Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras were both skating in full gear this morning with Ducks skills coach Larry Barron, going through a set of position-specific drills. Very light work, but a good sign of their progress.
Trevor Zegras's reputation is being willfully tarnished by "professional" lip readers (an exercise not at all prone to confirmation bias), when there's been zero actual confirmed evidence that suggests he said anything below the belt.
People just want to imbue bad faith.
The Anaheim Ducks will have the best odd of drafting Connor Bedard thanks to their loss tonight.
With that, they are also guaranteed a top 3 pick in a loaded top-end of the draft. They can fall back a maximum of 2 spots.
Massive moment for the franchise.
Troy Terry: 2 goals, 1 assist
Mason McTavish: 2 assists
Trevor Zegras: game-tying goal
Might want to get used to this. The future has arrived in Anaheim.
What a night in Anaheim:
Jamie Drysdale first NHL goal
Trevor Zegras first NHL goal
Jamie Drysdale first NHL assist
Ryan Getzlaf 700th NHL assist
Ryan Miller passes Dominik Hasek on the all-time win list.
A night for the ages.
I’m really happy for Ryan Getzlaf that he gets this proper send-off. This is perfect, and fully deserved. He has left the Anaheim Ducks franchise, and California hockey, in better shape than he found it.
Wow. Ducks get caught using an ineligible player. Dotchin not listed on the game sheet, refs catch it and he’s forced to leave the game. Anaheim now stuck playing with 5 defensemen the rest of the night. Rookie head coach Bob Murray doesn’t seem too worked up about it.
"And with the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Anaheim Ducks are proud to select, from Regina of the WHL: Connor Bedard"
The chances of this happening are as high as they could possibly be. Solid night in Anaheim.
Don't lose sight of the fact that Trevor Zegras was excellent defensively in overtime.
Got the puck all the way up the ice at the end after surviving a long shift, but had the wherewithal to kick it back so the Ducks could hold on to it. Set up the eventual goal.
For those upset about the Ducks pick: give Leo Carlsson a chance.
Just had one of the best draft-eligible seasons in SHL history, and is a first overall-caliber talent. There's a really good player there with plenty of untapped potential.
The Ducks have basically everything in their young pipeline. No glaring needs.
They were in a position where they could take a big swing on upside, knowing they have wiggle room to absorb some risk, and they took it. Love the approach.
Jay Beagle started throwing punches before Terry's gloves were even off, if he even dropped them at all.
Beagle was also the one to throw a shot at Zegras's back
Embarrassing stuff for Beagle.
The Anaheim Ducks have drafted Beckett Sennecke.
Highlight reel skill. Hands. Shot. Size. Skating. Right hand shot that should fit seamlessly into the Ducks' top-six.
Love the bet on upside.
The Ducks now have 7 picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft.
As a team looking to turn the corner, the value of getting additional picks is also trade capital. Can now be packaged to move up, or go and acquire a young roster player.
Only three freshmen have ever won the Hobey Baker: Paul Kariya, Jack Eichel, and Adam Fantilli. That is the caliber of player the Ducks can get at number 2. Much more than a mere consolation prize.
Trevor Zegras was benched after his penalties midway through the third. Greg Cronin has now benched him twice this season. Just zero consistency from Cronin on benching guys for bad penalties.
The best part about the Zegras goal might be the pickpocket steal to get himself a rush chance.
His two way game continues to be erroneously smeared by people who don't actually watch him play, but he's improved quite a bit this year in that regard.
Blockbuster trade.
The Ducks forward core just got a big boost with Gauthier and dealt Drysdale from a position of strength. The first indication of Verbeek acting on the Ducks’ defense surplus.
This is still shocking.
TRADE: We have acquired left wing Cutter Gauthier from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Details ➡️
Troy Terry hat trick wins it in overtime for Anaheim.
What a play by Mason McTavish to set up the goal. Half spin move in the neutral zone, then fakes a shooting option before sliding the perfect pass over to Terry.
The Ducks have won 5 in a row.
Ducks win.
Extremely gutsy effort. Stuck through a tough start, stayed composed, and made plays when it mattered.
John Gibson was outstanding. Radko Gudas was the heartbeat.
6th come-from-behind win of the season. And they earned every bit of it.
Troy Terry getting 7 years with the Ducks shows the front office correctly views him as a core piece. The reported $7M AAV as reported by
@icemancometh
is commensurate to his production and impact. Exciting day in Anaheim.
Lukas Dostal just single handedly dragged the Anaheim Ducks to victory. 46 saves, and a frustrated Connor McDavid just stormed off the ice.
What a performance.
Trevor Zegras being named a Calder Trophy finalist while spending a non-trivial portion of the season with either Nic Deslauriers or Derek Grant is a feat in and of itself.
Troy Terry career arc:
2015: 5th rd draft pick
2018-20: Bounces between NHL/AHL, sometimes healthy scratch.
2021: 20 pts, 48 gp.
2021-22: 37g, 67pts in 75gp.
2022-23: 61pts on a terrible team.
Summer 2023: Signs $7M AAV, 7 year contract.
What a come up. And richly deserved.
I will say, there is something very cool about the Ducks’ rising young core now having their own look to associate with this upcoming era of franchise history.
Olen Zellweger played a very mature game in his NHL debut. Didn’t try to do too much, but was sound positionally and showed flashes of offense.
Picked up a point while he was at it. Great start to his NHL career.
So Verbeek drives a hard bargain with both Terry and Zegras, and in both instances, the result is a perfectly fair market value deal with no evidence of a "team friendly" component. Might be time to revise tactics.
Good for Zegras getting what he's worth and not backing down.
Corey Perry is a UFA this summer and would be a legitimate boost to the Ducks bottom-six, even at age 38.
On a one-year deal to close out his career in Anaheim, I can't imagine anyone saying no to this except Bob Murray.
Ducks got Ilya Lyubushkin to play the mentor role for Pavel Mintyukov for over half a season, and were able to flip him for more than they spent to get him. Now he gets to go play for a playoff team. Win-win for everyone involved.
Former Ducks in Round 2: Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick, Andrew Cogliano, Josh Manson, Stefan Noesen, Hampus Lindholm, Patrick Maroon, Anthony Stolarz, Josh Mahura, Kevin Shattenkirk, Danton Heinen, Corey Perry, Brandon Montour. That is all.
The Ducks have set a new franchise record.
Longest regulation losing streak in franchise history. They hit a 9-game losing streak, all in regulation, The 1996-97 Mighty Ducks previously held the record at 8.
Just in time for the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
The Anaheim Ducks will have the second overall selection in the 2023 Draft. Of course disappointing to not get first, but Adam Fantilli is a fantastic player in his own right and should be massive shot in the arm for the Ducks pipeline.
Just saying...Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Bobby Ryan will all be free agents this off-season.
How fun would it be if the Ducks re-united them as a veteran, minimum contract 4th line?
The Anaheim Ducks have selected Leo Carlsson at second overall.
Carlsson is exactly what the Ducks needed. A big, skilled center with highlight reel ability who is the perfect complement to the existing core.
Give him one more year in the SHL, and he's in North America.
Both Andrew Cogliano and Josh Manson had to go through some real tough times/heartbreak either in the playoffs or in the regular season with the Ducks. So happy to see them get to experience this.
Cutter Gauthier had a really good NHL Debut.
Flashed all the skills: transition play, the shot, and play making. Also showed good anticipating along the boards. The primary assist was the cherry on top.
The moment did not seem too big for him at all.
The Anaheim Ducks have officially missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Lots of room for optimism, though.
New management, plenty of trade chips, cap space, and a strong stable of young talent on and off the roster.
Much, much better days ahead.
Jackson LaCombe quietly eating up 20+ minutes a night on a regular basis now.
22+ minutes in three straight games, and he looks every bit the top pairing d-man those numbers would suggest. Not as much flash to his game as 34, but just as effective.
Good on Verbeek for packaging two players to get the return value up to a first round pick. Ultimately the best asset, instead of multiple third round picks. Solid work here by the Ducks' GM.
For all the talk of the Kings being so far ahead of the Ducks development wise over the last few years, the Ducks are undoubtedly better positioned to win the Stanley Cup in the next 5 years than the Kings.
Pavel Mintyukov is an excellent pick for the Anaheim Ducks. High octane offensive ability, great in transition. Their defense core just got a lot more scintillating.