Free Agent Focus: Anaheim Ducks
Free agency is just over a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We start our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Ducks.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Leo Carlsson – Let’s start with a big one. The second overall pick in 2023 showed plenty of promise in his first two seasons but took a big jump forward in 2025-26. He finished second on the team in scoring with 29 goals and 38 assists in just 70 games. He saw some shorthanded ice time. He upped his faceoff success rate. Basically, he took steps toward being the two-way top-line center the Ducks thought they’d be getting when they picked him. Now, he’s about to be paid like he is that player. A long-term deal would probably run the Ducks past the $11MM per season mark which would set the new benchmark for Anaheim’s forwards. A bridge deal, meanwhile, would keep the cost lower in the short term but even that could land in the $8MM range per year. GM Pat Verbeek has held a firm line in talks with core youngsters before. This could very well be another of those negotiations.
F Cutter Gauthier – That last sentence may wind up applying here as well. Gauthier led the Ducks offensively this season, notching 41 goals along with 28 helpers to finish two points up on Carlsson for the team lead. He even averaged a point per game in the playoffs while playing through a back injury. Wingers don’t often get the type of premium money that centers do and it should be noted that, unlike Carlsson, he isn’t eligible for an offer sheet after only playing once in the first year of his contract. Still, a long-term deal could approach the $9MM territory while a bridge pact would likely check in around the $6.5MM range. Carlsson is the headliner but Gauthier’s next deal is going to be a significant one as well.
D Pavel Mintyukov – The young blueliner hasn’t had quite the impact Anaheim hoped when they made him a top-ten pick back in 2022. An offensive dynamo in junior, the production hasn’t quite materialized in the NHL yet as he put up 28 points in his rookie year in 2023-24 and hasn’t returned to that mark since, notching 22 this season. Meanwhile, a lack of playing time earlier in the year had him believed to be amenable to a trade. With that in mind, there’s a solid case to make that a short-term bridge contract would make more sense for both sides, allowing for more time for him to make his case for a higher spot on the depth chart and improve his production. The price tag for that type of deal should check in around the $3.5MM mark.
D Olen Zellweger – There are some parallels to Mintyukov here. While he wasn’t a lottery pick, he was still a prolific producer in junior who has yet to establish himself offensively in the NHL and even spent a lot of time in the playoffs as a healthy scratch. Zellweger had 22 points in 76 games this season but saw his ATOI drop by nearly two minutes a night. He could also find himself in trade speculation this summer if Verbeek wants to reshape the back end a bit. Accordingly, a bridge deal makes a lot of sense here too. With Zellweger not having as much of a track record as Mintyukov, a short-term agreement should check in a little lower compared to his counterpart.
Other RFAs: D Jeremie Biakabutuka, G Vyacheslav Buteyets, G Calle Clang, D Tyson Hinds, F/D Ian Moore, F Jan Mysak, F Sasha Pastujov, F Jaxsen Wiebe
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D John Carlson – The Ducks were the surprising winners of the Carlson sweepstakes, adding him at the trade deadline to aid their playoff run. He wound up averaging nearly a point per game down the stretch at over 24 minutes per night of playing time. The production dipped in the playoffs to six assists in a dozen contests but he again was over the 24-minute mark. While he’s 36, Carlson has shown that he can still be a top-pairing player, at least for now. How quickly the potential drop-off could be will always be a concern for players his age but with the UFA market not being particularly deep, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him land a price tag in the $7MM range while getting two or three years on the contract. With demand for right-shot impact blueliners set to be quite high, he’s in great shape heading to free agency.
D Radko Gudas – The three-year deal he received in 2023 ultimately worked out pretty well for both sides. Gudas got to play a more prominent role than he was accustomed to early although he slowed down a fair bit this year and was banged up at the end of the season. It’s certainly possible that Anaheim could look to bring back their captain but it would have to be with the understanding that he’d be more of a sixth defender moving forward. Turning 36 next month with his rugged style of play, he’ll be a little more hard-pressed to command a multi-year deal although he is eligible for incentives in a one-year pact. After making $4MM per season on this last contract, there’s a good chance that ticks down by at least a million this summer.
D Jacob Trouba – Acquired in a cap-clearing move from the Rangers last season, the change of scenery worked out nicely for the veteran, especially this year. Head coach Joel Quenneville elevated Trouba’s role and he made the most of it, putting up his best offensive numbers since the 2021-22 campaign while the last time he played more than his 22:30 ATOI was back when he was in Winnipeg. Now, was this a late-career resurgence or a one-time blip? That’s a key question heading into free agency but again, given the limited right-shot impact options available, teams are likely to be offering contracts that suggest they believe this year is repeatable. The 32-year-old probably won’t hit the $8MM mark again but something in the $6MM to $7MM range on a multi-year pact could very well happen.
F Jeffrey Viel – Score one for stick-to-itiveness. A regular in the minors until this season, Viel got a chance to play more regularly following an early-season trade from Boston. The 29-year-old got to play above the fourth line at times, a rarity for someone who was basically on the roster in case a fight was needed. He then impressed in the playoffs with four points in 12 games while still averaging more than four hits per game. It’s unlikely that he’s going to command a huge deal this summer but doubling his $775K current price tag isn’t unfathomable either. At a minimum, he should have much more financial stability after bouncing around on two-way pacts for a lot of his pro career.
Other UFAs: F Jansen Harkins, F Ross Johnston, G Petr Mrazek
Projected Cap Space
The Ducks enter the offseason with a little over $40MM in cap space. Their RFA class should easily take up more than half of that number, assuming that they can work out long-term agreements with Carlsson and Gauthier. Beyond that, they will have a fair bit of flexibility to work with although Verbeek will be dealing with re-signing or replacing the right side of his back end. When all is said and done spending-wise, they may not be too far off the Upper Limit.
Photos courtesy of John Jones (Carlsson) and Perry Nelson (Carlson)-Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Carlsson Declines Worlds Invite
- Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and Ducks center Leo Carlsson have declined invitations to play for Sweden at the Worlds, reports Hockey Sverige’s Uffe Bodin (Twitter link). Both players were eliminated in the second round and the Swedes were holding two spots open on their roster in case they could entice one of them to go. Instead, they’ve since registered former San Jose defenseman Tim Heed to fill out their roster for the tournament.
Ducks Issue Multiple Injury Updates
As is typically the case, once teams are eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, many player injuries get revealed. That is the case for the Anaheim Ducks, who shared updates regarding six players according to a team announcement.
The highest-profile injury is that of forward Troy Terry, who has been dealing with chronic hip impingement and will undergo surgery at an undetermined date. Although he’s remained relatively healthy since the 2020-21 campaign, Terry missed 21 games for the Ducks this season, though it was defined as an upper-body injury at the time.
Regardless, despite the injury requiring surgery, it didn’t seem to impact Terry in the postseason. Anaheim regularly relied on Terry, who played the right wing of the Ducks’ first forward unit, and he finished with three goals and 11 points in 12 games. It wasn’t enough to get the team to the Western Conference Final, nor was it enough to lead the team in scoring, but Terry had a solid playoff debut based on the circumstances.
Additionally, the team confirmed Cutter Gauthier‘s vetebrae fracture from earlier in the season. The Ducks didn’t confirm when the injury took place, though its believed to have stemmed from Anaheim’s overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 30th. Impressively, even while dealing with that, Gauthier registered seven goals and 16 points in 15 games since, including the postseason.
Meanwhile, Anaheim shared that center Ryan Poehling was dealing with a concussion after being hit by Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb in Game 5 of Round Two, resulting in a one-game suspension for the latter. Additionally, the team revealed that Pavel Mintyukov was dealing with an MCL sprain, Radko Gudas an ankle sprain, and Drew Helleson a groin strain. Aside from Terry, all the other injured members have all been cleared from their injuries.
Frank Vatrano Could Become A Cap Casualty This Summer
- Despite having nearly $41MM in cap space heading into the summer, the Anaheim Ducks may come relatively close to the upper limit of the salary cap after inking new contracts with Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger, among others. Should they need additional breathing room, Patrick Present of The Hockey News opined that the team could look to move Frank Vatrano, who is making just north of $4.5MM through the 2027-28 campaign. Vatrano, 32, is an obvious trade candidate after a year in which he only totalled nine points, but that could equally make him more difficult to move.
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Gauthier Had Two Broken Vertebrae; No Talks On New Contract Yet
Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier sustained two fractured vertebrae late in the regular season and played through it in the playoffs, reports Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had a great sophomore year, tallying 41 goals and 28 assists in 76 games to lead Anaheim in scoring. Even while playing through the injury in the postseason, Gauthier led the Ducks in scoring there as well, picking up four goals and eight helpers in 12 appearances, a strong end to his year before he reaches restricted free agency this summer.
On that front, Eric Stephens of The Athletic notes that talks on a new contract have yet to start. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has quickly earned a reputation for being a tough negotiator, with several prominent contracts dragging out into training camp in recent years, including this season with Mason McTavish. He also has Leo Carlsson as a prominent pending RFA. Gauthier is someone who Anaheim would likely want to sign to a long-term deal, with AFP Analytics suggesting that a seven-year pact could check in at around $8.5MM per season. We’ll see if this will be something that gets worked out quicker than their recent summer talks.
Mikael Granlund Joins Team Finland
- Now that the Anaheim Ducks’ season has ended, it was expected that a few players could make their way to Switzerland for the IIHF World Championships. One of them has done just that, as it was announced that Mikael Granlund will be joining Team Finland for the remainder of the tournament. Although he didn’t play for his home country last spring, Granlund represented Finland well at the Olympic Games in February, scoring one goal and three points in six games.
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No Progress In Extension Talks Between Anaheim Ducks, Jacob Trouba
A little over a year ago, the Anaheim Ducks acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers in what appeared at the time as a salary dump for the latter. He was embroiled in the worst season of his NHL career, and looked more like a placeholder for the Ducks as their prospects made their way to the NHL ranks.
However, a year later, Trouba has become a fixture on Anaheim’s blue line, helping the Ducks to their first postseason appearance since the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Unfortunately, as much as they would like to keep Trouba, the two sides haven’t gotten close to finalizing a contract extension.
Speaking on The Fan Hockey Show, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said, “They’ve been negotiating with [Jacob] Trouba on and off, and to this point they haven’t been able to close it.” The 13-year veteran will see his seven-year, $56MM contract expire on July 1st in a few weeks.
Much of that likely has to do with the price point. Trouba and his camp are likely trying to capitalize on a resurgent 2025-26 campaign, and the Ducks may view it as a flash in the pan, though they would still like to retain him at a digestible rate. Essentially, since the 2021-22 campaign, Trouba’s performance had been declining across the board.
This season, however, he made a big comeback. Throughout the 2025-26 season, Trouba scored 10 goals and 35 points in 81 games with a -1 rating, averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game. Additionally, he led the team in blocked shots, finished third in hits, and had the sixth-most takeaways on the team.
Diving deeper, his 51.8% CorsiFor at even strength is the second-highest mark of his career, and better than any season he had with the Rangers. Still, heading into his age-32 season, especially with how he plays the game, it’s a fair question from the Ducks if he can keep this up for several more years.
In all seriousness, Anaheim is likely in the driver’s seat in the negotiations, despite Trouba’s impressive season. The team has a solid opportunity this summer to re-work its defensive core for the future, without having a stark drop-off in talent. Trouba is joined by captain Radko Gudas and trade deadline acquisition John Carlson as projected unrestricted free agents this summer. If the Ducks keep only one of the trio, they’ll have a balanced right side of the blue line with Drew Helleson and Tristan Luneau in tow.
According to AFP Analytics, Trouba is projected to land a three-year, $9.25MM contract should he hit the open market this summer. Although he will assuredly earn less than his current $8MM salary, an approximately $3.1MM salary feels remarkably low for the season he just had. If Trouba does make it to the open market, he’ll likely land a deal similar to the extension Adam Larsson signed with the Seattle Kraken last year, a four-year, $21MM ($5.25MM AAV) pact, if not a little bit more.
Jay Woodcroft Expected To Interview For Other Opportunities
Last offseason, Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Jay Woodcroft interviewed for multiple head coaching positions, and is expected to do the same this summer. According to Eric Stephens of The Athletic, Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek won’t hold him back, nor block any team from interviewing Woodcroft once those requests come his way.
In Stephens’ update, he shared a quote from Verbeek, saying, “I would never hold a coach back from getting a head coaching job. There’s only 32 of them. That’s the pinnacle of his profession so I would never hold him back from that.”
A year ago, Woodcroft had confirmed interviews with the Ducks, Boston Bruins, and Pittsburgh Penguins, and likely had others. Despite progressing significantly with the Bruins, Woodcroft became an assistant coach in Orange County for the 2025-26 season.
This all came after taking a one-year break from coaching in the 2024-25 season. His last time as a head coach came with the Edmonton Oilers, before he was fired early into the 2023-24 season. By the time he was let go, Woodcroft had managed a 79-41-13 record (.594 W%) with the Oilers, advancing as far as the Western Conference Final in 2022.
Luckily for Woodcroft, there will be no shortage of opportunities this summer. The Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking for new head coaches over the next few weeks. Additionally, the Vegas Golden Knights could be another suitor if they don’t sign John Tortorella to an extension after the season. Although the Oilers are again looking for a new head coach, it’s unlikely that the team would circle back to Woodcroft.
Ryan Poehling Misses Game Six With Injury
- An effect from McNabb’s suspension mentioned above, Ryan Poehling is out of the lineup for the Ducks, with Jansen Harkins coming in. The 27-year-old’s night ended early after a hard hit from the Vegas defender, where he was immediately shaken up after hitting the back of his head into the boards. It was a strange play where Poehling was not in possession of the puck, nor prepared for the contact. A third-line role playing center with elite speed, the former Montreal first round selection had a career-best 36 points across 75 regular season games, a nice start to his Ducks tenure which fetched a four-year extension. Poehling had four goals in the opening round triumph over the Oilers, but just one helper in four second round games so far. On the other hand, the 28-year-old Harkins will receive fourth line minutes, but he did find the back of the net in Game 2 in what was his playoff debut.
NHL Announces General Manager Of The Year Finalists
The Wild’s Bill Guerin, the Avalanche’s Chris MacFarland, and the Ducks’ Pat Verbeek are the three finalists for this year’s Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, the league announced today.
The award is presented annually “to the general manager who best excelled at his role during the regular season.” It is voted on by the League’s general managers and, per the league, “a panel of NHL executives and print and broadcast media” after the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs concludes.
This is the first time all three names have surfaced as finalists for the award. Of the three, Guerin is the longest-tenured lead executive. He was hired in 2019 to lead the Wild, and has guided the team to the playoffs in five of his seven campaigns in charge of the team. His Wild went 46-24-12 this season, good for third place in the Western Conference.
Guerin pulled off what most would likely consider this past season’s boldest transaction, putting together a package of players, prospects, and draft picks strong enough to land Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. The move gave the Wild one of the game’s best players and arguably the game’s top defenseman.
He also secured the signature of franchise face Kirill Kaprizov on a massive contract extension, ensuring his team’s centerpiece player would not be departing in free agency. Kaprizov’s signing and the trade for Hughes represent two of the most consequential transactions in franchise history.
While Minnesota were pushed to the brink of elimination by the Avalanche last night, their loss should not diminish what Guerin accomplished this season – and that’s not even including his work constructing America’s roster for the Winter Olympics in Italy, work that resulted in a gold medal. He’s built the Wild into one of the NHL’s strongest teams, and his status as a finalist is a reflection of the strength of his body of work in 2025-26.
Verbeek, who like Guerin is a former longtime NHLer, has been running the Ducks’ hockey operations since February 2022. As GM in Anaheim, Verbeek has engineered a youth movement that is the envy of the NHL, securing high-end young pieces such as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Beckett Sennecke.
But Verbeek hasn’t just stockpiled young talent. It’s his work to supplement his burgeoning young core with strong veteran contributors that has likely landed him as a finalist – and what has helped propel Anaheim to the second round of the playoffs.
Many rebuilding teams end up playing as many young players as possible, and the quality of the team overall suffers. The Ducks have taken a different approach, fusing a high number of young players with significant investments in veteran leaders. The result has been strong player development outcomes across the board, and the elevation of the Ducks into a winning, playoff-caliber team.
Verbeek signed Mikael Granlund and Alex Killorn as free agents, and landed Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, and most recently John Carlson via trade. Those additions, combined with the offseason hire of three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach Joel Quenneville, have supercharged the Ducks’ rebuild and pushed them back to contention at a quick pace.
Of the three finalists, MacFarland has been GM for the shortest period of time, though his tenure in Colorado overall actually stretches back more than a decade. Joe Sakic’s longtime assistant GM took the reins in 2022, and has since helped turn the Avalanche into a Presidents’ Trophy winner.
MacFarland’s bold decision to move on from star forward Mikko Rantanen, who was inching closer to unrestricted free agency, appears to have paid off. His direct replacement Martin Necas had an 100-point season and is now signed through 2033-34. MacFarland was also able to retain veteran pivot Brock Nelson, who ended up a Selke Trophy finalist in his first full campaign in Denver.
MacFarland has been able to find diamonds in the rough, such as Sam Malinski and Parker Kelly to support a contending team with fewer available draft picks thanks to trades designed to secure veteran talent.
The work of MacFarland and his staff has Colorado in a position to potentially win its second Stanley Cup of the 2020s, and that’s why he’s a finalist for GM of the year.
Photos courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images