{"id":6954,"date":"2026-05-16T15:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6954"},"modified":"2026-05-16T15:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:06:09","slug":"ducks-see-room-to-get-better-after-gaining-playoff-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6954","title":{"rendered":"Ducks see \u2018room to get better\u2019 after gaining playoff experience"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>IRVINE \u2014 Roughly 15 hours after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the second round, most of the most prominent Ducks shared their thoughts regarding their season on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6952\">Dodgers\u2019 Blake Snell back to IL with loose bodies in elbow, surgery possible<\/a><\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s normal for a young club to be in search of its identity, the Ducks weren\u2019t even quite sure what to anticipate from themselves in a year of apogees and perigees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a moving target on expectations for the team all year. Going into the season, we wanted to push for the playoffs, be a team that was in the mix at the end and play meaningful games the whole year,\u201d said winger Troy Terry, after his eighth season with the team but his first that went beyond Game 82. \u201cThen we went on some big runs and had higher expectations. But at the end of the year, we were sliding and just trying to get in the playoffs. Once we got in, we just wanted to do well, and then all of a sudden, we thought we could do something really special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added: \u201cWe proved a lot to ourselves and we have a lot of room to get better, which is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba said the postseason run for the double-digit Ducks who made their playoff debuts was invaluable, because no matter what veteran players tried to impart about spring hockey, there was no substitute for feeling and living the experience.<\/p>\n<p>Forward Mason McTavish was one of those debutants. He said the mental aspect of the playoffs was what stuck with him most, from the Ducks knocking off two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton before being squeezed out of contention by Vegas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve just got to stay even keel. There are so many ups and downs, and you try to not get sucked into thinking like \u2018we\u2019re the best team ever,\u2019\u201d McTavish said. \u201cThe first game in Edmonton we lost, then we won three straight before we went back to Edmonton thinking \u2018we\u2019re so good,\u2019 and we got worked. Managing that is the biggest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Managing injuries was also a factor for the Ducks. Though nearly their entire roster was available, several players were clearly inhibited. Chris Kreider was unavailable (personal) on Friday and John Carlson said he felt fine despite both veterans\u2019 diminished impact, particularly in the Vegas series.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Terry and forward Cutter Gauthier were forthcoming about their physical struggles. Terry said his situation was \u201ccomplicated with a couple different parts that had stuff going on,\u201d and that it dated to January. He was uncertain if surgery was in his future.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6950\">Grayson Rodriguez to make Angels debut on Sunday; Logan O\u2019Hoppe activated<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gauthier, who sustained an injury in what amounted to a revenge game for the Toronto Maple Leafs after captain-on-captain violence in Toronto saw Radko Gudas knock Auston Matthews out for the season, was even more specific about a late-campaign injury that \u201cdefinitely lingered into the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI broke the L1 and L2 vertebrae in my back, it wasn\u2019t a very fun one for sure, having a broken back and not being able to play at my best,\u201d said Gauthier, who led the Ducks with 41 goals in 2025-26. \u201cI got back as soon as I could, it was a lot shorter [time] than what the docs and trainers thought. Kudos to them for putting in all that work to get me back and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gauthier and franchise center Leo Carlsson are both pending restricted free agents. While No. 1 defenseman Jackson LaCombe had his extension done this past fall, McTavish, like former Ducks Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, saw his RFA negotiations spill all the way into training camp.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to get it done as soon as possible, but we all have to cooperate with one another,\u201d General Manager Pat Verbeek said, adding that he was trying to \u201cmake sure that everybody\u2019s excited for training camp and all of us are happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Ducks soared in Round 1, with Connor McDavid\u2019s fractured foot and other Oilers injuries dovetailing with a superb effort from LaCombe, Gauthier, Carlsson and others. But in Round 2, they ran into a grittier, nastier Golden Knights squad that salted every wound, turned up the defensive pressure and got superlative series from their top players: Mitch Marner, Jack Eichel, Pavel Dorofeyev and the Duck who got away, Shea Theodore.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing, but it\u2019s also satisfying in the sense that the group understands now that every play matters, that every play that you make in a tight series matters,\u201d Verbeek said.<\/p>\n<p>Verbeek issued a joint statement on Friday with team president Aaron Teats that touted the \u201cundeniable growth and trajectory\u201d of the franchise. While it\u2019s tough to dispute that the Ducks have a bright future, Verbeek said he planned to take a bit more cautionary tone with the players.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy message to them is going to be, \u2018guys, we haven\u2019t arrived. It\u2019s actually going to be harder to make the playoffs next year, because you\u2019re not sneaking up on anybody anymore.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6948\">Dodgers end losing streak against Angels with 2-hit shutout<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Ducks had an encouraging first season under Coach Joel Quenneville, and their postseason run was invaluable for the 14 players who made their playoff debuts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ducks see \u2018room to get better\u2019 after gaining playoff experience - 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