The Anaheim Ducks have a bright future – with or without Connor Bedard

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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To Be(dard) or not to Be(dard). That’s the world’s easiest question.

Regardless of what Gary Bettman thinks, teams are purposely tanking hard for the chance to land Connor Bedard at the 2023 NHL Draft. He’s the real deal, and for the teams at the bottom, he could be the cheat code needed to accelerate their rebuild rapidly. If you’re not making the playoffs, you’re out of your mind if you’re not doing what it takes to snag the player with the most hype since Connor McDavid.

Fans will debate until the very end as to which team SHOULD have the luxury of taking No. 98. There’s the Vancouver Canucks, his hometown team. There’s the Montreal Canadiens, one of the biggest markets in the world. There are also Columbus and Arizona, two teams that would benefit from having a superstar on the squad.

But with the Anaheim Ducks boasting one of the more impressive prospect pools in the game right now, it won’t be long until they’re back in contention. And having Bedard in the fray would make things so much more fun. He had excellent chemistry with Mason McTavish at the 2022 World Junior Championship and would have no issues finishing plays with Trevor Zegras.

For now, that’s all just a dream. The team is utterly awful right now, but, with or without Bedard, it won’t be long until that all changes.

The Ducks have had a steady stream of notable young talent show up in recent years – Troy Terry, Zegras, McTavish and Jamie Drysdale come to mind. When watching the team right now, it’s all about zeroing in the young core. The Ducks aren’t going to the playoffs, and they’re bound to finish in the bottom three of the standings. And with Zegras, Terry and McTavish making up three of the team’s top four scorers, it’s fair to say the kids have been alright.

They’re just the ones with the big club right now. More help is on the way, and with a chance at Bedard, Adam Fantilli or Leo Carlsson, they’ll instantly be getting another colossal asset – not to mention the three second-rounders and two third-rounders this year, too. The Ducks might not have the best tradable assets this year, but they could easily pick up a few more if they move someone like John Klingberg, Adam Henrique or Dmitry Kulikov. And there’s no reason to act as a buyer leading into the draft, either: it’s a good year to have solid draft capital.

The Ducks’ biggest organizational prospect strength comes on the back end. Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger have been incredible in their respective major junior leagues, with Mintyukov spending a large chunk of the season in the top five in OHL scoring – no matter the position. Tristan Luneau and Jackson LaCombe are excellent, as well, with LaCombe being the oldest of the group at 22. All five have shown flashes of brilliance this year, which gives them plenty of options to work with. I think Mintyukov and Zellweger are sure-fire, impact NHLers, especially on the power play. The others? They could be decent depth pieces at worst. I wouldn’t be surprised if 6-foot-5 Noah Warren makes it into NHL action at one point, either.

The team doesn’t have another true blue-chip forward prospect, taking them down a notch. That’ll change at the draft this year. One player turning heads, though, is Quebec Ramparts forward Nathan Gaucher. He’s big, strong and can rip a shot from just about anywhere. He projects more like a third-liner, but he’ll be an excellent one at that.

Sasha Pastujov, a 19-year-old OHLer, is the closest the team has to a goal-scorer in the pipeline right now. He’s as creative as they come, using his hands to keep goalies guessing until it’s too late. Pastujov used to be all offense, all the time, but his defensive game and work ethic have allowed him to succeed this season. There’s a lot of potential here.

The backbone of every good rebuild is a solid goaltending prospect – just ask the Buffalo Sabres, who have a couple. Lukas Dostal, a 22-year-old out of Czechia, might have a brutal record in the AHL, but the Gulls are one of the worst teams in the AHL. Like, truly, one of the worst we’ve seen in a while. But Dostal has nearly all of the wins despite missing a large chunk of the season, and he has a decent save percentage and three shutouts. Every time Dostal steps into the crease, he gives the Gulls a chance to win. And he did the same during a seven-game stint with the Ducks in December, recording a 2-3-1 record while facing 40 or more shots nearly every single night. He’s the real deal, and it won’t be long until he’s challenging John Gibson for starts.

There’s a ton of room to grow, too. The Ducks currently have $13.65 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. Comtois, Terry, Zegras and Drysdale are all RFAs, with the rest of the UFA crop being replaceable, for the most part. Henrique, a 33-year-old on a $5.825 million deal until 2024, is a viable trade target. Defenseman Klingberg and his $7 million deal are all but certain to be moved, too. Cam Fowler, the team’s cornerstone defenseman, is the highest-paid player at $6.5 million until 2026. That’ll change with Zegras at the very least, but the good news is that the team isn’t strapped for cash.

So, they’ve already got some high-end offensive talents with the club, with the likelihood of another getting drafted in a few months. They’ve got one of the brightest young defensive cores in the league. And they’ve got a netminder who seems to play better the more shots he faces.

None of these are sure bets, but there’s promise. Ducks fans know all about that – just ask how guys like Sam Steel, Max Jones and, to a lesser extent, Max Comtois panned out. This is a franchise that has had some solid prospects in the waiting for years but nothing to really show for it.

The Ducks have high odds of landing Bedard, who can help immediately. If they pick second, Fantilli is an excellent consolation prize. Third? Carlsson can be the net-front presence teams dread. No matter what, Anaheim will land a top-flight prospect that won’t be far away.

The future looks bright in Orange County. And it won’t be long until those dreams become realized.

The Anaheim Ducks have a bright future – with or without Connor Bedard

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