The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs. It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. First up is a look at Anaheim.
After a 2021-22 campaign where things didn’t go well, there was hope that the Ducks would take a step forward with their young core continuing to improve. While some of those players did show improvement, it didn’t lead to much success on the ice with some changes already happening. Here’s a look at what’s on the horizon for Anaheim this summer beyond what’s expected to be an exciting draft lottery for them next month with the top odds in the proceedings.
Hire New Coaches
It didn’t take long after the regular season for the Ducks to part ways with Dallas Eakins, a move that many anticipated with the way the year went and the fact his contract came to an end. Anaheim allowed 4.09 goals per game this season, the highest goals-allowed average since the mid-90s which played a big role in them finishing last. That dropped Eakins’ record with Anaheim to 100-147-44 over four seasons which helped lead to the coaching change.
As is typically the case in a situation like this, GM Pat Verbeek is faced with two options. The first is to look for a first-time coach with an eye on being more development-focused to take the team through the rest of their rebuild and perhaps beyond. The other is looking for more of a win-now option to try to coax shorter-term success. That type of hire would need to coincide with the team becoming bigger spenders in free agency this summer which doesn’t seem likely. A first-time or relatively inexperienced bench boss seems like the probable outcome here.
Meanwhile, an NHL head coach isn’t the only vacancy they’ll be looking to fill as for the second straight season, Verbeek will be searching for an AHL bench boss while it’s the third time in a row the franchise has been seeking one. A year ago, he fired Joel Bouchard who had been on the job for just a single season while Roy Sommer opted to retire after one season with the team. They’ll certainly be hoping that the third time will be the charm on that front.
Sign Key RFAs
Anaheim finished this season near the bottom in spending among all NHL teams. That probably won’t be the case in 2023-24 as they have three key restricted free agents to deal with this summer in winger Troy Terry, center Trevor Zegras, and defenseman Jamie Drysdale.
Terry is an example of a bridge contract going as well as possible. Three years ago, he had a total of 81 games under his belt with all of 28 points. Now, he has established himself over the last two seasons as a reliable key scorer, reaching the 60-point mark in each of them, giving him a much better platform to his first year of arbitration eligibility. There aren’t a lot of comparables for players that were role players for a few seasons before emerging as top-line threats but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Terry’s next deal wind up above the $7MM mark on a long-term agreement that buys out several UFA seasons. He won’t be on a heavily team-friendly contract anymore.
As for Zegras, he has positioned himself to try to bypass the bridge deal altogether. While he has had plenty of highlight-worthy plays, he isn’t just good at those as he has also emerged as a legitimate top-six center. Zegras has surpassed the 60-point mark in back-to-back years as well while playing the more premium position down the middle. We’ve seen post-ELC centers around his point total signing around the $8MM mark over the last couple of years so it stands to reason that a long-term deal for Zegras should be near that point as well. Notably, he still has five RFA years remaining; most players coming off their entry-level agreements typically have four years left.
While Zegras should avoid a bridge agreement, the same can’t be said about Drysdale. Injuries limited the 21-year-old to just eight games this season and his rookie campaign saw him suit up just 24 times. Accordingly, he doesn’t even have a year and a half of NHL contests under his belt which would make a long-term agreement that much more difficult. Drysdale figures to be a key cog in Anaheim’s future plans but more time is needed to see how he’s going to develop. A short-term second agreement makes sense all around and he, too, has five RFA years remaining.
Qualify Or Cut
A couple of years ago, it looked like winger Max Comtois was going to be a big part of Anaheim’s future. He was coming off a 33-point season in 55 games, showing signs of becoming a capable power forward along the way. Even so, then-GM Bob Murray opted for caution, giving him a two-year bridge deal.
It’s safe to say that decision worked out for Anaheim as the 24-year-old has struggled considerably since then. This season, Comtois potted just nine goals and ten assists in 64 games with his playing time dipping to a career low while also spending time as a healthy scratch.
Accordingly, at a time when he was supposed to be cementing his case for a long-term agreement, his performance has called into question his future with the team. Comtois is owed a qualifying offer of $2.45MM this summer. Two years ago, it would have seemed unthinkable that the Ducks might want to consider not tendering it but now, it’s something Verbeek will have to consider.
It was previously reported that Comtois was available at the trade deadline with there not being much interest at the time so on the surface, a non-tender might make sense. But is it worth giving him one last look with the hopes that a new coach can help him return to the form of 2021-22 and avoid the potential of him taking that step in another uniform? They have a couple of months to make that choice.
Goalie Decision
The future of John Gibson has been in question for the last few seasons. Here’s a player who was signed to be Anaheim’s long-term franchise goaltender but since that deal kicked in, things just haven’t gone very well for him and while playing for a rebuilding franchise doesn’t help, Gibson has certainly struggled as well.
Over the four years that he has played on this deal, Gibson has a 3.32 GAA and a SV% of .902. He also has led the league in losses in three of those four seasons. Suffice it to say, he hasn’t provided a great return on his $6.4MM AAV. On top of that, the 29-year-old has four years left on that agreement.
Generally speaking, an underachieving player with four years left on his deal wouldn’t have much value on the trade market but are there teams convinced that in a different system and working with a different goalie coach, they can turn him around? It’s possible, especially in a year when the free agent market isn’t exactly booming with plentiful high-end options.
If that’s the case, is the time right for Verbeek and the Ducks to explore a move? Would Gibson himself be open to a move? With the way things are currently trending, it’s definitely a possibility. His value likely isn’t super high with his recent struggles and the remaining term on his contract but if a decent swap presents itself, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them make a move.
If that happens, Anaheim will have to look to add a veteran replacement, either as part of the trade or in a separate acquisition or signing. Lukas Dostal is viewed as their goalie of the future but has just 23 NHL appearances under his belt. Gibson was supposed to be his playing partner for a while to allow Dostal to get acclimated to being a full-time NHL player and if he’s no longer going to be part of the equation, they’ll need another veteran to fill that role, even in a summer where Verbeek will be looking to add young core pieces.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Very well written. Hate to see Gibby go but it just might be the right move if the Ducks can get fair return. As for Comtois, doubt they resign him unless the new coach can talk them into it. But they do need forwards who can score so who knows. Maybe he will snap out of his funk.
“His value likely isn’t super high …”
Understatement of the decade. Just to get that millstone off of the books, if someone offers Verbeek anything better than a used skate bag and an ECHL player to be named later, he should jump at it. That there aren’t many high-end options available needn’t mean that there are teams jumping for the chance to acquire a goalie who’s done so much over the last four years to prove he’s no longer one.
Have you taken a look at the defense in front of him?
Mm-hmm. So what’s your excuse for the previous seasons, when that defense included Hampus Lindholm (y’know, the guy who led the NHL in plus/minus this season) and Josh Manson … and Gibson sucked? And what’s your explanation for how Stolarz played in front of the exact same defenses, and played significantly better last year and the year before, and how 39-year-old Ryan Miller outplayed Gibson in 2020, and how Dostal outplayed him this year?
You an hate on him all you want but if there is more than one team that is serious about trading for Gibson the Ducks will get a fairly good return. Personally, I think Gibson has been a little soft at times but he has also shown signs of brilliance even when facing more shots on goal than any or most other goalies with 40 plus starts the past couple of years. If he gets traded to the Pens and gets to play at home I think the Gibson of old shows up for a few years. Either way the timing isn’t working out with the Ducks. Time to move on.