{"id":13895,"date":"2026-06-10T17:32:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T17:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13895"},"modified":"2026-06-10T17:32:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T17:32:58","slug":"ducks-have-the-means-to-get-even-better-this-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13895","title":{"rendered":"Ducks have the means to get even better this offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Ducks returned to the playoffs last season, but do they have staying power?<\/p>\n

No longer in the mode of hoarding futures and accumulating options, general manager Pat Verbeek and his staff will now need to sift through their stockpile. Ideally, that process will trim fat, consolidate talent and produce an even more competitive roster than the one that was eliminated from the second round in May.<\/p>\n

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While the Ducks are projected to be in the top three among NHL teams in terms of salary-cap space, a familiar position for them during their seven-year absence from the playoffs, they have both big raises to dole out and areas to improve with their nearly $40 million worth of flexibility.<\/p>\n

Coaches all over the West, from Edmonton to Chicago, were effusive last season in their assessments of the Ducks\u2019 future, one that starts this summer as they shape each facet of their roster.<\/p>\n

FORWARDS<\/h4>\n

Free agents:<\/strong> Leo Carlsson (restricted), Cutter Gauthier (restricted), Jeffrey Viel, Ross Johnston; Jansen Harkins<\/p>\n

Trade protection:<\/strong> Mikael Granlund, Alex Killorn and Chris Kreider (15-team no-trade lists); Troy Terry (10-team no-trade list); Frank Vatrano (seven-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n

Carlsson and Gauthier dominate the priorities up front and in general for the Ducks. Despite being restricted free agents without arbitration rights, the Ducks\u2019 top two scorers and clearest-cut cornerstones should take precedence over even unrestricted free-agent business. Their cap hits will be significant, impacting what the Ducks can do otherwise, and they could be popular targets for rare offer sheets in a market where the cap is higher but the available talent is lower than usual.<\/p>\n

Some combination of Viel, Johnston and Harkins could return on modest deals to add depth and grit to the group. Terry (hip surgery) faces a long recovery and the Ducks could already have used another right-handed shot up front. They\u2019re also surely pondering both the future and trade value of Mason McTavish, who took a step back in the first year of his six-season, $42 million contract.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Vatrano had a nightmarish season that saw him beset by calamity: a demotion in the lineup, a serious shoulder injury and coping with the death of his older brother from cancer. Yet just a year earlier, he was a goal behind the team lead and made a rare commitment to the recently woeful Ducks by re-signing as a free agent, even deferring salary. Kreider and Killorn are in the final year of substantial contracts, but both were trusted vets last season. Top-10 pick Roger McQueen will have plenty of eyes on him in training camp, though upgrades up front are not the Ducks\u2019 highest priority.<\/p>\n

DEFENSEMEN<\/h4>\n

Free agents:<\/strong> Radko Gudas, Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, Pavel Mintyukov (restricted), Olen Zellweger (restricted), Ian Moore (restricted), Tyson Hinds (restricted)<\/p>\n

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Trade protection:<\/strong> None<\/p>\n

As they compiled depth at each level of the organization, it became increasingly clear that a reckoning on the blue line was coming. Players like Tristan Luneau and Stian Solberg are waiting in the wings, and the Ducks already used nine different D-men in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Gudas is the team captain, Trouba is a former captain with the New York Rangers and Carlson is fresh off being Verbeek\u2019s big swing at the trade deadline. It seems implausible that all three 30-something righties return, though they each said they were open to staying. Trouba, the youngest of the group and half of the Ducks\u2019 top pairing, might be the best bet to actually come back, though the situation remains fluid.<\/p>\n

Equally intriguing are the statuses of the younger rearguards on the left side, particularly Mintyukov and Zellweger. Zellweger has patiently waited out a reduced role and Mintyukov was also a healthy scratch at times, with both showing considerable promise but sometimes lacking consistency.<\/p>\n

The Ducks will look to concentrate their talent on the back end and iron out who their main six or seven defenders will be. Part of that will be sorting which veterans remain on the right side and determining if they want to continue with a young group of left defensemen or seek a more seasoned presence.<\/p>\n

GOALIES<\/h4>\n

Free agents:<\/strong> Petr Mr\u00e1zek<\/p>\n

Trade protection:<\/strong> Luk\u00e1\u0161 Dost\u00e1l (10-team no-trade list beginning in 2027-28)<\/p>\n

Dost\u00e1l broke out in 2024-25, taking control of the No. 1 role while he and the since-traded John Gibson comprised the sturdy backbone of a middling club. They each vastly outperformed their expected numbers behind a porous, inexperienced defense, something that Dost\u00e1l, Mr\u00e1zek and Ville Husso couldn\u2019t approximate last year.<\/p>\n

Mr\u00e1zek came back in the deal with Detroit for Gibson and spent most of the season recovering from a hip injury. Husso, another acquisition from Detroit that was retained as a depth goalie, eased into the backup job but was merely adequate.<\/p>\n

At exit interviews, Dost\u00e1l discussed how having the highest workload of any goalie, managing the regular season, playoffs and Olympics, might have impacted him, though he was hardly shying away from duty.<\/p>\n

Returning Husso to the No. 3 slot and seeking another quality netminder to play directly behind Dost\u00e1l could help stabilize a goaltending situation that went from a clear strength to a relative weakness season over season.<\/p>\n

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After snapping their playoff drought, the Ducks have reason for optimism thanks to the salary cap space to retain talent and be key players in free agency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","category-based-on-factual-reporting-although-it-incorporates-the-expertise-of-the-author-and-may-offer-interpretations-and-conclusions"],"yoast_head":"\nDucks have the means to get even better this offseason - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13895\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ducks have the means to get even better this offseason - 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