2023-24: 27-50-5, 7th in Pacific Division, 14th in Western Conference, and 30th in the league.
The Anaheim Ducks had a pretty terrible season, but it had its bright spots. They started the season 9-6, but only won 18 games the rest of the way. However, they figured out that Trevor Zegras is not fit to be the future of the team, and so Pat Verbeek made a very smart play by acquiring Cutter Gauthier from the Philadelphia Flyers, because he didn't want to play in Philadelphia. It was expensive, giving up Jamie Drysdale and a 2nd round pick, but the way it works now, and how it always has, is you need good centermen. Good defensemen come second as a priority in today's game, as it isn't the Dead Puck Era anymore. They had Ryan Getzlaf in 2006-07 when they won, and the Penguins had not 1 but 2 franchise changing centermen every time they won.
Since joining the Ducks, Pat Verbeek has been a man of few trades, but the ones he has made look like they will work out, as Gauthier has already accomplished a lot before making it to the NHL. He has a gold medal from the 2024 WJC, and he led the team in scoring with 12 points in 7 games, and has a season of 38 goals and 65 points in 41 games at Boston College, and by signing an entry-level deal, he ended his college career, and he will most likely make the opening roster. Verbeek has also been strategic in how he pursues free agency, as he knows the Ducks aren't becoming contenders overnight, but what he is doing is bringing in veteran leadership in to teach the new guys, such as Alex Killorn, Radko Gudas, and Frank Vatrano, who were all key contributors. Killorn was a slight disappointment, but his offensive numbers were a little inflated, and as good as he was his last year in Tampa Bay, he had never played at that level before, and so a regression was expected.
What I expect to go right for the Anaheim Ducks is that Lukas Dostal will continue to build on the season he had with a .902 save percentage with a terrible defense in front of him. I believe that Leo Carlsson will be able to get the no. 1 center job with Trevor Zegras out of the mix, and I think Pavel Mintyukov will build off of a good rookie season. They weren't exactly studs this year, but not every rookie is going to blow away the analysts, nor do they need to. I have no problem with picking the Ducks as a surprise team coming out of the Pacific, because I think they can be competitive, but not enough to seriously contend for a playoff spot.
As for what Ducks management may want to do about their problem child, I believe that Pat Verbeek will find a place to send Zegras packing, because his one-dimensional game has not translated to positive results in the NHL. You can get away with being wildly talented for maybe 1 season in the NHL, but once players start to figure you out, your biggest flaws get exposed very quickly. Zegras is a classic Nail Yakupov case, where being so much better than his peers helped him get away with a lot, but talent is a superstar's biggest enemy in the NHL, because it's all caught up to you. Yakupov did well enough in his rookie season that he earned Calder Trophy consideration, but he was too arrogant for any team, and he relied so heavily on natural talent that he was a bottom 6 player by year 2 of his career, and by 2018 was completely run out of the league. Zegras has no game in the faceoff dot, he's in the box too much for the style he plays, and anyone who models their game after Patrick Kane probably shouldn't be on your team.
I like what the Ducks did by going back to the Wild Wing logo that everyone loves, but they still kept the ugly color scheme. Regardless, it is a positive change, and a lot less of an eyesore. With good goaltending, and strong sophomore performances from Carlsson and Mintyukov, I believe that this year they can manage a winning record, finishing 35-34-13, 6th in the Pacific Division, 12th in the Western Conference, and 23rd in the league.
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