The Anaheim Ducks are inching closer to the end of a rather disappointing 30th NHL campaign. The end couldn’t come soon enough with the way things are going. During their current five-game losing streak, they’ve been outscored a dismal 27-5.
Related: Ducks 2024 Trade Deadline Grades
The Mar. 8 trading deadline coincided with and perhaps even precipitated a stretch of play exhibiting minimal sign of life. Outplayed and outcompeted at every turn, the Ducks face a difficult 17-game finish with a schedule full of playoff-bound or playoff-contending teams. Let’s look at the primary reasons for their recent struggles.
Reason 1: Trade Deadline Activity Left Many Lineup Holes
The Ducks parted with several veteran players in the lead-up to the Mar. 8 trading deadline. Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick were dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in a trade that netted them a couple of draft picks, including a first-rounder. Ilya Lyubushkin was sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs for an additional draft pick. If we go back a couple more months, there was the Jamie Drysdale-Cutter Gauthier swap. These trades, which brought no active-rostered players to the Ducks in return, have left the Ducks with many holes to fill on a nightly basis.
Outside of the Drysdale swap earlier this season, each trade was predictable and made sense (time will reveal who won the Drysdale-Gauthier trade). But the facts were that Henrique was one of the more reliable contributors for the Ducks this season and in previous seasons. At the same time, Lyubushkin and Carrick played depth but no less critical roles than Henrique. Lyubushkin was a reliable, physical defenseman who paired with rookie Pavel Mintyukov quite well. On the other hand, Carrick played with snarl and physicality and served as a reliable centerman in all situations. The holes created by their departures have been filled with players like Ross Johnston, Ben Meyers, Pavol Regenda, Gustav Lindstrom, and others. These might be fine players in small doses, but they won’t be enough as everyday players or replacements for those dealt this season.
Reason 2: Injuries
Injuries have plagued the Ducks all season, and nobody on the roster has been spared. Leo Carlsson hasn’t played since Feb. 29 as he deals with the aftermath of a concussion. Mason McTavish, who has dealt with different ailments throughout the season as well, missed the first week of March and also sat in the latest loss to the Winnipeg Jets (Mar. 15). Max Jones hasn’t played since Mar. 10. Trevor Zegras remains out of the lineup as he continues his recovery from a broken ankle suffered in a win over the Nashville Predators on Jan. 9.
Those are four key players. Though McTavish has struggled lately, he has driven the train offensively for most of the season and served as a key facilitator for guys like Frank Vatrano. Carlsson has given the Ducks a refreshing blend of speed and skill, Jones plays with tenacity, and Zegras, well, is Zegras. The Ducks struggle to win games, let alone generate offense, without this melting pot of skill in the lineup, and it’s become a significant factor in their current losing streak.
Reason 3: Minimal Threats on Offense
The injury bug has emphasized what was an already thin group of offensive threats. The Ducks weren’t threatening, even with a full lineup, and they remain relatively easy to game plan for because of this.
Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano are the only two dynamic players on offense right now, and lately, if opposing teams bottled them up, then they won the game. Terry has had no points since the losing streak began, while Vatrano has had one assist. They have no space and minimal opportunities to make plays. That’s just the reality that the Ducks are in right now. Brett Leason, Alex Killorn, and Ryan Strome have scored in recent games, but until Zegras, McTavish, Carlsson, and Jones return, the Ducks, including and especially Terry and Vatrano, will remain stuck.
Reason 4: Stiff Competition
The Ducks’ losing streak isn’t entirely due to on-ice factors. Their recent schedule has not been kind to them. The Ducks have had to contend with teams battling either for a division title (Dallas Stars and Jets) or for a spot in the playoffs (New York Islanders, Minnesota). For what it’s worth, doing it night after night when you are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum is not easy.
However, there was absolutely no excuse for the 7-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks (Mar. 12). By the grace of the hockey gods, the Blackhawks were blessed with Connor Bedard last offseason, and it remains the only reason they are relevant this season. And they mopped the floor with the Ducks—perhaps the Ducks’ most embarrasDucks’ight of the season.
The Road Ahead Remains Tough
Ultimately, the Ducks must ask themselves how and why they have lost by a margin of 27-5 over the last five games. A six- or seven-goal game is rare, even in today’s NHL, and they have surrendered that many in four of their five latest losses. That is an abomination. Sure, maybe it’s because of these factors. But is it really that better teams outmatch them, or is there something else like a lack of motivation or work ethic? It’s tough to say; the guys inside that locker know the answer.
The Ducks have plenty of questions to answer and things to prove over the season’s final month, and they continue with another tough match against the St. Louis Blues, another team fighting for their playoff lives.