The long offseason is finally over, and the puck drop for the Anaheim Ducks' 2025-26 season begins now. Is this finally the year the Ducks take the next step and make a push for the playoffs? Or will the Ducks hang around towards the bottom of the standings again and extend the playoff drought? Let's dig in.
Projected lineup
Here is the projected lineup for the Ducks, per Daily Faceoff:
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Chris Kreider | Leo Carlsson | Troy Terry |
Cutter Gauthier | Mason McTavish | Beckett Sennecke |
Frank Vatrano | Mikael Granlund | Alex Killorn |
Ross Johnston | Ryan Poehling | Sam Colangelo |
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Jackson LaCombe | Radko Gudas |
Olen Zellweger | Jacob Trouba |
Pavel Mintyukov | Drew Helleson |
Goalies |
|---|
Lukas Dostal |
Petr Mrazek |
About what Ducks fans should expect from the opening night lineup, with a few shakeups to point out though. Ryan Strome is currently listed as day-to-day, per Daily Faceoff. Granlund's flexibility of playing at center will be tested right away, by filling in for the injured Strome on the third line. As a byproduct, the young prospect, Beckett Sennecke, is projected to bump up to the second line. Ville Husso was put on waivers, per PuckPedia, and cleared. Mrazek will be the backup for Dostal, at least to start the season.
How many points will the Anaheim Ducks end up with?
Projected total: 84.5, per Vsin
Honestly, this point projection seems a little bit too low. If 82 points is about a .500 season, the Ducks should be pushing higher than 84 points. The Ducks were a horrendous defensive team last season and had a subpar coaching staff yet still finished with 80 points. With a new coaching staff and some more proven veterans on the wings, the Ducks should finish with more than a three-win improvement than last season.
Are all the offseason changes enough for an extra eight wins in the standings though? 96 points was the cutoff for making the playoffs in the Western Conference last year. If the mandate from GM Pat Verbeek is to be believed, the Ducks should be in the realm of 90+ points and fighting for a playoff spot at the end of the season.
Player to watch
Beckett Sennecke
The third overall draft pick by the Ducks in 2024, Sennecke was a surprise addition to the initial opening night roster. While Sennecke has shown flashes of offensive creativity in the preseason, his defensive work, particularly along the boards, definitely needs some refinement.
However, with the sudden loss of Strome to injury, Sennecke has bought himself a little runway to make an impact to start the season. Sennecke's play will determine if this is just a nine game try out before being sent back to OHL, if he is rotated through the lineup with a fully healthy roster, or if he actually sticks throughout the course of the season.
Best Case Scenario
Leo Carlsson truly arrives and becomes the number one center the Ducks have desperately needed since the retirement of Ryan Getzlaf. Mason McTavish, fresh off a new contract extension, takes another step in his development and proves that his contract will be a bargain, sooner rather than later. Jackson LaCombe proves that last year was no fluke and fully embraces being the new number one defenseman in Anaheim. Lukas Dostal solidifies that he is indeed the backbone of the Ducks and has another stellar season in net.
Either Olen Zellweger or Pavel Mintyukov finally put all the pieces together and become more reliable two-way defensemen. Cutter Gauthier's shooting prowess grows while skating next to Carlsson for a full season. All the veteran pieces Verbeek has added gel together with the young core and combined with a revamped coaching staff, the Ducks finally break through into the playoffs as a wild card.
Worst Case Scenario
Either Carlsson or McTavish stagnate in their development and the Ducks scramble to find options at center, after trading Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers. Dostal breaks down playing behind another year of shoddy defense and without John Gibson to turn to anymore, Mrazek or Husso cannot keep the team afloat.
Zellweger and Mintyukov are unable to round out their respective games and as the team continues to tank in the standings, Verbeek ships off Trouba and Gudas for future considerations. The Ducks finish worse than last year in the standings, accumulate another high draft pick (not first overall though as the lottery balls never fall in the Ducks' favor) and the fan base wonders whether the new coaching staff is still stuck in 2015.
Final thoughts
Realistically, the Ducks should be a better team than last season. Expect Carlsson and McTavish to make progress with the anticipation of taking the huge step forward next season. Dostal should hold up well as the franchise netminder, as he did start in 49 games last season. The new coaching staff should be able to coach up the young skaters enough to see some progress in their respective games and the veterans won't be used as a crutch like in previous seasons.
The Ducks should be playing meaningful games in the spring and if the team does fall short of snagging a playoff spot, the franchise will still be in a better place than it has been for years.