Ducks defenseman Brian Dumoulin told Travis Lazarczyk of the Portland Press Herald that he had requested a trade from Seattle before last month’s draft, preferably to an Eastern team. The 32-year-old signed with the Kraken last summer after spending ten years in Pittsburgh and had a limited role, picking up 16 points in 80 games while his average ice time dipped by more than three minutes per game to 17:01 per night. Originally, Seattle didn’t intend to move him but eventually agreed to do so after signing Brandon Montour but didn’t find an East Coast team to send him to, instead moving him to Anaheim for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Dumoulin will enter the final year of his contract next season, one that carries a $3.15MM AAV and he’ll be asked to help shore up a back end that struggled mightily in 2023-24.
Ducks Rumors
Ducks Re-Sign Jackson LaCombe, Nikita Nesterenko
The Anaheim Ducks are getting some work done today on a few restricted free agents as the team announced a two-year contract for defenseman Jackson LaCombe and a one-year, two-way contract for forward Nikita Nesterenko. PuckPedia reports that LaCombe will earn $925K each year of his contract while Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports Nesterenko will earn $874K at the NHL level and $70K in the AHL.
LaCombe’s agreement is identical to the one he signed with the Ducks organization in 2023 after finishing his senior season with the University of Minnesota. LaCombe was originally selected with the 39th overall pick by Anaheim in the 2019 NHL Draft after an impressive season with Shattuck St. Mary. During his time with the Gophers, LaCombe demonstrated his ability to be an effective puck-mover from the blue line as 80 of his 99 points in the NCAA came from assists.
The young defenseman struggled in his rookie campaign with the Ducks where he registered two goals and 17 points in 71 games while posting a -24 rating. LaCombe’s possession and defensive metrics do not paint a positive picture either as Anaheim played him for an average of 19:23 per game. He did get some mild usage on the team’s powerplay and penalty kill for the 2023-24 season but the Ducks may be better served by taking away some responsibility from LaCombe to keep his confidence up.
In a similar fashion to LaCombe; Nesterenko spent three years with Boston College of the NCAA after being selected with the 172nd overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL Draft. Anaheim acquired Nesterenko’s signing rights as a part of the return for defenseman John Klingberg during the 2022-23 trade deadline and Nesterenko signed his entry-level contract with the Ducks only a few days later.
The native of Brooklyn, NY has collected 12 games at the NHL level up to this point but spent most of his rookie campaign with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Nesterenko suited up in 70 games for the Gulls last season and scored 16 goals and 37 points. With the ability to play well on the defensive side of the puck, Nesterenko may have a spot in the middle-six of Anaheim’s forward core in the future.
Poll: Which Postseason Drought Is Likeliest To End In 2024-25?
There has not been one team in the NHL unable to make the playoffs during the inception of the salary cap era in 2005-06. The league has experienced unprecedented competition under the new format but there are still several teams who haven’t been able to crack the Stanley Cup playoffs for the last several years. As of right now, the Buffalo Sabres (13), Detroit Red Wings (8), Ottawa Senators (7), and Anaheim Ducks (6) hold the longest current postseason droughts in the league. Which one of these teams has the best odds of ending their postseason drought and returning to the playoffs in 2025?
The odds looked good for Buffalo towards the end of the 2022-23 regular season but the team ultimately finished one point short of the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference to the Florida Panthers. The team boosted their defensive core over the summer and had their eyes on contention in 2023-24. Unfortunately, the season did not go as planned for the Sabres and the team finished seven points back of the last playoff spot in the East. The team still has a wealth of young talent either on the team or close to cracking the roster, but the offseason feels a bit misjudged at the outset. With a need to fill out their bottom six, Buffalo brought in Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel this summer and appear to be running back a similar roster next year with Lindy Ruff back as head coach.
Detroit tied the Washington Capitals for the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference for the 2023-24 regular but ultimately lost the tiebreaker on the last day of the regular season. The team took a major step forward in their rebuild after acquiring talents such as Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, and Shayne Gostisbehere who dramatically improved the team’s competitiveness. The Red Wings’ major letdown of the 2023-24 regular season was the defense which gave up the seventh most shots against in the league. Ghostisbehere walked in free agency along with other veterans who were replaced by Cam Talbot, Erik Gustafsson, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Detroit should still be able to score in bunches next year but the team has inarguably failed up to this point this summer in improving their biggest weakness from last season.
It feels that Ottawa has experienced two separate rebuilds over the last seven years with the first coming under the helm of Pierre Dorion and the current iteration led by Steve Staios. The three biggest moves of the Senators’ offseason were acquiring former Vezina winner Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, shipping defenseman Jakob Chychrun to the Capitals for a lackluster return, and prying veteran David Perron from the Red Wings on a two-year deal. Ullmark should serve as a massive upgrade in between the pipes compared to their situation last year but moving on from Chychrun will certainly sting on the blue line. Ottawa finished 14 points out of a playoff spot last season but could be a surprising team with a wealth of talent up front and a consistent netminder.
Lastly, the Ducks register as the least likely of the group to crack their postseason drought as they finished nearly 40 points out of a playoff spot last season. Anaheim brought in forward Robby Fabbri and defenseman Brian Dumoulin via trade this offseason but neither strike as needle-movers to an offense-needy organization. The upcoming season should serve as a reasonable benchmarking year for the Ducks organization as the team looks to graduate several prospects to the NHL level. Anaheim could cause some noise in a weak Pacific Division but their odds of making the playoffs are still low.
Of the four longest current playoff droughts in the NHL — which of these four teams do you think has the best odds to end their drought next season?
Anaheim Ducks Finalize Coaching Staff
The Anaheim Ducks announced several promotions and hires to Greg Cronin’s staff for the 2024-25 NHL season. The team has promoted Sudarshan Maharaj to director of goaltending and Julien Tremblay to NHL player development while naming Tim Army as an assistant coach and Peter Budaj as the team’s new goaltending coach.
The promotion has been a long time coming for Maharaj as he’s been the Ducks’ goaltending coach since the start of the 2016-17 season. Before his time in Southern California, Maharaj worked in a similar role with the New York Islanders from 2003-04 to 2005-06 before becoming a goaltending consultant until 2011-12. For his entire tenure with the club, Maharaj has been working closely with Anaheim’s starting goaltender, John Gibson. Maharaj oversaw the three best years of Gibson’s career up to this point from 2017-19 as the goaltender produced an 82-56-24 record in 166 stars while posting an exceptional .922 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average.
Longtime NHL netminder Budaj will replace Maharaj as the team’s goaltending coach after having previously worked with Cronin during his time with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Budaj was a solid backup goaltender through much of his playing career which spanned 13 seasons from 2005-06 to 2018-19. Budaj posted a career record of 158-132-40 with a .904 SV% and 2.70 GAA and will now look to jolt Gibson into a career resurgence in Anaheim.
The last notable hire of the day for Anaheim is Army who was previously an assistant coach with the Ducks during their inaugural season in 1993-94. His last season with Anaheim came during their first entry into the postseason for the 1996-97 season before falling Ron Wilson to the Washington Capitals from 1997-98 to 2001-02. Army would then spend the next six seasons as the head coach of Providence College before returning to the NHL as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche until 2017. His first professional experience as a head coach came during the 2018-19 season when he was named the head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Army now returns to the Ducks organization for the first time in nearly three decades and will serve as a veteran presence on Cronin’s staff.
Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Pavol Regenda
Shortly after signing their first-round selections from the 2024 NHL Draft, the Anaheim Ducks got to work on some of their internal restricted free agents. The organization announced they have signed forward Pavol Regenda to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2024-25 NHL season worth a league minimum $775K salary at the NHL level.
Regenda will enter his third season with the Ducks organization after signing as an international free agent on June 1st, 2022. In the two years before his initial deal with Anaheim, Regenda suited up in 93 games for HK Dukla Michalovce in Slovakia where he collected 26 goals and 64 points. Regenda has also joined Team Slovakia in the last three World Championships where he has scored six goals and eight assists in 23 tournament games.
The Michalovce, Slovakia native is becoming quite the secondary scorer in the Ducks organization as he’s collected 32 goals and 59 points in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls over 104 regular season games. Regenda has finished eighth and seventh in scoring for the Gulls in back-to-back years, respectively, but the team has failed to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs throughout his tenure.
Regenda may find a spot on Anaheim’s bottom six this upcoming season to provide additional offense as a physically capable power forward. The Slovakian winger may be a solid candidate to replace Ross Johnston on the team’s fourth line but could use more seasoning at the AHL level.
Ducks Sign Beckett Sennecke, Stian Solberg To Entry-Level Contracts
Another top-10 selection from the 2024 NHL Draft has signed an entry-level contract as the Anaheim Ducks announced the team has agreed to terms with Beckett Sennecke. The Toronto, ON native was drafted by the Ducks with the third overall selection of last week’s draft.
According to CapFriendly, the deal will have a base salary of $875K at the NHL level with a $97.5K yearly signing bonus in addition to $1MM per year in performance bonuses. After factoring in the performance and signing bonuses attached to the deal, Sennecke will have the ability to make $1.975MM per year on his entry-level deal.
Sennecke was one of the later risers in the draft after an outstanding performance in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs this past year. The young forward scored 27 goals and 68 points for the Oshawa Generals over 63 games in the regular season and scored an impressive 10 goals and 22 points in 16 postseason contests. Not only did Sennecke lead the Generals in goals and points throughout the 2024 OHL playoffs — he led the entire league.
Even though he is considered a considerable reach with the third overall pick, the Ducks are still getting an exceptional talent. Sennecke has mature awareness and puckhandling for his age and should help Anaheim on both sides of the puck.
Outside of Sennecke, the Ducks have also signed 23rd overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft, Stian Solberg, to his entry-level contract according to a team announcement. Solberg spent last season playing for Vålerenga of Norway’s top professional league, the Eliteserien.
In 42 games against other professional players, Solberg scored five goals and 15 points while carrying a +2 rating. Also putting in impressive work during the postseason, Solberg scored two goals and nine points in 17 postseason contests while his regular season scoring was the fourth-most by a defenseman under the age of 18.
Next season, Solberg is expected to take his talents to the Swedish Hockey League where he will play for Färjestad BK. The club has a decent history of producing NHL-caliber defensemen as Fredrik Olausson, Jonas Brodin, and Oliver Kylington, among others are products of the 91-year-old Swedish franchise.
Ducks Acquire Robby Fabbri
The Anaheim Ducks have acquired Robby Fabbri and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for goaltender Gage Alexander. The conditions of the pick have not yet been revealed. Alexander is currently attending Anaheim’s development camp, which is set to conclude on July 5th.
Fabbri moves to Anaheim after a small resurgence with Detroit this season. He posted 18 goals and 32 points across 68 games – the highest he’s scored since he managed 18 goals and 37 points as a rookie in 2015-16. The performance was a nice bounce back to form after Fabbri suffered the second torn ACL of his career in March of 2022. The injury held him out of a combined 80 games across the second half off 2021-22 and first-half of 2022-23, with Fabbri totaling 46 points in 84 games in the games he did play.
Now Fabbri, and his $4MM cap hit ext season, will move to an Anaheim Ducks team built around skill, while Detroit hopes to add yet another top goalie prospect in Alexander, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He’s since played in his first two professional seasons – recording five wins and a .887 save percentage in 16 AHL games, though most of his time has been spent in the ECHL backup role.
Detroit coupled this move by signing veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year, $9.5MM contract. That leaves them with roughly $20MM in remaining cap space, with restricted free agents Lucas Raymond and Joe Veleno still awaiting new contracts. The Wings will be left one forward spot short after re-signing their RFAs, though that role could be filled by top prospects like Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, or Carter Mazur.
Ducks Sign Carson Meyer To Two-Way Contract
The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward Carson Meyer to a one-year, two-way contract, shares Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
This will be the first move of Meyer’s career, having played in Ohio through youth hockey, college, and the pros – though he did have a one-year stint with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm in 2015-16. The Columbus native was drafted by his hometown Blue Jackets in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He mad ehis professional debut in 2020-21, posting 20 points in his first 26 AHL games with the Cleveland Monsters. That scoring earned him an NHL debut in 2021-22, though Meyer couldn’t match the high scoring of his inaugural year. He scored just three points in the 13 NHL games of his career, warranting a move back to the minors, where Meyer added 27 points in 57 games.
That measly scoring continued through last season, though Meyer showed signs of improvement with 37 points in 55 AHL games this year – while serving as one of Cleveland’s alternate captains. But he’s yet to find the same spark at the top level, with just six points in 41 NHL games to this point in his career.
Meyer will now move to the West coast, where he figures to be a top option for the Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, and take a bit better advantage of his NHL opportunities.
Ducks Sign Jansen Harkins
The Anaheim Ducks have signed centerman Jansen Harkins to a two-year contract. No contract details have been released.
Harkins spent most of last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, recording four points, 21 penalty minutes, and a -4 across 45 games. He curbed his low-scoring through a handful of minor league appearances, netting 12 points in 14 games.
This season was Harkins’ first year away from the Winnipeg Jets, who originally selected him in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He made his pro debut in the season following his draft, recording three points in his first six AHL games but ultimately opting to return to juniors for the 2016-17 season. That delayed Harkins’ first full pro season to 2017-18, when he managed 13 points in 46 AHL games and six points in six ECHL games.
Harkins found his scoring groove in the years after his rookie season, managing 31 points in 70 AHL games in 2018-19, then matching that scoring in 30 games in 2019-20. That latter scoring earned Harkins the first 29 games, and seven points, of his NHL career.
Harkins has since been in-and-out of Winnipeg’s lineup, with his 13 points in 77 games in 2021-22 marking his only full year in the NHL. He brings a heavy, physical presence to the lineup, even amidst meager scoring. Harkins should find a role on Anaheim’s bottom line, where he could get a chance to play with the similar style of Brett Lesaon.
Ducks Acquire Brian Dumoulin From Kraken
The Ducks have acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Kraken in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick, per a team announcement.
This move cuts short Dumoulin’s time in Seattle, after inking a two-year, $6.3MM contract with the club last summer. It was Dumoulin’s first time entering the market as an unrestricted free agent, bringing an end to Dumoulin’s 10-year career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He established himself as a stout defensive-defenseman with the Penguins, working his way into top-line minutes during the team’s run to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. The run locked him in as Kris Letang’s defensive partner, a role he held on to through the 2022-23 season.
Dumoulin has never been known for his scoring, with 25 points in 2022-23 marking his career-high. He didn’t bring that scoring to the West coast, posting a much quainter 16 points in 80 games. But he did bring his patented defense, earning his keep among a crowded Kraken blue-line thanks to his ability to shut down play in the neutral zone.
Dumoulin’s move away from Seattle will open space for top prospect Ryker Evans to pursue a full-time role with the NHL club. Evans, a second-round pick in 2021, played in the first 36 games of his NHL career this year, netting one goal, nine points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -5. He found much more production in back-and-forth trips to the minors, scoring 15 points in 25 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds and adding 10 points in 18 Calder Cup postseason games. Evans headlines a list of strong defense prospects in Seattle, including Ville Ottavainen, Lukas Dragicevic, and Caden Price.
Meanwhile, Dumoulin will move to the rebranded Anaheim Ducks, where he’ll bring veteran presence and Stanley Cup precedent to a very young group. There seems to be no telling how Anaheim will organize their blue-line headed into the new year – with top prospects Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Tristan Luneau, and Jackson LaCombe each vying for routine ice time. That’ll be hard to dish out for a team that also needs to find minutes for veterans Cam Fowler, Radko Gudas, Urho Vaakanainen, and now Dumoulin.