Anaheim Ducks have some work to do during the NHL offseason
The Anaheim Ducks will select second overall at this year’s NHL Draft, which should result in them taking Adam Fantilli, a bonafide NHL center.
The Ducks find themselves in a peculiar situation. They’re trying to rebuild, but have 12 forwards coming back and veteran netminder John Gibson. They’re also in the hunt for a new head coach, which will spice things up.
Today, on Daily Faceoff Live, Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli and Chicago Blackhawks analyst Colby Cohen discussed what the offseason could look like for General Manager Pat Verbeek and the Ducks.
Frank Seravalli: What about the Anaheim Ducks, Colby? One thing we don’t know is who is going to be their next head coach. Pat Verbeek has been active throughout the process for more than a month at this point; no real direction on that front. They’re a team that’s not all dissimilar to the Blackhawks; I think the Hawks have gotten there a bit more quickly in terms of the tear-down process; they have a ton of guys and a ton of cap space, they’ve got a trade chip in Adam Henrique who I think could find himself a new home this summer. But they’ve got some talent upfront led by Trevor Zegras and company, they’ve got some prospects on the back end on the way, and what’s starring me in the face when looking at the Ducks rebuild is how do you bridge that gap between then and now. You basically have two or maybe three bonafide defensemen on your blueline; how do you have a team that’s even remotely competitive with that type of defence core? A lot of work for Pat Verbeek to do.
Colby Cohen: Yeah, they return 12 forwards next season, and that counts the contracts that Zegras and Troy Terry are going to get, which will be long-term contracts. But then you look at the rest, and they don’t really have any defensemen coming back next season; you’ve got Cam Fowler, LaCombe and Colton White under contract next season that are “NHL calibre defensemen” Olen Zellweger maybe takes the jump, and he gets in the NHL. Drysdale missed all season, so he comes back.
Colby Cohen: Here’s what is interesting about Anaheim, Frank. Not next year, but the year after, so we are talking 2024-25, and that’s when their roster could look entirely different. What do they do in the short term? They’ll draft Fantilli, who will probably go to the NHL right away, although we’ve heard rumours he may not. But ultimately, they’re in a different place than the Blackhawks because A.) I don’t believe they have the prospect pool the Blackhawks have and B.) They’re kind of in this weird stage where they have 12 forwards coming back, so it’s not like they’re necessarily looking. While sure they could trade Henrique like you said, there are probably a couple of other guys. But what’s going to happen with John Gibson? Who’s made your big board a number of times? Cam Fowler, too; you need some veterans there to help out. But are you truly going to rebuild and tear it down? That is my question. I have yet to see that happen, and to me, that’s why I think they’re in a different spot than the Blackhawks.
Frank Seravalli: I think that’s their plan; it’s been articulated. It’s just been a bit slow in terms of getting there. When you have someone like Gibson, probably being in a spot where he makes that team look a bit better than they really are, that hurts, and the legacy deals that you had that Verbeek has been prying off his roster. Some of those guys have been unmoveable, and you needed to get to a point where the deals just expire. Pat Verbeek is known for his scouting eye.