These Anaheim Ducks players are under the most pressure for the 2026-27 season

We are now under two days until the start of Ducks hockey for the 2026-27 season and there have already been some shakeups to a potential opening night roster, as Drew Helleson has been placed on IR, Roger McQueen was sent down to San Diego, but Tristan Luneau was called back up to Anaheim. In the spirit of the fluid lineup situation for the Ducks, we are going to conclude our annual exercise of forecasting which Ducks are facing the most pressure for the upcoming season. Unlike the rookies in part one or the middle of the lineup players from part two, these players are either the best on the team, facing their most pressure filled season to date, or both. Note that this list is entirely subjective, as all players in the NHL in some form or fashion. This ranking is just an index, as some players face more pressure than others, when looking at pressure versus the weight of expectations.

10. Drew Helleson

2025-26 season stats: 60 GP, 2 G, 13 A. ATOI: 16:58

The Ducks had high hopes that Helleson would become the perfect partner for Jackson LaCombe on the top defense pair last season. And for the first quarter of the 2025-26 season, Helleson was glued to that role, with varying degrees of success. However, Helleson was not on the same plane as LaCombe and Helleson was slowly demoted down the lineup as the season progressed. In his 8 playoff games, Helleson only managed to register a single point and saw his ice time crater to 9:13 per game. His injury to start this season could not have come at a worse time, as Helleson will also be an RFA next summer and with other Ducks prospects vying for more ice time, the pressure will be on Helleson to earn his spot within the defense hierarchy.

9. Mikael Granlund

2025-26 season stats: 58 GP, 19 G, 22 A. ATOI: 19:10

Outside of the odd game when he was forced to wing, Granlund was more than adequate as the number two center behind Leo Carlsson last season. The $7 million AAV and three-year extension might have seemed like an overpay last summer, but in today's market, that should be considered a steal now. Not only did Granlund play in all situations, but he also won his minutes with a 54.2 Corsi for percentage and was fourth in playoff scoring for the Ducks with 10 points. His recent promotion to captain of the team not only signifies his importance to the Ducks but has added an extra layer of pressure. Granlund now has to lead a group that needs to take another step forward to dispel the notion that the success of last season was not a fluke.

8. Tristan Luneau

2025-26 season stats: 1 GP, 1 G. TOI: 11:37

Luneau was called up for the final game of the Ducks' 2025-26 season, as more of a show of good faith from the organization, after notching 41 points in 70 games for the San Diego Gulls. Over the course of three seasons, Luneau has only appeared in 14 NHL games and registered just four points. For an offensive defenseman with so little playing time at the NHL level, it's starting to feel like it's make or break time for Luneau though. Not only will Luneau be an RFA next summer, but the Ducks also desperately need one of their right-handed defense prospects to take that leap and become a potential everyday partner for LaCombe. With the veteran roadblocks no longer in his way, the upcoming season would be the perfect time for Luneau to take that developmental step up to becoming a regular NHL player.

7. Troy Terry

2025-26 season stats: 61 GP, 19 G, 38 A. ATOI: 18:21

Last season, Terry was on pace to set career best numbers, before injuries knocked him out of lineup for a couple of different stretches. However, Terry is one of the best two-way players on the Ducks, as his 59.9 Corsi for percentage would suggest, and he plays in all situations. Terry also notched 11 points during the Ducks' 2026 playoff run. The chemistry between Terry and Carlsson is unparalleled on the team and is very reminiscent of the Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry combination from the 2010s. Terry will be out of the Ducks lineup though, to begin the season and is listed as month-to-month. Further complicating things is the void Terry's absence will create, as the lineup will be in flux and Terry's offensive production will be difficult to replace. If the top six forward group of the Ducks cannot stay afloat during his absence, the pressure will be on Terry to provide immediate results, as soon as he makes his return to the lineup.

6. Beckett Sennecke

2025-26 season stats: 82 GP, 23 G, 37 A. ATOI: 17:27

Sennecke went from being questionable to making the opening night roster to ending last season as a Calder Trophy finalist. With the aforementioned Terry out to start the season, Sennecke will undoubtedly be tasked with stepping up to fill some of those crucial minutes and offensive production. Sennecke will also have the added pressure of playing for a new contract, as he will be eligible for an extension next summer, a task Ducks GM Pat Verbeek would be wise to get ahead of.

5. Pavel Mintyukov

2025-26 season stats: 73 GP, 8 G, 14 A. ATOI: 18:26

What kind of defenseman is Mintyukov at this point? On a base level, his 22 points from last regular season seem respectable enough, for an offensive minded defenseman that likes to pick his spots when attacking with the rush. However, dig a little deeper and you can see that Mintyukov had a Corsi for percentage of 46.2, an expected goals per 60 of 0.28, allowed 3.49 expected goals against per 60, and did not register a point during the playoffs. As the owner of a brand-new contract extension though, Mintyukov will be under the pressure to perform like the top four defenseman that he is being paid to be.

4. Jackson LaCombe

2025-26 season stats: 82 GP, 10 G, 48 A. ATOI: 24:15

Remember when LaCombe laid claim to being the owner of richest contract in Ducks history? Yeah, that was fun for a season. Regardless, LaCombe proved he was worth the extension. Not only did LaCombe solidify himself as the number one defenseman for the Ducks, but he was also part of Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics and put on a masterclass against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in round one of the playoffs. As one of two defensemen with ample NHL experience, LaCombe will be taxed with not only keeping his partner afloat but carrying the bulk of the hard matchups against the oppositions' best on a nightly basis.

3. Lukas Dostal

2025-26 season stats: 55 GS, 30 W, 20 L, 4 OT/SO L, .888 SV%, 3.10 GAA

Despite the success of the Ducks last season, Dostal had arguably the worst season of his NHL career, as he allowed a sub .900 save percentage for the first time in five seasons. Dostal also had -2.9 goals saved above expected, which was a far cry from his 14.3 in 2024-25. However, his 55 starts were also the most of his career, so there could be a correlation between the increased usage and depressed numbers. On paper, the Ducks defense is greener than in seasons prior, which does not bold well for a goalie that is relied on to paper up a lot of defensive miscues. Dostal showed flashes of brilliance of last season, like in the Winter Olympics for Team Czechia, so the talent is still there, but another subpar goaltending season could end up costing the Ducks a playoff spot.

2. Cutter Gauthier

2025-26 season stats; 76 GP, 41 G, 28 A. ATOI: 17:15

In just his second full season, Gauthier accomplished a feat that Anaheim fans had not seen in over a decade by breaking the 40-goal plateau. There wasn't a shot that Gauthier didn't like either, as he was also a volume shooter with 285 shots on goal, which was the sixth most in the entire NHL. Gauthier was able to parlay the success into a new contract with the Ducks, after a prolonged standoff with Verbeek. But much like his center counterpart, who we will get to, Gauthier now carries the pressure of a big money contract and at the very least, matching last season's output. And with Terry not in the lineup either, Gauthier will be pressed to be one of the main drivers for the Ducks offense.

1. Leo Carlsson

2025-26 season stats: 70 GP, 29 G, 38 A. ATOI: 19:09

How could it be anyone else? Carlsson is unquestionably the Duck facing the most pressure for the upcoming season. Not only does Carlsson have to be the number one center for a Ducks franchise that finally reemerged from an arduous rebuild, won a playoff round and pushed the Golden Knights to six games,

but between the offer sheet debacle, all the subsequent fallout and simultaneously owning one of the most expensive contracts in the entire NHL, the pressure will be at the max for the Swede. While he still looked smooth as ever in limited preseason action, right or wrongly, Carlsson will face far more scrutiny on every flub of a puck or missed shot attempt, from all corners of NHL fandom.

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