Ranking The NHL Rebuilds Closest to Contention: Ducks (5th)

Ducks Overall Rebuild Grade: B+
Core: A-
Overall Roster: C
Prospect Pool: A
Head Coach & General Manager: C+

Ducks Rebuild is Starting to Take Flight

The Anaheim Ducks are making progress on their rebuild. They weren’t a bottom-feeder in the Pacific Division last season, and their young core is finally starting to come together. It’s why they could make a push in the division and possibly close the gap on a playoff spot. 

The optimism starts with the core, which not only includes young players making an impact at the NHL level but also has star power at the positions needed to have a successful rebuild. Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier lead the forward group. Expect Gauthier to take a big step forward offensively in his second full NHL season.

Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov lead the defense, and fast-emerging Lukas Dostal is an anchor in the net (and few rebuilding teams have a reliable goaltender they can point to). If they re-sign RFA center Mason McTavish and Troy Terry, who is 27 and not part of the young core, keeps playing at a high level, the Ducks can have a juggernaut in the works. 

The question is what the Ducks do to help out the core. In the past, GM Pat Verbeek has slowed down the rebuild by bringing in veterans well past their primes with the hopes they can turn back the clock and get this team to the playoffs. They didn’t and instead, made things worse. Verbeek acquired Jacob Trouba in the middle of the previous season and acquired both Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund this summer. So, he’s taking that gamble again, hoping the veterans add depth and take the core to the next level. 

All the pressure is on Verbeek to get this team to the playoffs. It helps explain the controversial Joel Quenneville hiring. Quenneville was a part of the 2010 scandal with the Chicago Blackhawks and has been out of the league since 2021. Along with earning back the trust of the players, he must prove the game hasn’t passed him by. At the same time, players love playing for him, and his success is hard to ignore. The Ducks came eight wins shy of a playoff spot last season, and the expectation is he’s good enough to close that gap. 

Outsider’s Perspective

The Ducks have one of the most optimistic rebuilds because, despite the questionable decisions from Verbeek, they’ve put together a young core with players already making an impact in the NHL. 

“Really solid rebuild throughout the entire organization. Bringing in youngsters that have evolved into superstars, adding the right staff, moving out the ones that don’t work, and getting assets back, it’s been solid. I think it’s been quite long, and maybe it’s dragging out a touch, but I’ve liked a lot of their moves.”

Moving out the players who didn’t work included trading Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras, who were both traded to another rebuilding team in the Flyers. Both trades can backfire but they also made space for other prospects to get their ice time and develop. 

There’s also a more skeptical perception in part because the young core still has players developing and acclimating to the NHL. They have “A great young core, but do they have what it takes to make the playoffs this season? If they can get one or two of their young guys to take the next step into ‘stardom,’ their future will look a lot brighter.”

The Bottom Line

Have the Ducks done everything right? No. Have they done a good job for the most part? Yes. It’s why their rebuild is starting to come together, and they are becoming one of the intriguing teams to watch out west. There’s a good chance their young core is ready to take over the NHL next season, and they have multiple great forward lines, a few great pairings, and a top goaltender, making them tough to stop. There’s also a chance they are a year away and, despite more progress, come a few points away from a playoff spot. If the latter happens, the question will be whether Verbeek’s job is safe? The Ducks are known for having a patient ownership group, although too many rough seasons might be too much.