The Anaheim Ducks face another important offseason as the team looks to take meaningful steps forward in what has already been a lengthy rebuild. The club has been out of the playoff picture for six consecutive seasons but has amassed an intriguing collection of prospects. General manager Pat Verbeek will be searching for free-agent signings and trade possibilities to complement his young core ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
The first item on the agenda will be the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, which will take place on June 28-29 from the Sphere in Las Vegas. The latest edition of News & Rumors will examine the many directions the Ducks could take with the No. 3 overall pick. There are also some trade rumors to discuss, including the potential of a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets for Patrik Laine and the latest speculation around Trevor Zegras. Additionally, the Ducks teased a new-look emblem for the team’s upcoming rebrand and announced their preseason schedule.
Ducks Will Have Plenty of Options at No. 3 Overall
By most accounts, the 2024 Draft is a fairly wide-open field. The Ducks could go in several different directions, which was discussed by Corey Pronman of The Athletic. Pronman has the Ducks selecting left-handed blueliner Anton Silayev of the Kontinental Hockey League’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. “Anaheim is one of the most interesting decisions in this draft,” Pronman wrote. “If Chicago took someone other than [Artyom] Levshunov, I think they make this decision less stressful for Anaheim, who can take the highly talented defenseman who played in North America. The league thinks they want to get bigger and need defense. That turns us to Silayev. He is big and great. He is also a KHL player. He fits Pat Verbeek’s prototype perfectly, but if they don’t want to go Russian, then you start talking about alternatives like Sam Dickinson or Carter Yakemchuk here and the draft gets interesting” (from ‘NHL Mock Draft 2024: After Macklin Celebrini, making selections for all 225 picks,’ The Athletic, June 19, 2024).
Related: Ducks 2024 NHL Draft Targets: Anton Silayev
He also believes that the Ducks could go down a completely different route if the team trades Zegras for a defenseman prior to draft day. That could result in a shift to choosing a forward like Cayden Lindstrom, Ivan Demidov, or Beckett Sennecke. It will be interesting to see what the Ducks decide to do. The team’s choice of Leo Carlsson in the 2023 Draft turned some heads, and it appears as though another surprise could be in store for 2024.
Canadiens Shifting Focus Away From Zegras?
Arpon Basu of The Athletic reports that the Montreal Canadiens have done their due diligence while checking in on Zegras and Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes. However, the acquisition cost for both players is too high at the moment (from ‘How the Canadiens fit in the trade market and the impact of a rising cap on negotiations,’ The Athletic, June 11, 2024). Basu doesn’t believe that the timing is right for the Canadiens to make a move for either player. He also questions whether or not Zegras would be a good fit with the coaching staff and if the Canadiens should commit to a long-term, big-money contract with the 23-year-old forward once his three-year, $17.25 million deal expires following the 2025-26 season.
Basu is under the impression that the Canadiens will focus on teams looking to acquire what they are willing to trade rather than dealing away valuable assets in what he argues would be lateral moves. However, that probably doesn’t rule the Canadiens out as contenders for Zegras in the future. The Ducks have the luxury of being patient with Zegras, who is eligible for arbitration as a restricted free agent at the end of his current contract.
Ducks Could Be in the Mix for Laine?
Sportsnet’s Sonny Sachdeva mentioned the Ducks as one of eight potential landing spots for Laine. The 26-year-old right winger would add much-needed scoring upside. He is also a high-volume shooter who could improve the power play. The Ducks ranked 30th in the league in goals per game (2.48) in 2023-24, and the team sits 32nd (2.50) in that category over the past six seasons. Laine could provide a spark for the top-six group, provided he can stay healthy. He was limited to 56 games in 2021-22, 55 contests in 2022-23, and appeared in only 18 matches in 2023-24.
The Blue Jackets will probably be willing to retain a portion of his salary to help facilitate a change of scenery for Laine, but cap space wouldn’t be an issue for the Ducks, and that could impact the asking price. He still has two more seasons remaining on his four-year, $34.8 million contract. Assuming the Ducks aren’t on his 10-team no-trade list, Laine could be an intriguing option for Verbeek if the price is right.
Ducks Tease New Look and Announce Preseason Schedule
The Ducks will have a new look in 2024-25, which will likely lean heavily into the color orange and feature a different version of the old Mighty Ducks logo based on the recent teases shown by the team. The club also applied for an “Orange County” trademark on June 16, which is expected to be used for merchandise. The new jersey might be unveiled at the team’s Summer Flock Party on June 30 or possibly at the 2024 Draft.
The Ducks will play six preseason contests in late September. All six games will take place in California, including two visits to SAP Center against the San Jose Sharks. The Ducks will face the Los Angeles Kings at Toyota Arena in Ontario. The Ducks will also host three games at Honda Center against the Sharks, Kings, and the Utah Hockey Club.
