Top 3 right shot defensemen the Anaheim Ducks should target in NHL Free Agency

As the Anaheim Ducks move into the summer and look toward a new season of hopeful improvement, General Manager Pat Verbeek has stated three areas of the roster he hopes to slot new players into through the free agency market.

A top-four right-shot defenceman, a top-six rightwinger, and improved depth to the bottom six are the trifecta of additions that fans can look toward when free agency signings commence on July 1st. For this article, we will look at the first target on the list, a right-shot defenceman, and discuss which of those free agents Pat Verbeek should target. 

The Need

During a recent podcast interview, Verbeek stated that he is looking for a top-four defenceman to help give more defensive stability and to mentor the young d-core the Ducks have. The Ducks finished third last this year in goals against and have been a bottom-ten team in that category for the last five seasons. Adding a more defensively solid player to the back end can help the Ducks take away more scoring chances and help the games stay closer. This means that the defencemen to target will likely have less of an offensive upside and more of a defensive skillset. 

The opening night roster for the 2024-25 Ducks will likely have four defencemen under 23 (Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Tristen Luneau, Olen Zellweger). With Cam Fowler and Radko Gudas already mentoring this young crew, adding another veteran can help grow the defensive game of these young blueliners and also show them good habits of being an NHLer. 

With these things in mind, let's take a look at three defenceman Verbeek should target.

1. Matt Dumba

The twenty-nine-year-old defenceman finished the season as a playoff rental from the Arizona Coyotes to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He averaged just under twenty minutes a night between the two teams, showing that he can still be relied upon for large portions of the game. With that in mind, however, Dumba has just come off his worst defensive season. A contributor to that, no doubt, is his aging but also being on Arizona and Tampa Bay teams that struggled with their defensive systems this year.

While he may not be the same player he once was in Minnesota, bringing him onto the Ducks on a short-term deal could be what Verbeek is looking for on the right side. Dumba would not have to play top-line minutes, giving him more energy to fill his defensive role. In addition to being a solid hockey player, the Ducks are getting a great leader.

Dumba won the King Clancy Trophy in 2020 for his humanitarian work and was nominated for the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in 2021. He should not be a long-term investment as his career is starting to decline, but he could be a good addition for a short deal.

2. Brett Pesce

The Carolina Hurricanes have a full offseason of re-signings with eight pending UFA’s and six RFA’s. One of the players who may not receive a new contract from the Canes is Brett Pesce, another twenty-nine-year-old defenceman. Pesce is finishing a four-million-dollar contract, and he will likely be receiving a boost in his salary. With the large amount of cap space on the Ducks, they could out-bid the Hurricanes, who have more contracts to figure out. Over his tenure with the Hurricanes,

Pesce has shown to be a very reliable defenceman who has posted solid numbers each year. He can log twenty minutes a night, play on the penalty kill, and provide some offence when needed. Additionally, with his five straight years of playoff experience, he would be able to help teach the young Ducks habits that translate to success in the playoffs.

The biggest question with Pesce is figuring out a good term. With all the young players coming up, having Pesce in the long term is unwise, but he could likely find it with another team. If the Ducks can entice Pesce by paying him a lot for a shorter time, he could fill the right-side need very well. 

3. Chris Tanev

Chris Tanev is finishing up a four-year contract as a playoff rental from the Calgary Flames to the Dallas Stars. At thirty-four years old, Tanev is still showing he can play at a very high level in the National Hockey League. He ranked fourth in blocked shots and still logs around twenty minutes of ice time per game. Regarding defensive defencemen, he is one of the best and has excellent game sense to make good transitional passes.

Tanev is a league veteran about to enter his fifteenth season. His leadership is another great asset, as he has been an assistant captain for the Canucks and Flames. The experience Tanev has would be very beneficial for the young Ducks to be around. Because Tanev is getting older there are two potential things he could be looking for. The first is a Stanley Cup, and the second is a good contract to finish his career with.

Depending on how Tanev views the Ducks, he may not view them as a team he will be able to win a cup with before his career is done. However, the Ducks would be able to give him a nice contract to finish his career with. If the Ducks were to land Tanev, his addition could propel the Ducks into the playoffs and give Tanev an opportunity to win a Cup in southern California.

Conclusion

These three defencemen are just a few of the options Verbeek has to look at this offseason. Other notable right-shot defencemen the Ducks could consider for free agents are Dylan Demelo, Sean Walker, Tyler Myers, Matt Roy, and Tyson Barrie, just to name a few. Adding Chris Tanev would be the best for the team.

A shorter contract with a higher price to finish Tanev’s career could serve both parties well. Free agency negotiations are always exciting to watch, and we will have to wait till Monday to see if any of these targets become Anaheim ducks for the 2024-25 season.