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Five Gulls That Should be Anaheim Ducks Next Season

By Greg Johnson |
ANAHEIM, CA - DECEMBER 8: Kevin Roy #63 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his goal with his teammates in the first period of the game against the Minnesota Wild on December 8, 2017 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - DECEMBER 8: Kevin Roy #63 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his goal with his teammates in the first period of the game against the Minnesota Wild on December 8, 2017 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Last season many Gulls players got their first taste of NHL hockey as their parent club, the Anaheim Ducks, dealt with a glut of injuries. This season, the Ducks need to get younger, more skilled, and faster in order to compete.

Some of this season’s Gulls will be spending the majority of the 2018-19 with the Anaheim Ducks. Which of the Gulls need to ditch their leases in Ocean Beach and pack up for the trip up the 5? Here are our top five.

Ground rules:

1) The player must have played for the Gulls last season. That means Troy Terry, Max Jones, Sam Steel, Josh Mahura, and Maxime Comtois are ineligible for this list.

2) The player cannot have already solidified their spot on the Anaheim Ducks roster. That leaves Marcus Pettersson off of this list. He has earned a roster spot with Anaheim already and will have one unless Ducks general manager Bob Murray decides to go on a signing spree.

3) The player cannot have significant NHL experience. Yes, Korbinian Holzer played for the Gulls last season. But he has 135 NHL games under his belt. He is ineligible, even though he scored zero points in 16 games with the Ducks last season.

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Andy Welinski #73 of the Anaheim Ducks looks on in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round against the San Jose Sharks during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018, in San Jose, California. (Photo by Scott Dinn/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Andy Welinski #73 of the Anaheim Ducks looks on in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round against the San Jose Sharks during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 18, 2018, in San Jose, California. (Photo by Scott Dinn/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Forget about the goalies, Reto Berra is not going to overtake Ryan Miller as the backup. And he’s headed back to Europe to boot. Kevin Boyle is not NHL material yet.

The Ducks have five defensemen under contract for the 2018-19 season. And one of them is Korbinian Holzer. The others are Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and Marcus Pettersson.

They will need to fill two blue line positions this off-season due to the departures of Francois Beauchemin and Kevin Bieksa. Expect Bob Murray to sign restricted free agent Brandon Montour before training camp starts. These defensemen have a good chance to be in Anaheim next season.

Andy Welinski

While Welinski ended the season with the Ducks, he hardly established a permanent roster position for himself. Welinski led the Gulls’ defensemen in points last season with 34 in 51 games. He is a good skater and puck mover. Welinski only needs to work on his defense. That’s a big ask, but there’s no time like next season for him to learn how to defend the best players in the world. He is a restricted free agent (RFA), so Murray will have to get him inked to a new deal before he can play.

Jacob Larsson

Ducks fans have to be excited at the prospect of having Larsson and Pettersson on a Swedish defensive pairing in the near future. They could certainly form a snake line with all those S’s in their last names.

Larsson is more of a defensive defenseman. He only scored 16 points in 50 games. But the 6’2″ defenseman has skill. He’s a little better than Welinski in his own end. Larsson spends most nights making smart plays. He enters 2018-19 with one year remaining on his entry-level contract.

DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 13: Nicolas Kerdiles #58 of the Anaheim Ducks skates prior to the game against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on October 13, 2017, in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Ducks 3-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 13: Nicolas Kerdiles #58 of the Anaheim Ducks skates prior to the game against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on October 13, 2017, in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Ducks 3-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Bob Murray played Old Mother Hubbard last season with his forwards. He has only eight established NHL forwards under contract right now for the 2018-19 season. Antoine Vermette, Derek Grant, J. T. Brown, Jason Chimera, and Chris Kelly are all unrestricted free agents on July 1. Certainly, RFA Ondrej Kase will be signed and be a member of the AnaheimDucks next season. Fellow RFA Nick Ritchie will be signed or traded. That still leaves three to four roster spots open for forwards. These are the forwards to watch for on the northbound San Diego Freeway.

Nic Kerdiles

At the age of six, Kerdiles moved to Irvine. It’s time for a kid who learned hockey in Orange County to have a roster spot in Anaheim. Last season he had 34 points in 49 games for San Diego. The 6’2″ left wing plays with skill and speed.

Murray needs to bring the local product home. If you have something bad to say about Nic while you’re at the game, just remember his family is probably sitting in your section. He is also an RFA, so he’ll need a new contract to make this story happen.

COLUMBUS, OH – DECEMBER 01: Anaheim Ducks left wing Kevin Roy (63) controls the puck during the third period in a game between the Columbus and the Anaheim Ducks on December 01, 2017, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.(Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – DECEMBER 01: Anaheim Ducks left wing Kevin Roy (63) controls the puck during the third period in a game between the Columbus and the Anaheim Ducks on December 01, 2017, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.(Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Kevin Roy

It feels like Roy must have insulted Murray’s mother. That’s the only plausible reason he hasn’t found a permanent home in Anaheim yet. Roy would fit with any team looking to get faster and more skilled. And that’s exactly what the Ducks are.

He had 37 points in 45 games for the Gulls last season. Roy even scored six goals in 25 games in Anaheim early last season as the Ducks were dealing with injuries. He made plays whenever he took the ice. He is an RFA, so we’ll finally find out if Murray is willing to speak with him.

Here’s hoping the 5’9″ left-handed wonder can make a deal, stay with the organization, and earn a spot where he belongs. If you want an added bonus, making a permanent spot for Roy will tell us if Paul Kariya‘s number is going to be retired. Roy wore #9 in San Diego.

Kalle Kossila

The 25-year-old Finnish forward played a solid game last season in San Diego. He led the team in scoring with 54 points in 55 games. Kossila has nothing left to prove in the AHL. If you ever asked yourself if they play lacrosse in Finland, you wouldn’t if you’d seen his goal a couple of seasons ago.

Next: 2017-18 Quackie Awards - Finale'

To say he has skill is an understatement. He can play fast. He is exactly what the Ducks are looking for right now. And at 25, he has maturity on his side. You would never guess Kossila is an RFA as well. If you see Bob Murray, give him a pen and tell him to get busy!

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