As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2022-23. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Anaheim Ducks.
Who are the Ducks thankful for?
It hasn’t been a good year for Anaheim. The team is off to a 4-10-1 start, has allowed 67 goals in 15 games, and recently lost young defenseman Jamie Drysdale for up to six months. But there are better times ahead.
When Pat Verbeek took over as general manager in early February, he explained that he wasn’t sure what direction to take the team in. There were several pending unrestricted free agents on the roster – core players that were well-liked by the organization – and he could have re-signed them to keep the group relatively intact. But Verbeek took another route and began to sell off those expiring assets in an attempt to reshape the roster. Josh Manson, Nicolas Deslauriers, Hampus Lindholm, and Rickard Rakell were all sold off at the deadline.
It’s easy to look at the success of someone like Lindholm in Boston and think that was a mistake, but don’t forget just how much the team landed in those few days of March. The Ducks came out of the deadline with an extra first-round pick, four second-round picks, a third-round pick, and several interesting prospects. This year could be much of the same.
While it isn’t Lindholm on offer, the Ducks do have John Klingberg to flip after signing him to a one-year deal in the summer. Kevin Shattenkirk, Dmitry Kulikov, and Nathan Beaulieu are other potential defensemen that could be on the move. Anthony Stolarz is a potential backup option that could be flipped to a contender, while veteran forwards like Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg are only signed through 2023-24 and could also be moved in the right circumstances.
The Ducks may not be competitive in the standings but they will certainly be involved come trade season.
What are the Ducks thankful for?
Draft lottery changes.
It’s a good time to be bad. When the NHL introduced new draft lottery rules in 2021, one of the biggest changes was the ability to only move up ten spots. That eliminated any chance of a team just barely missing the playoffs and still somehow snagging the first-overall pick. They also reduced the number of lottery selections from three to two, meaning even if there is a swap, finishing last guarantees you at least the third selection. This is a huge boost for rebuilding clubs like Anaheim, who find themselves near the very bottom of the standings.
In a draft that includes three (and maybe four or five) franchise-altering talents, this assurance of selection is important. The Ducks have a good shot at adding another premier player to a group that already has names like Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish. Imagine Conor Bedard on a powerplay with those two, or Adam Fantilli anchoring the middle of another line. You can bet that Verbeek is already daydreaming about what might be possible.
What would the Ducks be even more thankful for?
A resurgent John Gibson.
In the first five seasons of John Gibson’s career, he was one of the most dominant goaltenders in the league. A .921 save percentage, 119 wins, and night after night of spectacular saves. But for nearly three and a half years now, he’s been something else entirely. The 29-year-old netminder has a .902 save percentage since the start of 2019 and has lost 103 of his 153 starts. Every metric you look at rates him as a below-average goaltender, even when adjusting for the poor play in front of him.
This season, he leads the league in goals against (45 in 11 starts) and has a .888 save percentage. He’s been peppered, facing the most shots of any goalie, but he’s also been extremely unreliable.
One of the things that many executives preach about a rebuild is that it is difficult to develop players around bad goaltending. When youthful mistakes turn into goals, it can hinder some of the creativity that makes a young player so dynamic. As the Ducks transition over the next few years, and try to build up the program again, Gibson will need to show he can play to his former level. Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine him being on the next competitive Ducks team.
What should be on the Ducks’ holiday wish list?
A call from a needy contender.
When the Ducks were able to convince Klingberg to sign with them this offseason, there was no hiding the plan. The team built it right into his trade protection. Klingberg has a full no-trade clause through the end of 2022, and then on January 1, it turns into a 10-team no-trade. He’s going to be flipped at the deadline, it just depends on which team needs a puck-moving right-handed defenseman the most.
If there are many, that bidding war could be quite beneficial to a team that has invested nothing but salary into the player. Klingberg is earning $7MM this season on the one-year deal and is averaging more than 23 minutes a night. By retaining half of his remaining contract, the Ducks should be able to get themselves another nice piece to slide into the puzzle.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images