The Anaheim Ducks have a deep pool of defensemen in their prospect pipeline. Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, and Tristan Luneau highlight an impressive crop of defenders that includes Jackson LaCombe, Drew Helleson, Tyson Hinds, Noah Warren, and Rodwin Dionico. Anaheim also has some intriguing forward prospects who could earn a roster spot this season.
The Ducks have some leeway to experiment upfront, which means Benoit-Olivier Groulx could fill in for Isac Lundestom, who will be out of action for the start of the campaign following Achilles surgery. Additionally, it would not be a surprise if 2023 second-overall pick Leo Carlsson, who can play center or on the wing, gets an opportunity in a top-six role out of the gate. However, it appears that the Ducks feel inclined to take a much more cautious approach when it comes to the defense group.
Ducks Add Experience and Grit to Fill Out Defense Spots
Anaheim bid farewell to Kevin Shattenkirk, who signed with the Boston Bruins; Nathan Beaulieu, who agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the Carolina Hurricanes; and Simon Benoit, who is still an unrestricted free agent after he didn’t receive a qualifying offer this offseason. General manager (GM) Pat Verbeek filled some of those holes by signing Radko Gudas and Robert Hagg, as well as acquiring Ilya Lyubushkin from the Buffalo Sabres. The Ducks also brought back Scott Harrington, who suited up in 17 contests with the club last year, on a PTO.
Cam Fowler and Jamie Drysdale, who still needs to be signed to a new contract, should make up the top pairing. Drysdale is a prime bounce-back candidate after shoulder surgery limited him to only eight games last season. Urho Vaakaninen is coming off hip surgery and has only made 37 appearances in parts of two seasons with the Ducks after he was acquired from the Bruins in the Hampus Lindholm trade. Assuming he can stay healthy and become a regular on the backend, Colton White is set to be an extra blueliner entering the 2023-24 campaign. If he earns a standard contract, Harrington could also be utilized as a depth defender by the Ducks.
Gudas, Lyubushkin, and Hagg combined for 522 hits last season. Their presence in the lineup will provide the Anaheim defense corps with some much-needed physicality and a take-no-prisoners attitude that the team has been lacking for quite a while. The Ducks finished 31st in the league with 1,284 credited hits and ranked 31st overall on the penalty kill (72.1%) last season. Verbeek has made it clear on several occasions this offseason, with the most recent instance coming after Lyubushkin was acquired, that he wants the Ducks to be harder to play against in 2023-24.
Ducks Will Have Plenty of Reinforcements Available on Defense
Helleson and LaCombe got the chance to make their NHL debut late last season. It would not be shocking if Zellweger, Mintyukov, and/or Hinds received the same opportunity at some point this campaign, even if all of them start out with the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL). Of course, an injury or trade could result in an earlier promotion. Anaheim has embraced being a seller at the trade deadline in recent years, which is unlikely to change this year, and their chance could come when Lyubushkin, or perhaps Cam Fowler, is moved. The speed at which the team’s young players develop could dictate what happens with Fowler, who enjoyed a career year offensively in 2022-23 with 38 assists and 48 points in 82 games.
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The decision to wait would make plenty of sense, especially when it comes to developing defensemen because there is a big adjustment in the shift in competition. Verbeek heaped praise on Zellweger and Mintyukov for their excellent 2022-23 seasons in the junior ranks, but he still believes they have some work to do before becoming full-fledged members of the Ducks.
Development is the Key to Long-Term Success
Verbeek has made his intentions known – not only through his offseason activity but also from his comments – that the organization has no intention of rushing prospects to the NHL level before they are ready. The Ducks’ GM said, “As I just mentioned with Pavel, these offensive guys I’m not worried about it because, while they can get away with this stuff in junior, they’re smart enough and dedicated enough to really work at their game defensively. Olen’s the same thing. He’s going to have to put a lot more structure into his defensive game.”
Bolstering the Gulls’ roster would not be a bad idea, either. Like their parent club, San Diego had the worst record (20-49-3) in the league last year. When the Ducks announced in April that Matt McIlvane had been named head coach of its top minor-league affiliate, Verbeek stated, “Matt brings a winning pedigree to our organization in addition to a strong culture of development and performance. Our players in San Diego will benefit from his leadership, philosophy, and his championship experience in Europe and the international level.”
Anaheim shouldn’t be expected to emerge from its rebuild in 2023-24, but the organization’s stockpile of draft picks that turned into prospects should start to produce NHLers in the near future. McIlvane and newly hired Anaheim bench boss Greg Cronin have plenty of young talent to work with and mold into what has the potential to be an exciting lineup, and there’s no need to rush the process.
