 isn’t rosy.
At some point, you wonder how much of a toll the lack of success takes on the hearty who come out to Honda Center each year or watch from a distance. There are some individual pieces that provide excitement and help satiate the ticket-buying public, but the collective hasn’t shown to ice a sustainable winning product. Advertisement Maybe that is coming.
But how long do you hold onto hope for better days? At what point does that turn into a demand? General manager Pat Verbeek has promised from his first day that he wouldn’t skip steps in his rebuilding program and that when the Ducks are ready to be back in the playoffs, they will stay there for many years and play for the highest of stakes. The expectations are that they’re not ready and folks are largely fine with that. But there’s a growing sense that it’s time to be relevant in the NHL again.
With the 2024-25 season approaching, this was a good time to take the temperature of Ducks fans. Nearly 550 responded in last week’s survey to several of the notable topics concerning the franchise. Not every question was a heavy one, but each has been a talking point and figures to remain so as the season progresses.
This was an opportunity to make yourself be heard beyond the comments. Look at this as a hors d’oeuvre that you took part in creating. Let’s dig into the results.
How many points will the Ducks total in 2024-25? The Ducks weren’t expected to be world beaters in 2023-24 but they should have been better than 30 th in the NHL with just 59 points, which was only one more than what they had the year before under Dallas Eakins. They were awful at home (12-26-3) and only a shade better on the road (15-24-2). Goal differential improved by 38 goals, but they were still a minus-91.
In other words, they’re still a healthy distance from being average and a lot of steps away from good or elite. More power to the two who think Anaheim is poised to jump all the way to 100 points or more but everyone else was far more realistic. Average in today’s NHL is about 88 points, give or take a few.
That means a 30-point leap for the Ducks just to be in the middle of the pack. But that’s where many believe they can land this season or be on the path toward mediocrity. Hey, a Stanley Cup contender wasn’t built in a day.
Advertisement What grade would you give Greg Cronin’s first season as head coach? More competitive. Better defensively. Very undisciplined.
Still poor offensively. Woeful special teams. Mind you, the Ducks were coming off a year where they bottomed out as the worst team in the league with the worst defensive performance of the salary cap era.
There was nowhere to go but up. It was a mixed bag for Cronin and the C grade from most of you reflected that. Positive strides in some areas were made and more than a quarter were left with a positive impression.
But 75 of the 545 who responded were not inspired by the then-60-year-old’s first crack at leading an NHL team. It didn’t help that the Ducks rarely had all their top players on the ice together as injuries hit the roster all season. It also didn’t help that Cronin benched Trevor Zegras on a couple of occasions as he pushed him to improve his defense when Zegras wasn’t sidelined.
What grade would you give general manager Pat Verbeek’s offseason moves? On one hand, you can buy Verbeek not blowing his bountiful cap space on complementary free agents after striking out on top-of-the-lineup types like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault . On the other hand, coming out of the summer with smaller moves like adding Robby Fabbri and Brian Dumoulin in trades feels like a letdown after the build-up of an offseason shopping list for a top-six scoring forward and a top-four defenseman. Fabbri and Dumoulin may very well help Anaheim, and the commitment to either veteran only runs through this season.
The voting breakdown reflects the grading, with nearly half handing out a middling mark but sizable contingents either feeling positive of Verbeek or left with a negative feeling about his quieter-than-anticipated summer. How would you rate Verbeek’s performance as Ducks GM? Verbeek is now 21⁄2 years into his tenure. Most of that time has been taking the Ducks through a true rebuild and restocking the pipeline with young talent that has higher upsides than the players who were selected at the end of the Bob Murray era.
That direction has also come with a lot of losses absorbed. To this point, most are on board with what he’s done. But the Ducks are now made up of more and more of the players he’s brought in and the hard work that comes with building a terrific team continues to lie ahead.
This is a season where Verbeek’s troops need to show real progress. Advertisement What should Verbeek’s next major move be? The varied responses had a few consistent themes that have hovered around the Ducks. Trading John Gibson was the most popular submission.
Several were open to moving Zegras if he fetched a strong return. Others want Zegras and would like Verbeek to issue a stronger message that the talented forward isn’t going anywhere. Obtaining, as one reader said, an “A-list scorer” was among numerous wishes for Verbeek to pull off.
And if it wasn’t getting an impact winger, it was coming through with an established top-four blueliner. While quite a few are still believers in the younger players eventually leading the Ducks, several want another piece or two who are already proven in the NHL to supplement the next core. Some are ready to move on from Cronin if there’s no progress being made.
Several would like that next move to be re-signing Mason McTavish , who’s finishing his rookie contract, to a long-term extension. Some would like veterans like Cam Fowler and Frank Vatrano to be put on the trading block, though a few would like the impending UFA Vatrano extended. And some are content to wait for the huge move to come next summer.
What is Trevor Zegras’ future with the Ducks? Does this result reflect the optimism a fan base holds onto when the subject is one of the most entertaining players in recent years? Many believe that Zegras will wear a Ducks jersey for a long time to come and if that proves true, they’ll look back at the constant trade speculation around him with righteous indignation. But there are 60 percent who believe there will be some kind of separation. After a difficult season that began with a protracted contract negotiation and included groin issues and a broken ankle, Zegras figures to be highly motivated for 2024-25.
The Ducks would surely welcome someone with his offensive wizardry and higher commitment on the defensive end to be a major part of their operation. But he’ll be a restricted free agent in 2026 and can reach UFA status in 2027. We’ll find out how strong that bond between him and the team is.
Who should start in goal on opening night? The good thing for either Gibson or Dostal is that Anaheim plays at Vegas the next night after starting the season Oct. 12 at San Jose so it’s highly likely the other one plays if he doesn’t go against the Sharks . But there is something to be called on first and being able to leave an initial impression.
Gibson is the big name with the big contract. Dostal is the one pushing to unseat him as the Ducks’ No. 1.
You’ve made your choice here. Let’s see what Cronin does then. How many points will Leo Carlsson put up in Year 2? Injuries and even the Ducks’ own load management plan in the first half put a dent in Carlsson’s rookie season but he still managed 29 points in 55 games.
Apply that 0.53 points per game average to 82 contests and it’s 43 for a full season. Modest indeed for someone who gets the ice time and special teams work for a No.
1 center. But the 19-year-old’s powerful skating at top speed and deft playmaking can easily lead many to think that greater production isn’t far behind. Carlsson must stay healthy, of course.
And he’s got to have some linemates who are true threats and can get things done on the ice. But in one season, he’s also shown he can drive possession and show those moments where he can be the lead on a line. A leap is expected by him.
We’ll see how far forward he’ll jump. Advertisement Will Cutter Gauthier win the Calder Trophy? This result was probably a smart and easy one to predict as it’s more likely someone in the rest of the field could win it over the 20-year-old former Boston College star. And there could be some strong candidates in that field, from San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith to Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov to Dallas’ Logan Stankoven and Montreal ’s Lane Hutson .
But it looks like the Ducks could give Gauthier a prime opportunity to make a big impact early. The Ducks have had three Calder finalists: Zegras (2022), Bobby Ryan (2009) and Paul Kariya (1995). More than a quarter of you believe Gauthier could become the first one who wins.
How many goals will Gauthier score as a rookie? Since there is a good chance the Hobey Baker Award finalist will be of significant interest in his first season, what kind of production he could have in 2024-25 was a worthy question to ask. Gauthier has always been a goal scorer, and he led all NCAA players with 38 last season. While about one of every 10 of you feel he’ll hit the 30-goal threshold this season, most are more reasonable with their prediction.
Twenty or more isn’t bad at all — Connor Bedard had 22 in 68 games last season as he captured the Calder. If Gauthier seizes that top-six role and gets consistent power-play time, that seems possible. Who will be the next captain of the Ducks? Unless there is a change, the Ducks are expected to name their first captain since Ryan Getzlaf retired before their opener.
They’ve maintained that they have wanted someone to emerge as the choice and Cronin has been one to emphasize the need for greater leadership. Will that be a veteran who’s been through it all or a youngster who will lead Anaheim into its next era? The majority believe it will be Mason McTavish among several possibilities. A fair number won’t be surprised if it’s either Carlsson, Radko Gudas or Troy Terry .
Zegras and Cam Fowler also got a few nods. Do you like the Ducks’ new jerseys? Guess it was time for a different look, huh? Embrace the orange. And the full-on comeback of the original logo.
(Did it ever really go away?). Which primary color scheme do you prefer? The Ducks’ jersey choices over the years have been beloved and reviled. But this question was more basic in that they’ve largely had two defining schemes since the switch from the plum (or eggplant, if you will) and jade for the 2006-07 season — a memorable year in their history for obvious reasons.
Purists will side with the original look possibly until the end of time and those jerseys were wildly popular when introduced. The love remains to this day but there’s also been an undercurrent within the fan base that prefers the orange and black that started to really take hold in 2014. The voting results reflect that.
(Top photo of Trevor Zegras: Christopher Mast / NHLI via Getty Images).
