The Anaheim Ducks commence their 30th NHL season in just a few short weeks. They enter training camp with new faces on the roster, in the front office, and in competition for full-time roster spots. This team has holes to fill and a healthy mix of veterans and hungry prospects to not only fill those spots, but also determine places and roles within the lineup.
All three phases of the game – offense, defense, and goaltending – will have interesting competitions to follow when training camp begins. Today, let’s look at some of the hottest battles up front as the Ducks’ 31st-ranked offense from last season comes into focus.
Offseason Changes & Big Questions
Not that we need a reminder, but the Ducks scored only 209 goals last season, for an average of 2.54 per game. That didn’t win them many hockey games. But changes have been made. Let’s quickly recap them.
In are Alex Killorn, Leo Carlsson, and Nathan Gaucher; a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two highly-touted first-round draft picks who are set to begin their entry-level deals. Both with potential, bordering on expectation, to be impact players for the Ducks as soon as possible.
Out are Derek Grant, Max Comtois, and Isac Lundeström. Grant was a good faceoff man, penalty killer, and a fine depth piece, but was never the long-term answer in the bottom-six forward group, and Comtois’ career in Anaheim ends rather unceremoniously given his struggles the last couple of seasons. Lastly, Lundeström is out for a while due to a summer training Achilles injury.
That’s it for the major additions and subtractions. So, where does that leave us?
Up front, the distinction between the guys that will be contributing offensively and those that won’t be doing so much of that is pretty clear. With the top-six – Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Killorn, Mason McTavish, Adam Henrique – pretty set, the biggest questions, and therefore, competitions to watch, surround positioning within the lineup. The bottom-six? That will fall into place once the rest of the competitions play out. Let’s get into it.
Competition One: Will Anyone Challenge Zegras for 1C Duties?
Assuming Zegras makes it to training camp, he has minimal worthy challengers to his current role as the top-line center on this team. Mason McTavish and Carlsson someday might be the more complete players, but time will tell us if or when either of those guys will take that spot and force Zegras to the wing. The prospect of moving McTavish or Carlsson to the center spot so either can eventually be flanked by Zegras and Terry sets the stage for a scintillating future top line, no?
Anyway, the time for Michigan attempts, lack of discipline, and having fun on the ice in losing efforts needs to be over and done with. This offense will go as Zegras goes, and he needs to be hungry for wins. Even if no one challenges him for this spot right away, look for vets like Henrique, Killorn, and even guys on the back end like Cam Fowler and Radko Gudas to elevate the urgency. Don’t get me wrong, Michigan attempts are mesmerizing and all, but they need to lead to wins. Everybody from top to bottom should be hungry after an embarrassing season.
Competition Two: Who Skates With Zegras and Terry?
Speaking of the top line, there’s a spot on the wing up for grabs. The future of the first line looks like it will be some combination of Terry, Zegras, and McTavish. But what about this season?
For now, it seems safe to say that a couple of veterans could be competing for that spot next to Terry and Zegras. Henrique has the skill to keep up, and spent some time last season playing with them. Killorn, Pat Verbeek’s prized addition, is a big-time player who has done it all and has a game that complements skilled players very well. You can bet Verbeek and new head coach Greg Cronin will give him an extended look to earn top minutes offensively. Watch out for this one.
Competition Three: Gaucher vs. Carlsson?
The injury to Lundeström opened an additional spot down the middle for the Ducks, which ups the stakes a bit for these two. They both come in as credentialed, accomplished prospects in their own ways, but training camp is where you earn NHL roster spots, not before. While they don’t project to play the same roles for the Ducks in the future, both guys should see this as an opportunity to seize a roster spot and earn some playing time immediately.
Carlsson is 18 and Gaucher is 19, so even if one or both were to make the team, Cronin may take a cautious approach. I recently said on our Ducks season preview show that I believe both can and should make the team. We’ll see to what level the Ducks brass agree.
Related: Do the Ducks Have a Future Captain in Nathan Gaucher?
Perhaps it’s not a direct competition between the two of them. Maybe Cronin has other plans, but what is true is that there’s a center spot available for either of them to snag with an impressive showing at training camp. So, expect to see both guys come out understanding they could have a spot to play for, and not like their placement this coming season is pre-determined.
Competition Four: Who Completes the Top Six?
There are a few candidates to complete the top-six for this team. Does Frank Vatrano step up? Do they give Ryan Strome and his $5-million cap hit a chance to play with the other skilled players? Maybe Gaucher or Carlsson impress to the point that they earn some top-six minutes.
Vatrano’s finishing skills seem like the best complement to the second line, which will probably include another veteran, like Killorn or Henrique, and one of their young offensive talents, like McTavish. Vatrano had 22 goals last season, the second-highest total of his career, and could easily replicate or improve upon that given the offseason changes. Strome, on the other hand, could earn his way back to a top-six role with a strong showing at camp or a good start to the season. If not, he could be relegated to centering a bottom-six line. That wouldn’t be good. Either way, someone will have a chance to be the sixth forward, and with that, have more opportunities to create offense. That’s what most forwards want, after all. We’ll see who it is very soon.
Bottom-Six Outlook
The look of this group depends a lot on who doesn’t earn those roles mentioned above. For example, if Strome or Vatrano don’t earn that final wing spot in the top-six, then they fall here. Whether Gaucher or Carlsson center a line in this group remains to be seen, but otherwise, veterans like Jakob Silfverberg, Brock McGinn, and Max Jones will anchor this bunch; guys that will give you effort and grit, and occasionally contribute on offense. Urgency should still be present given these spots are usually the first ones given up when guys underperform, or guys in the American Hockey League (AHL) are ready for a call up. The battle for ice time in the NHL is ever-present, and it will be no different in Anaheim.
Offense Has Nowhere To Go But Up
When I forecasted Terry’s 2023-24 season, I predicted this team wouldn’t again be one of the league’s worst offenses. Killorn is on board, and their young stars are a year older, which alone should make this offense just a little bit better. If we’re lucky, then it could be a lot better, and the Ducks will not only score more goals, but pick up more wins, too. It all begins with training camp this Thursday.
Who are you most excited to see at Ducks training camp this week? Sound off in the comments below!
