Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2023-24 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2024-25 Anaheim Ducks.
2024-25 Anaheim Ducks
2023-24 Season
The Ducks finished seventh in the Pacific Division last season. While the ream missed the playoffs for the sixth-straight season, the Ducks did improve from the previous season by five wins and one point. Frank Vatrano led the Ducks with 37 goals and 60 points. Goaltender John Gibson struggled mightily, continuing a decline that has been occurring for a few seasons. The three-time all-star posted just 13 wins and a 3.54 goals against average. In addition, the Ducks were active sellers at the trade deadline. One of their notable trades was sending forward Adam Henrique to the eventual Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers.
2023-24 Off-Season
The Ducks list of off-season transactions left little to be amazed about. Their biggest move was trading for forward Robby Fabbri. Fabbri does have offensive potential, so it is a trade that could work for the Ducks. It is a low risk, high reward move.
However, the Ducks did make some noise in the NHL Entry Daft. The Ducks had the third-overall pick by virtue of the draft lottery. They used the pick to bring in forward Beckett Sennecke. In addition, the Ducks acquired a second first-round pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Ducks added defenceman Stian Solberg with the pick. This was a great showing for the Ducks. Sennecke and Solberg will great pieces to their future.
Projected Lineup
Forwards
Killorn-Carlsson-Terry
Gauthier-Zegras-Vatrano
Fabbri-McTavish-Strome
McGinn-Lundestrom-Leason
Top Six
There is offensive potential on the top-six lines. Alex Killorn scored 18 goals last season while Troy Terry scored 20 goals. The second-line features the aforementioned Vatrano along with a former 20-goal scorer in Trevor Zegras. Zegras is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2023-24 season where he only played in 31 games.
The Ducks will be looking from strong seasons from two youngsters. Leo Carlsson is coming off an impressive rookie season where he collected 29 points. Cutter Gauthier, however, is a different story. After only playing in a single game last year, Gauthier will come into the 2024-25 season looking to make a strong impact on the Ducks offense. The tenth overall pick in 2022 profiles as a goal-scorer. Whether or not we see it on the ice remains to be seen. However, if he does, it will mean great things for the Ducks.
Bottom Six
The bottom-six lines are not flashy by any means. However, they provide depth and reliability. For a team in the middle of a rebuild, the Ducks need players they can count on to be in the lineup every game. Fabbri is the most intriguing piece of the bottom six. As mentioned before, Fabbri has offensive potential. If he can find a scoring touch, he could provide the Ducks with additional offensive support. If they can get it, the team may find themselves able to roll out more lines throughout the course of the game.
Defence
Zellweger-Fowler
Mintyukov-Gudas
Dumoulin-LaCombe
Top Four
14-year defenceman Cam Fowler will once again be the foundation of the Ducks defence. A defenceman who can play both ends of the ice effectively, Fowler will start the season on milestone watch. The Ontario native is just four goals away from 100. Meanwhile, Zellweger will look to benefit from playing alongside a seasoned veteran. With only 26 NHL games under his belt, Zellweger will certainly be looking to make a splash in the pond.
Another veteran, Radko Gudas, will help man the second pairing. Gudas brings experience to the locker room, as he has played in the Stanley Cup Final on two separate occasions. Just like the first pairing, a youngster is joining the veteran. Pavel Mintyukov played in 63 games in his rookie year last season. It will be interesting to see how Mintyukov grows in his sophomore season. Playing alongside a veteran like Gudas will certainly help.
Bottom Pair
Once again, the Ducks are pairing a veteran with a youngster. Brian Dumoulin, a ten-year veteran who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, will be paired with Jackson LaCombe. It seems the Ducks are looking to develop their young defenceman by pairing them veterans. This will certainly help their development, and it will be interesting to see the defenders they become in a few seasons.
Goalies
John Gibson
The Ducks will be looking for Gibson to return to form in 2024-25. When on top of his game, Gibson is one of the top goalies in the league. Dostal enters his fourth season after playing in a career-high 44 games. Dostal has hovered just over a .900 save percentage in his short career. If Dostal can show he can reach the next level as a NHL goalie, the Ducks may look into making the full-time starter. This is also dependent on Gibson’s performance. Both goalies have much to play for this season.
Players to Watch
Trevor Zegras
Zegras will be looking to return to his 60-point self this season. At 23-years old, there is no reason to believe last season is a sign of things to come. The New York native may be projected to be on the team’s second line, but he is very much a first-line player.
Currently, Zegras’s career high is 23 goals. With the offensive power surrounding him on the top-six, Zegras may find himself putting the biscuit in the basket 30+ times this season.
Frank Vatrano
Vatrano is 30-years old and is entering his tenth season. Coming off a career-high 37 goals, there is plenty to be excited about heading into the new year. However, there is also reason to be concerned. Prior to last year, the most Vatrano had scored in a season was 24. Furthermore, last year was only the third time Vatrano has scored 20 or more goals. The question is, can Vatrano repeat the success from last year?
Throughout Vatrano’s career, he has never been “the guy.” He has been a solid complimentary player, but never the first guy opponents circle when planning to play against. After 37 goals, he will be that guy this season. How does he respond to that? When teams are preparing to play against him, can he overcome that and continue to produce. He does not have to score 37 goals again to have another great season, but he certainly needs to fall in the 28-33 range. Was last year the exception to the rule? Time will tell.
Prediction for the 2024-25 Anaheim Ducks
There are some nice players on the Ducks roster. In addition to some offensive potential, there is a relatively solid defensive core. However, there are multiple question marks surrounding this team. How does Zegras rebound? Is Vatrano the player we saw last year? Are Josh Gibson’s best days in his past? Unfortunately, there are too many questions than there are answers for the Ducks.
The highest compliment that can be given to the Ducks is that they might a dark horse team to contend for a wild card spot. Each season, there seems to be a team that exceeds expectations and contends for a playoff spot. It could be the Ducks this year. It also should not surprise anyone to see the Ducks picking in the top-five again.
Main Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
